Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 30th Oct 2006 19:49 UTC, submitted by tux68
"The next version of Windows is just around the corner, so the next time we discuss software licensing in my course, the EULA for Vista will be front and center. You can read the Microsoft Vista EULA yourself by going to the official Software License page from Microsoft page and searching for Vista. I know many of you have never bothered to read the EULA - who really wants to, after all? - but take a few minutes and get yourself a copy and read it. I'll wait. Back? It's bad, ain't it? Real bad. I mean, previous EULAs weren't anything great - but the Vista EULA is horrendous."
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Member since:
2005-07-06
Any computer you buy at a store should be sold without an operating system. The choices should be made clear at the store that you have a choice. The seller/computer maker will then install the operating system of choice.
that way there is no MS "tax"....you don't have to wipe the system the minute you get it home and people will have a "real" choice instead of having things forced on them. So the above post is full of beans...since people take the path of least resistance, the only REAL way people will make a voluntary choice is if the choice existed in the first place.
All that would do is increase wait time and cost because you need employees loading to order at every store that does this, and not every OS is going to be compatible with every PC.
Wal-Mart sells PCs preloaded with Linux on their website. Consumers may purchase those PCs just as easily as a Dell or similar. Many local shops will sell systems with a selection of OSes from which to choose. Macs are sold in far more places.
There is choice in the market. Most people choose Windows.
The MS tax is only seen as a tax by the minority of people seeking something different. There are other vendors that can fulfill that need.
Tier 1 OEMs have tried and failed at offering Linux on their desktop systems. If you want someone else to fill the void, maybe you should lobby Red Hat, Oracle, Novell, IBM, Sun, etc., to combine their efforts and start/buy a company (should be enough money between them) that produces desktops and offers a selection of the respective companies' products with the hardware. Build a brand and use the companies' distribution channels to get shelf space in Best Buy, Office Depot, et al., and run more (and better) TV commercials than Apple does while offering comparable pricing to Dell. It may even help if there was one OS preinstalled rather than offering a choice. Make things simple.
If after all of this (brand awareness, wide distribution, a network of channel partners working for a common goal) there is still not a wide adoption of the Windows alternative, then either reassess and improve your strategy or accept that most people actually do choose Windows.