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Windows is free for most users.

Are you referring to pirates?

Windows still costs a tidy sum if you get it preinstalled on a new machine. If you go to a supplier who is not part of the Microsoft racket then you can get cheaper computer hardware without paying the MS Tax (check out Walmarts prices with Linspire preinstalled).

Commercial Linux distributions have nonzero cost as well. Then the question for the user is whether the cost difference between the OEM Windows fee and the competition's fee is made up in the value from having compatability with software that they are currently capable of using. When many computer users are not even remotely confident with their ability to use their computers, how many of them do you really expect to rock the boat over a few tens of dollars? Which when compared to the cost of the computer is what we're talking about with an OEM copy of Windows. Unless there are identical systems before them with the only difference being this fee, they won't even have a firm grasp for what the cost actually is, but I assume for most people whatever it is won't be worth the emotional distress of transition. Then of course one needs to consider how many people, comparatively purchase computers from places where this option is even made plainly available to them, rather than just acquiring a Dell from Rent-to-Own R Us or directly. If the typical view to the consumer is a Windows world, then the cost of Windows is completely transparent to them. It is "free" in the same way that the mouse that comes with the computer is "free." It has a cost, but to them that entire box filled with "things" is their "computer" and costs $x.

You did see that the summary said "companies", not "users", right?

Companies have a lot more say in what comes installed on new hardware. Companies also often have IT people who are well aware that Windows is neither free, nor required to use the computer.

Windows is free for most users.
Almost free as in beer, yes.
Free as in the freedom to change the software to actually make it do what you wish, no.

I got sick of windows for the reason that:
"Windows makes simple things easy and complex things impossible"
whereas
"Gentoo makes simple things difficult and complex things easy"

I much prefer the latter.

- Jesse McNelis

Even if a licence upgrade costs zero, the cost of the upgrade in it self will cost huge amounts of money in an organization. For one thing you need to keep track of what machines is running what software.

You will have to verify that the new version is compatible with existing IT-infrastructure, and in many cases you will find glitches that needs to be fixed. Such glitches could be upgrades of external softwar, upgrades of software written in house, or hardware upgrades.

You will have to train your staff or/and suffer production losses while the staff train themselves. Finally you will have to pay sombody to actuall make sure that the new software ends up on your harddrives.

All in all switching even to a free system can be very expensive. This is why Linux have so much problems gaining marketshare and I think that Novell are devoted themself to wishful thinking when they say that Vista will have much impact on Linux. Most users will just stay with what they allready got.

New organizations may of corse benefit from going the Linux road.

"This is why Linux have so much problems gaining marketshare and I think that Novell are devoted themself to wishful thinking when they say that Vista will have much impact on Linux."
Now that's not entirely fair. You know as well as I do that every major release of Windows, except possibly XP, has brought with it major changes. Even XP SP2 brought in major changes; and that was just a (serious of) fix(es).
Vista is, for one, bringing in more enforcement of user accounts. Now, for MegaCorp, with their 16,384 user domain, that's no big deal! But for TinyCorp, with their 32 users who share one server and each have their own totally seperate desktop; and one IT "dude", that's a big deal. Because now they have 32 people who are suddenly asking "but I used to be able to do this on that there XP?"
Now, Novell, ironically, is more concerned with MegaCorp (I think). But for every MegaCorp, there's 1024 TinyCorps... And for every TinyCorp, there's 128 homes. Ok, I made those numbers up, but I think they sort of represent how small businesses can be a money maker as well; even though it involves a completely different marketing strategy.
I'm sure Microsoft will do all they can to make the Vista move easy for people (actually that's a lie because I think the backwards compatibility camp has lost power in Redmond). But even with the best people designing it, it's still going to involve pains and tons of hidden costs. Remember how much junk SP2 broke? Should it have broke most of it? Hell yes! Did that cost money to fix things that should have been fixed before? Hell yes.

Now I forgot where I was taking this.

No. As user, you will need to pay to upgrade from Win98 to WinXP for about USD 200 unless you got a pirated copy. Plus, if you don't have WinXP, you won't get Service Pack 2.

Oh come on, you're joking ;P or are you really that naive... users are still paying for their copy of windows, only, most dumb suckers simply don't realize it

>>Vista Will Drive Users to Linux

>Yes. The same way the costs of migrating from Win98 to >WinXP did it in the past. Oh, wait, it didn't. Windows >is free for most users.

My father worked in Boca Raton and bought Bill lunch one day because Bill didn't have any money. I have used DOS, Win31, OS/2, Win95, NT 4.0, Win98, Win98SE, WinME, Win2k, WinXP home and WinXP Pro. All at home.

Will I switch when Vista comes out?

yes, I will. And it has nothing to do with price.