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Does the Windows ballot screen for choosing a browser represent meaningful progress in Europe?
,----[ Quote ]
| Thanks to the European Commission's
| antitrust like activities, European
| citizens will soon be presented with a
| ballot choice between twelve browsers when
| first using a newly purchased computer
| preloaded with the Microsoft Windows
| operating system.
|
| But is this really progress? It's not much
| of a choice when you have to give up your
| freedom first in order to select a browser
| -- a few of which might be free software.
| Why not give citizens the option of
| purchasing the computer with a free
| software operating system like GNU/Linux,
| or with no operating system at all? The
| best way to fight monopoly isn't to give
| more choices after the most basic premise
| of the monopoly has already been agreed to
| -- it's to let people opt out of the
| monopoly from the beginning.
`----
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/ballot-screens
Linux, Loss, Laptops, and Lower Costs. Oh, and value too.
,----[ Quote ]
| As I mentioned, that's a lot of computing
| power for a small price tag. Even at the
| 'sale price', I'm betting that Best Buy
| made money and Acer made money and other
| people down the line made money. Add to
| that Windows 7 Premium Home edition which,
| according to my local Future Shop, is $225
| Canadian for a full version or $130 for an
| upgrade. We Linux and FOSS people call this
| the Microsoft tax. There were also a bunch
| of other pieces of software installed, some
| full versions and others time-limited
| trials. I don't really care, I wasn't going
| to run any of it anyhow. Assuming that this
| story is correct in saying that NewEgg
| offers OEM versions of Windows 7 for $110,
| then my notebook could have goes a full
| hundred dollars less, at the very least. So
| now, I could theoretically have gotten all
| this computing power for $500 or less. Just
| install Ubuntu or Kubuntu or any other
| version of Linux you prefer and you have a
| seriously inexpensive, seriously powerful,
| and infinitely more reliable machine than
| the Microsoft-taxed version can offer.
`----
http://ubuntu-user.com/Online/Blogs/Marcel-Gagne-Orbiting-Planet-buntu/Linux-Loss-Laptops-and-Lower-Costs.-Oh-and-value-too
Recent:
Petition for the refund of OEM Licenses in the EU
,----[ Quote ]
| Dear Sir or Madam,
|
| REF: Unclear refunds of OEM Licenses in Europe
|
| Legally one could assume that a customer chooses what he/she wants to
| buy. However it is still impossible today to buy a laptop / computer
| without a Microsoft license or to have a refund of said Microsoft
| software, if you do not agree to the Microsoft Licensing policies in
| which is clearly stated :
|
| âBy using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not accept
| them, do not use the software. Instead, contact the manufacturer or
| installer to determine their return policy for a refund or credit.â
|
| Windows Vista_Home Premium_English_b6fbe7e6-f312-4692-8aee-
| f5b3d60987b4.pdf
|
| However this clearly stated OEM License Policy cannot be executed by said
| customer.
|
| For a fact, you can only see the license when you are using the software,
| in most cases the license is not included on paper with the software and
| in most cases not even in the language of the said customer.
|
| For a fact the manufacturer or installer refuse to refund or even refer
| to Microsoft to obtain a refund, which clearly is in violation of the
| said OEM License Policy. Weâd like to urge the European Commission to
| take action and to make it possible to apply the License Policy of
| Microsoft and the law in favor of the consumer.
|
| We have studied the Licenses of the majority of Microsoft Operating
| Systems and have discovered that they all apply.
`----
http://softwarepushers.com/
Kamp mod Microsoftskatten
http://phk.freebsd.dk/MicrosoftSkat/
Fighting against the Microsoft Tax
,----[ Quote ]
| I have paid for at least 10 Windows licenses over time, all the machines were
| purchased to run only FreeBSD.
|
| We must stop this distortion and Lenovo would not reimburse the Vista license
| for my new laptop, I have chosen to sue them.
`----
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fphk.freebsd.dk%2FMicrosoftSkat%2F&sl=da&tl=en
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