All very interesting.
I suspect that a cometent lawyer could make a case that the
combination
of the limitations described in this thread (which seem to me
reasonable
in themselves) coupled with MS policies enforced to punish or
discourage
vendors that wish to sell computers sans Windows, amount to
restraint of
trade, and are therefore themselves illegal. I think the same attorney
could also demonstrate the same for the regioning policy for DVDs.
Such
a lawyer would have streets named for him in cities all over the
world,
not to mention roses.
Not really. Microsoft gives computer stores a price break if they
agree that all computers they sell will be sold with an operating
system. The store can forgo the price break if they wish, or install a
free operating system or include a CD of one or sell a competing
operating system.
There is no requirement for them to install a Microsoft product. Or
they can install Windows XP, Vista or 7, from a recent disk without a
"magic number". This gives the user a 30 day free trial.
There are plenty of non Microsoft products to choose from from
FreeDos, Linux, BSD variants, UNIX (as in Solaris, etc), and so on.
In fact, I'm sure if a computer store emailed the Ubuntu people and
told them that they sold 20 computers a month without operating
systems, they would get 20 Ubuntu CDs a month from their free CD
project.
So I fail to see why Microsoft is restraining trade, and am actually
glad the policy exists. It encourages people to try fee operating
systems and discourages the use of pirated ones.
Let's face it, here in Israel, how many people who buy computers
without an operating system are going to put something besides Windows
on it anyway?
Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.
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