Cheap laptop price tags can mislead users

Having the price of the laptop reflect just the price of the laptop is a wonderful idea. The customer should know full well what his choice of operating system is costing him, and if the price of the OS is broken out separately, that sounds like a good clarification to me.

What a weird article. Which makes it typical of the genre. It contradicts itself so many times I get dizzy. But the key message is not this one:

Quoting: What's wrong with a free Linux OS and office suite like openoffice.org, one may ask? Linux is free but has no support unless one gets it installed from Red Hat or Novell (that charge for support and maintenance, since the OS is free).

Nor this one:

Quoting: Of this, it is estimated, over 70 per cent of Microsoft OS, and over 90 per cent of Microsoft Office, is pirated.

They don't get support either. No, this is the true message:

Quoting: With Microsoft clamping on piracy, getting a legal OS becomes imperative.

Of course they mean a legal Microsoft OS. But when customers learn the real price, I don't see those piracy numbers going down. If they're even close to reality in the first place. How does billg get to be a multi-bazillionaire if everyone steals his stuff?

Does microsoft offer free support for windows? I thought that the OEM for the computer was the one who offered support. So why would the OEMs for linux PCs not offer the support?

I didn't finish the article, it is too hard to read something that the author doesn't know what they are talking about.

"I love the smell of FUD in morning"..

Quoting:Does microsoft offer free support for windows?

Last I heard I believe MS was using a pay per minute/pay per instance phone support system. So yeah...yer stuck with the OEM (who will likely just tell you to reload from your rescue disc/rescue partition), the internet, and paid support -- pretty much just like Linux?

It's odd how he never mentions what's wrong with having Linux preloaded (other than having the quote about support and maintenance)..he mentions how DOS is pretty much useless on new machines, but pretty much skips right over Linux to talk about "legal Microsoft OS" and how piracy is rampant. So basically he's assuming that anyone that buys a DOS/Linux box is either going to buy or pirate MS Windows/Office since

Quoting: Linux is free but has no support unless one gets it installed from Red Hat or Novell (that charge for support and maintenance, since the OS is free).

?

Yeah...lots of missing information there...

Quoting:Last I heard I believe MS was using a pay per minute/pay per instance phone support system.

Obviously not running on Asterisk. ;-)

The author carefully avoids mentioning the cost of purchasing additional productivity software to go with that MS Windows computer, as well. Software equivalents which are most likely included with the Linux distro. It's always interesting to see the look on faces of the uninformed, when all those "30 day trial" applications on their new MS Windows computer just quit and advise them to open their wallets and pay up for the usable version.

Quoting:It's always interesting to see the look on faces of the uninformed, when all those "30 day trial" applications on their new MS Windows computer just quit and advise them to open their wallets and pay up for the usable version.

Especially when they realize that all the documents they created are now trapped in OOXML and nothing will open them....

I'm in the process of "upgrading" a poor soul's laptop from Vista to XP Pro (*sigh* wish she didn't need windows...I am dual booting it to Mandriva though). I was going to do windows update until I started it and realized that it won't let you until you activate (which I don't want to do until I'm sure I have all the drivers I can find in). Anyway, I got redirected to the "get genuine" page with the nice offer to order the Genuine Validation Kit (or something like that) for only $150! The page of course makes note of the fact that this is a great deal since the retail price is $299 (or something thereabouts).

On the brighter side of things, I got to hookup my neighbor/distant relative with OpenOffice yesterday. Apparently one of her teachers uses powerpoints for them to print out and takes notes on, etc. They went to Staples, realized the cost of Office, went home and called me. :)

If a manufacturer is willing to go the extra mile to make sure their hardware is compatible with Linux -- wired and wireless networking, full power management (suspend, hibernate), complete audio and video compatibility, full multimedia support -- they can ship laptops with "weaker" hardware than they need for Vista, and they get not one (no OS fee) but two (cheaper hardware) ways to maximize profit.

All they have to do is market the hell out of Linux and tell their potential buyer about all the benefits that it brings.

Quoting:All they have to do is market the hell out of Linux and tell their potential buyer about all the benefits that it brings.

Therein lies the crux of the issue Steven, getting the OEM's to do just that.

They don't have to pay MS ... and they should have to do a little work in kind ...

Quoting:they can ship laptops with "weaker" hardware than they need for Vista, and they get not one (no OS fee) but two (cheaper hardware) ways to maximize profit.

Quoting:They don't have to pay MS ... and they should have to do a little work in kind ...

See Steven, they don't pay MS for the OS, the customer does.

They are already maximizing their profits since the customer is paying for the higher up new hardware and consequently making more profits.

They don't have to spend ad money, MS pays most of it.

They are already getting more funds from MS for agreeing to its specific terms.

When there is more customer demand for Linux, OEMs will dump MS. It is all business.

We just need more people to be aware of what they are missing and losing by not using Linux.

Abe,

You forgot to mention the extra money they make for loading up the machine with crapware.

Quoting:You forgot to mention the extra money...

Yah, good point. More money/incentive for the OEMs.