It's an offer you can't refuse — buy a PC, get Microsoft software thrown in. And we do mean you cannot refuse; try going into a high street retailer or picking a PC off the page at Dell, and see whether you can end up free of Microsoft licences.
You might already have bought Windows, but are being forced to pay full price again just because you're upgrading. You might want to use Linux on that laptop, yet find that not only that XP is compulsory but that removing it invalidates the guarantee. You may have a site licence, but be unable to buy new computers without XP pre-installed anyway — and not have the time to go through the process of claiming the money back.
You may even be a small business who'd like to buy PCs without Microsoft software but have read that such an action will lead to a visit from the company's "Feet on the Street" team for a bit of "proactive assurance" regarding the "value proposition of pre-installed software".
The 'Feet on the Street' are otherwise involved in chasing people using unlicensed copies of Microsoft software — with good links to the BSA, FAST and other worthies who may well descend demanding audits and other time-consuming, expensive ways of declaring you guilty until proven innocent. Does that mean that Microsoft considers naked PCs tantamount to licence abuse? Of course not, says Microsoft. An honest mistake: just because it threatened in print to send in the goon squad doesn't mean that it had any intention so to do.
That's as may be, but the original statement was a shockingly casual threat. As our Talkback shows, and as our experience over the years backs up, Microsoft is extraordinarily keen to push its software at individuals and businesses of all sizes in ways that effectively remove our ability to turn it down. That is an abuse of a monopoly position, and one that requires action.
We want to be able to buy any PC with or without Microsoft software, from any vendor. We want an end to bundled deals where the Microsoft tax is hidden in the hardware price: If we want Microsoft software then we'll ask for it. We're capable of making that decision for ourselves. If Microsoft wants to give away software, then fine — don't make it a condition of a hardware sale.
Most of all, we want the right to say no without being threatened if we do. Anything else is gangsterism — and our gang is bigger than theirs.
Talkback
Luckely our politicians that we voted to power are in full agreement with that so I'm sure this slight misunderstanding (for the last ten years or so) will be correctly shortly.
Surely our currently elected politicians are fully aware of the, at EU level no less, conviction of a certain vendor regarding monoply abuse and such.
So what would be the most likely 'next cause of action'?
we all agree that we want to pay even for those things that we do not wish, included or not, on certain consumer products we purchase.
That's whay we voted our current politicians to power, didn't we?
Recently, Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft to pursue a different direction.
He is trying to build a 'software as a service' company now. This means that you could get barebones computers, but have to purchase software at a monthly premium. This is a different approach to the EU's anti-monopoly laws. If there's no software on computers in Europe except to gain access to the internet, and Gates has the operating system located in the United States, which is not required to conform to European software laws, gates can continue as 'business as usual'.
I bought a retail license of XP Pro. I can put it on anything that I upgrade to. Microsoft doesn't like when I do constant upgrades, but tough for them. Nothing in the license agreement says I can't upgrade 10 times a day and get reactivated.
I still have an old Windows 98se computer as a stand by. No reactivation needed...
Gates has it out for the Chinese. In a way, I can't blame him. They purportedly pirate a significant portion of his software. But should he put the screws to the rest of the world?
Another of Gate's directions is to have an 'OFF' button for certain, if not all countries. A button he can press that shuts dows EVERY computer in that country, at HIS whim.
Europe will be the world's ONLY salvation from Power Mad Corporations, like Microsoft.
I am sick of paying a tax on crappy, bug ridden, spyware loving Microsoft Windows !
I've tried to have windows unbundled from a PC in PC World, thats 'not possible sir - sorry'. I argue that I have an existing copy of Windows that I legitimately want to reuse, on just one machine- 'sorry sir the manafacturers have an agreement to include the OS'. But I choose to use Linux, I don't want to pay for Windows - 'sorry thats not an option.' I tried to convinve the consumers association (CA) that this was wrong - 'sorry thats just the market'.
Make it optional for hardware purchases, with other options like Linux (or Mac) on an equal footing.
I'am an American and I have never read truer words than in this article.
I want the EU to know that it will be a slow process,
in getting rid of $Microsoft, but we will.
Linux and the Open Source will in the end, Win.
James Tate
United States of America