🚀 go-pugleaf

In <adtDD0A2D.HAt@netcom.com> adt@netcom.com (Anthony D. Tribelli) writes:

>Giolla Decair (giolla@maghmell.demon.co.uk) wrote:
>: >I don't think MS is suicidal.
>
>: It wouldn't be suicidal remember this is the company that "forced"
>: computer manufacturers/suppliers to install thier DOS by charging them
>: for each machine regardless of what DOS was used. 
>
>But end users have to be agreeable or at least indifferent to
>pre-installing DOS/Windows or Win95. If the end users feel they are being
>spyed upon they would object, with enough objections a different OS might
>become pre-installed. Hardware manufacturers are in the business of 
>making customers happy, not Microsoft. Microsoft can only make deals with 
>manufacturers if most customers have an interest in Microsoft.

No problem, as long as the vendor doesn't _force_ any customer to get
a PC with preinstalled software and pay for the preinstalled software.
While this is OK for the majority of the users, it isn't for the minority
who will simply reformat the disk, because they want to use other OS than
the preinstalled one(s) on their computers.  Part of the bad name of
Microsoft is due to their "per cpu" licencing policy (now illegal),
which effectively forced you to pay for their software, whether you needed
it or not, unless you wanted to build your PC from scratch (not a 
particularly cost-effective solution, either).

Dan
--
Dan Pop
CERN, CN Division
Email: Dan.Pop@mail.cern.ch 
Mail:  CERN - PPE, Bat. 31 R-004, CH-1211 Geneve 23, Switzerland