No O/S as a right more than ever

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

I. Khider wrote:
> Greetings fellow Linux enthusiasts,
> 
> Notwisthstanding the comments I received on this list, nobody convinced
> me that major manufacturers are right to build computers solely around
> the Windows operating system. The idea of building whole industries
> around one proprietary operating system is absurd. About as absurd as
> saying that monetary parametres are the sole means of defining what is
> right and wrong. Allow me to illustrate a simple case in point, I
> elected to acquire a business class laptop. Most manufacturers have a
> business class models such as HP, Toshiba (the pro and tecra lines) or
> any other manufacturer. In the corporate/institutional/technical world
> linux/uninx is the standard, not Windows. Be it supply chain management,
> hospitals, infrastructure or whathaveyou.

When did this happen? I'm a big fan of Linux but I would not be deluded
as to think it has become "the standard" anywhere but amongst a minority
of users.

> To sell laptops based around
> the Windows operating system in this category is counterproductive to
> the corporate/infrastructural/public service world at large. It just
> makes sense to offer no O/S as an option in this area.
> 
> The simple issue is manufacturers say you must pay for Windows, whether
> you need it or not, and that is flat out wrong.

Most manufacturers also say you need to pay for Bluetooth, whether you
need it or not. Ditto for USB and wireless. Is that wrong too? By the
way, there is one brand of notebook that I know of that you can purchase
locally with no operating system, MSI. Don't expect to save any money
though. As long as Microsoft isn't penalizing manufacturers that sell
"naked" systems or systems loaded with another operating system, there
is nothing wrong with a manufacturer deciding that it will offer Windows
exclusively, or not.

> Companies once had a
> policy that dumping toxic byproducts in the environment was perfectly
> acceptible behaviour until citizens lobbied governments to legislate
> otherwise. Consumer advocacy can be positive and help companies develop
> positive policies--even if comapnies are against what consumers advocate
> in the short term, in the long run they could be doing said companies a
> favor.

If you're suggesting that governments ought to pass laws that force
companies to modify their products to suit your wishes, I don't see how
that is an improvement on the status quo.

> I thought this was the Linux users group! Surely my views are not
> counterintuitive here.

As a wonderful Turkish saying goes, you seem to be more pro-king than
the king. Just because this is a LUG doesn't mean we need to behave like
"fanbois" and take leave of our senses. You're tilting at windmills and
seem to be treating this like some sort of crusade. Just buy something
else and get over it.
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis
1419-3266 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

<http://dinamis.com>
+1 416-410-3326
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