You missed the point - until NT Windows wasn't an OS, MSDOS was the OS and Windows was an addon.
It's not free if you account for your time. When the only way to buy a PC is to buy it with Windows installed (and therefore paid for) the cost of installing Windows is zero (no money, no time).
The cost of installing another OS is the cost of obtaining it (download time plus blank media - or purchase cost of installation media at a minimum) plus the (moderately skilled) time it takes to install it. That's not zero.
Now this all changes if you get the PC without an OS for less than the cost of the same PC with an OS or if there is a choice of pre-installed OS on the hardware of your choice. Neither is common even now.
It is a fact that I could have bought a Dell computer with Unix installed in 1994. However, they told me that it would take 9 months for them to make a system disk with Unix on it. another moment in my life when I was rendered speechless when encountering abject stupidity. I knew then that MS was in the driver's seat for all PC business.
/BAH
Not much point in arguing, it would appear. No matter what you say, one or more clone will just deny it and tell you how stupid you are.
Dual-core pentium for less than $350; Fedora install less than 20 minutes; not having to pay the Bill tax, priceless! Obviously installing an OS from scratch is not for everyone, but if yu know your way around a computer it isn't too difficult. Now if only I could get Samba and VirtualBox to play well together - I had it working but made a change and broke it :-(
Not when there is a product one cannot choose not to buy.
Not unless McDonald's gave me a refund for the unwanted burger, so that my free burger was actually free. -- Joe
I'm sorry, but your burger was licensed only for eating out of the original carton. It has no value by itself.
And even there they stole a lot from IBM.
Look up Seattle Computer Systems and QDOS, a quick-and-dirty rewrite of CP/M for the 8086.
That's just as true when one of the clowns is Bill Gates.
At least he's chosen new catchphrases.
Show us the source code.
Oh wait, you argued the opposite over MS-DOS's CP/M heritage...
I was wondering about the legality of porting the cheese.
And along with it, the misspelling of "OK" as "Ok", which has gone viral.
Nor is it a choice in environments where other people are sending you files in proprietary Microsoft formats.
There's a lot more to choice than mere availability.
Your only option is to return the complete burger for a refund in original, unopened box.
Installation of third-party cheese voids the warranty.
You want fries with that?
Even then, the hassle involved in buying the mickey-D's burger and then returning it would be enough to make most people not want to bother.
I really like this example.
But that's what GUIs are all about, aren't they?
You did it, SG1. You got him looping again.
-- /~\ snipped-for-privacy@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs) \ / I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way. X Top-posted messages will probably be ignored. See RFC1855. / \ HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored. Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!
Computer retailers -- even the good ones, if such are postulated to exist
-- resemble burger chains more than they like to let on: "You know, we can supersize that MacBook to a MacBook Pro for you for just an additional two-fifty..."
Ahem A Rivet's Shot wrote
anyway.
Yeah, looks like it.
Thats a lie.
Another lie.
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