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Falling Hardware Prices Favor Linux
An anonymous reader sends us to a blog posting arguing that, as hardware prices fall below $250 for laptops and desktops, Linux should gain as the Microsoft tax stands out in sharper relief. "In previous years, if you were spending US$1500 and up on a laptop, the Microsoft tax you were paying didn't seem like such a big deal. XP or Vista was pre-installed, fairly convenient... But as the price of hardware for small basic machines comes down, (think under US$250 by the end of next year), then software price starts to become a big issue. Why would you pay the price of your new laptop again just for the software, when all you want to do is really basic things?"
No. A tax is an obligatory payment to some higher powers. You don't want Windows? Good , buy a Mac, use Linuzzzz, Amiga, BeOS or write your own OS. Nobody actually is putting a gun in in your mouth.
Could you point me to the laptop or desktop I can buy that doesn't have Windows on it? The desktops are just now starting to come out without Windows. I don't know of any laptops off the top of my head (there may be one or two) that don't give a surcharge for Linux in one form or another. So my "choice" is to either a) Buy and pay for a Laptop with windows, or b) Not purchase a laptop.
Yes, I could choose B, but if I WANT A LAPTOP, I HAVE TO BUY WINDOWS. It's just like, if I WANT to live in the US, I HAVE TO PAY TAXES. Sure, I COULD live somewhere else, but if I want to live in the US (if I want to buy a laptop), I HAVE TO PAY for something I don't want. There are taxes I am willing to pay for, but there are many I'm not. Yet, I'm still forced to pay them, just like I am forced to pay the MS Tax to buy a laptop.
So yes, it's a tax.