> No thanks. I'll stick with Windows, which allows > me more time to make out with my girlfriend.
Hmmm.
Windows: BSOD + trashed disk for the second time in six months. I'm sorry hun, I can't go out with you now, I have to reinstall my Windows box AND all the applications, AND all the configurations.
GNU/Linux: Redhat XX has been out for awhile now. Hmm, girlfriend is going away this weekend. I suppose I'll upgrade./usr/local? Oh, that's a separate partition. No need to worry about those programs. RPMS? They're all in one directory. rpm -U *.rpm Configuration? Maybe 1/2 hour of copying files from the old backed up/etc to the new one, and all user files are saved on/home, which is a separate partition. No fuss, no muss, no bother.
Which saves me more time? I like GNU/Linux because computer maintenance and projects fit MY schedule, not me slaved to the schedule of an OS that is little more than the equivalent of a petulant child.
Oh, and my girlfriend runs GNU/Linux too. All of our computers work all the time, 24/7/365, no matter what we do with them.
Aha, but: 1.) I read all licenses that accompanied the software that were not INSIDE the software. 2.) None of them said the above (this license might have been a "you can read it after you open the package which means you agree to it" type license, but those are illegal anyway) 3.) The only recourse Dell gave me was to contact them. 4.) Dell ignored me when I tried to contact them (3 emails over 2 weeks with no responses until the 4th where I told them what to go do with themselves) 5.) Therefore I did not agree to the terms of the license that you mentioned above.
So, I suppose that my co-worker, who did agree to the license, MIGHT be legally responsible, but that would be the extend of it.
Now, there is the larger issue here - let them come. A court case about this crap is just what we need to get it out in the open and in the public eye. It will be this century's Scopes Monkey Trial!
They basically ignored me until I told them that I would never buy a Dell again. (Which has more to do with poor design (who puts the hard disk and cdrw on the same ide controller?) and poorer customer service (they refused to sell me a replacement video card, so I bought one from ebay). Piggybacked on to this was the "whom do I email about returning this bundled software", and they completely ignored that question.
So, this is what I did. 1.) Don't boot the software. 2.) Don't open the software. 3.) Since you have not agreed to these licenses, the "thou shalt not resell this" does not apply to you. 4.) So, I resold the license to a guy at work for $50. (There was no real OS CD, just a recovery disk. However, he had one already, so I just sold him a license). 5.) In theory, you could sell this on ebay, but I've heard of MS using its' clout to pull those ads.
Of course, there is another reason to actually fight with the OEM - MS can no longer publish those "we run on 95% of all consumer PC's sold", when what really happens is that many people wipe the disk and install another OS. (I'd call it perhaps 25% dual boot, and maybe another 10% just do 1 OS.)
1.) I just happen to have an inspiron 7500 with no screen (hinges broke off). Works fine when hooked to a CRT, though.
2.) It came with a Win98 license that I retained, but never used (it was a GNU/Linux box).
3.) Install legal copy of Win98
4.) Install copy of TurboTax
5.) Do taxes
6.) Pass laptop around to family and friends, who hook it up to their monitors and printers, but (as per the license) it is only installed on ONE machine. (The machine just happens to move around a lot...)
> I could not figure out how to make the boot image(?) for GRUB.
This is different for GRUB than LILO. With LILO, you'd do 'make bzImage'. For GRUB, do 'make install'. Then, change the default image in/etc/grub.conf to be the new one (it sticks with the old one for safety).
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> No thanks. I'll stick with Windows, which allows
/usr/local? Oh, that's a separate partition. No need to worry about those programs. RPMS? They're all in one directory. rpm -U *.rpm Configuration? Maybe 1/2 hour of copying files from the old backed up /etc to the new one, and all user files are saved on /home, which is a separate partition. No fuss, no muss, no bother.
> me more time to make out with my girlfriend.
Hmmm.
Windows: BSOD + trashed disk for the second time in six months. I'm sorry hun, I can't go out with you now, I have to reinstall my Windows box AND all the applications, AND all the configurations.
GNU/Linux: Redhat XX has been out for awhile now. Hmm, girlfriend is going away this weekend. I suppose I'll upgrade.
Which saves me more time? I like GNU/Linux because computer maintenance and projects fit MY schedule, not me slaved to the schedule of an OS that is little more than the equivalent of a petulant child.
Oh, and my girlfriend runs GNU/Linux too. All of our computers work all the time, 24/7/365, no matter what we do with them.
The Beetle is one of them, by the way.
Aha, but:
1.) I read all licenses that accompanied the software that were not INSIDE the software.
2.) None of them said the above (this license might have been a "you can read it after you open the package which means you agree to it" type license, but those are illegal anyway)
3.) The only recourse Dell gave me was to contact them.
4.) Dell ignored me when I tried to contact them (3 emails over 2 weeks with no responses until the 4th where I told them what to go do with themselves)
5.) Therefore I did not agree to the terms of the license that you mentioned above.
So, I suppose that my co-worker, who did agree to the license, MIGHT be legally responsible, but that would be the extend of it.
Now, there is the larger issue here - let them come. A court case about this crap is just what we need to get it out in the open and in the public eye. It will be this century's Scopes Monkey Trial!
They basically ignored me until I told them that I would never buy a Dell again. (Which has more to do with poor design (who puts the hard disk and cdrw on the same ide controller?) and poorer customer service (they refused to sell me a replacement video card, so I bought one from ebay). Piggybacked on to this was the "whom do I email about returning this bundled software", and they completely ignored that question.
So, this is what I did.
1.) Don't boot the software.
2.) Don't open the software.
3.) Since you have not agreed to these licenses, the "thou shalt not resell this" does not apply to you.
4.) So, I resold the license to a guy at work for $50. (There was no real OS CD, just a recovery disk. However, he had one already, so I just sold him a license).
5.) In theory, you could sell this on ebay, but I've heard of MS using its' clout to pull those ads.
Of course, there is another reason to actually fight with the OEM - MS can no longer publish those "we run on 95% of all consumer PC's sold", when what really happens is that many people wipe the disk and install another OS. (I'd call it perhaps 25% dual boot, and maybe another 10% just do 1 OS.)
1.) I just happen to have an inspiron 7500 with no screen (hinges broke off). Works fine when hooked to a CRT, though.
2.) It came with a Win98 license that I retained, but never used (it was a GNU/Linux box).
3.) Install legal copy of Win98
4.) Install copy of TurboTax
5.) Do taxes
6.) Pass laptop around to family and friends, who hook it up to their monitors and printers, but (as per the license) it is only installed on ONE machine. (The machine just happens to move around a lot...)
> I could not figure out how to make the boot image(?) for GRUB.
/etc/grub.conf to be the new one (it sticks with the old one for safety).
This is different for GRUB than LILO. With LILO, you'd do 'make bzImage'. For GRUB, do 'make install'. Then, change the default image in