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   Joe (joe_0237@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 19:08:57 JST Joe

   #Windows is only free if you don't value any of the following: productivity, ability, convenience, time, freedoms, property, privacy or eyes

   #Linux is only free if you are not afraid to learn something new.

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     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 19:08:56 JST 翠星石

     in reply to
     @Joe_0237 Copies of windows have never been provided gratis - even if you make sure to avoid buying a computer that came with windows, microsoft has made arrangements that almost all computing hardware has their tax on it, even if it doesn't come with windows.
     
     Linux isn't free, as that kernel contains proprietary software, although GNU Linux-libre is free.
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     翠星石 (suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 23:29:31 JST 翠星石

     in reply to
     @Joe_0237 >I think Microsoft gives out licences to OEMs much cheaper in exchange for pretending that Windows is the only way to use a computer.
     If I remember correctly, microsoft charges anything between $50-$120 per computer sold with windows - it's calculated via some method based off the sale price of the computer.
     
     For many OEMs, in exchange for a slightly lower volume windows tax, microsoft demands payment of a certain amount for any computer that doesn't come with windows (ensuring that such OEMs primarily sells WCs and very few running GNU/Linux for example - and bean counters easily calculate that such arrangement leads to less costs if WCs are primarily to be sold, while not even considering that more profit could be made if the OEM stopped selling WCs (meaning no more massive windows tax) and sold general purpose computers that worked without proprietary shit (after all, one could easily make millions if not billions of sales selling computers that ran GNU/Linux and the BSD's properly)).
     
     Like any parasite, microsoft takes as much as they can get away with, rather than just a small amount.
     
     I believe DELL intentionally just jacks the price up, as the suckers just pay - although they don't exactly make good computers.
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     Joe (joe_0237@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 23:29:32 JST Joe

     in reply to

     • v3s7-1g3

     @vestige also I think Microsoft gives out licences to OEMs much cheaper in exchange for pretending that Windows is the only way to use a computer.

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     Joe (joe_0237@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 23:29:32 JST Joe

     in reply to

     • v3s7-1g3

     @vestige and that might* be part of why DELLs are more expensive than other brands for Windows machines.

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     Joe (joe_0237@fosstodon.org)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 23:29:33 JST Joe

     in reply to

     • v3s7-1g3

     @vestige genuinely meant to include "money" on the list but didn't want to put it first xD then i forgot.

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     v3s7-1g3 (vestige@mastodon.sdf.org)'s status on Saturday, 23-Mar-2024 23:29:34 JST v3s7-1g3

     in reply to

     @Joe_0237 well, also, windows costs money. Maybe the cost was rolled in to the price of your computer, but windows is not cheap.