Comments

• twitter

  2009-06-30 14:53:31

  The most basic con is to convince people that one version of Windows is any different from another. As you can tell from the versions of Windows targeted by malware, the code does not change. The vulnerable versions of Windows always go back as far as publisher cares to list because the code is identical from one version to another. Windows 7 is Vista with a facelift and few other changes. It took M$ six years to make Vista and most of the effort went towards DRM, digital restrictions that no one asked for or wanted. Vista 7 is more of the same with a clean KDE 4 look to it.

• Roy Schestowitz

  2009-06-30 15:46:35

  We don't need to tarnish KDE4's name. It has enough perception problems without being associated with a variant of Vista.

• Roy Bixler

  2009-06-30 16:47:09

  Are there any European countries that require the price of the OS to be listed as a separate item? France may be one because I remember a case there where a PC purchaser tried to get a refund on the bundled Windows, was refused, took his case to court and won. Part of the court's ruling was that the OS is indeed a separate component and should have an itemised price.

• Roy Schestowitz

  2009-06-30 17:38:01

  France is the only country pushing for unbundling AFAIK.

• Roy Bixler

  2009-06-30 18:13:21

  I found confirmation that the law in France says that the price of the OS must be separately detailed. First, I found the cleverly named "http://www.racketiciel.info/" ("racket" as in "racketeering" and "iciel" as in "logiciel", the French word for software) site. Here is a link to a recent story (in French) where the law was not followed:
  
  Dell condamnée pour non détail des prix http://www.aful.org/communiques/dell-condamnee-detail-prix
  
  Here is the first paragraph with a translation below:
  
  

  Condamnée par le Tribunal Correctionnel du Tribunal de Grande Instance de Montpellier à une amende délictuelle de 50 000 euros pour affichage non conforme parce que, dans le prix des ordinateurs proposés à la vente, le prix des logiciels n'était pas précisé, la société Dell persiste à refuser tout remboursement des logiciels aux consommateurs tout en offrant l'optionnalité aux grands comptes. Pourra-t-elle ignorer encore longtemps le souhait massif des futurs acquéreurs d'un ordinateur d'avoir le choix du système pré-installé ?

  
  
  Condemned by the Magistrate's Court of the Family Court of Marseilles to a punitive fine of 50 000 Euros for non-conformant display because, in the prices of the computers for sale, the price of the software was not specified, Dell Corporation persistently refuses any refunds of software to consumers while they do offer that option to corporate customers. How much longer can they continue to ignore the massive demand of future computer buyers to have the choice of the pre-installed operating system?

• lalala

  2009-06-30 18:20:55

  Link to another BN article -- Check Link to another BN shill blog -- Check "anonymous" story that can't be verified and was probably written by Roy or another BN shill -- Check
  
  Same old BS.

• Jose_X

  2009-07-01 04:40:37

  Another confused commenter that comes to attack boycottnovell using well-worn lines -- Check
  
  It took me two clicks to get to this http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9134914 :
  
  >> Computerworld - European customers will pay up to twice as much for Windows 7 compared to U.S. users, even though the new operating system will ship without a browser in Europe, according to Microsoft.
  
  I won't tell you what I clicked on because I doubt you are interested.
  
  And if you wrote as much as Roy does, I think you would want to link back to your past stories. They call this reuse. Each link doesn't have to be a work of art. It still makes sense to reuse.
  
  Of course, those that come around here strutting that well-worn line about Roy linking back to his own pieces, conveniently ignore that virtually each such past blog piece also has links to third party stories embedded within.
  
  You missed the one I mentioned above, so I seriously doubt you really check before firing the mouth. It's obvious, to anyone who does check, that third party links are included all the time.
  
  Oh, and yes, computerworld is in boycottnovell's pocket. Queen Mum, who once fancied Sir William G III, emailed me a copy of the bank deposits as proof.
  
  There are good criticisms and then there is the parent post.