2007/9/28, Mark Harrison <<a href="mailto:Mark@yourpropertyexpert.com">Mark@yourpropertyexpert.com</a>>:<div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Chris Jones wrote: > Hi > > Kris Douglas wrote: > >> No windows in the European union? >> > > No it's just a very misguided suggestion that no PC should ship with an > OS pre-installed. > It just means more pain for users and no gain for anyone else. > > Cheers, > Chris, I'm with you on this. It is hard to see where other EU Directives of a similar nature (for example, the legislation around servicing for motor vehicles by non-franchised dealers) has ACTUALLY led to an improvement for customers. I also have trouble with the economics of "No Windows licence means much cheaper PC". The big vendors pay little for their Windows licences - and in some cases make MORE from the CrippleWare fees they charge than they actually have to pay out for the O/S licence - so a "fair cost" solution would actually make Windows+Crippleware CHEAPER than Linux. Dell are, of course, to be applauded for what they've done. Both in REDUCING the price of a non-Windows PC and providing such an option in the first place. Of course, what I'd REALLY like to see is machines installed dual-booting between Ubuntu and a "30-day trial version of Windows" at the end of which, the user either paid an extra Łxxx or went with Ubuntu. Regards, Mark -- <a href="mailto:ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com">ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com</a> <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk </a> <a href="https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/">https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/</a> </blockquote></div> That would be awsome! And that that you had to try both...