[ubuntu-za] New PC without Windoze?

[Matthew French]

> On 12 Sep 2016, at 1:12 PM, Midrand Opensource <midrandopensource at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> It has come to my attention that it's not possible to buy a new PC in SA without having to pay for Windows as well! Even if you decline Microsoft's licence agreement!
> 
> This sounds so wrong!
> 
It is wrong, but good luck getting anyone who can help to listen to you. Remember PC sales are a volume business and Linux users make up less than 3% of the total user base (and many of those users may still need Windows for other reasons).

If you are really determined to buy a laptop without Windows, you will have to get a Macbook… :-)

I believe one of the other big reasons for this is that most “naked” laptops will just have pirated copies of Windows installed, compared to the small fraction of laptops that have Linux installed. So you can blame the software pirates for your predicament. 

When I last looked into this issue (a long time ago) there was a way to claim the license cost back from Microsoft. But the process was incredibly cumbersome, and I think the refund was around $10 - the cost the manufacturers pay for the Windows license is a fraction of what it will cost you in the store.

You do have some other options: there are a number of companies that make Linux specific laptops, such as system76.com. Or you could phone a friend who happens to be travelling in the UK or the US and ask them to pick up a Windowless laptop for you. But in both cases support could be a headache if something goes wrong with the hardware.

In other words: it is irritating to have to pay for Windows when you may never need it, but far less irritating and costly than what you will need to go through buying a laptop without Windows.

One final suggestion: don’t exclude the MacBook too quickly. I know they have a reputation for being expensive, but they only seem expensive compared to the toy laptops one can buy at Incredible Connection - which will frustrate you for a year before breaking down. Last time I compared prices (4 years ago, mind you) the equivalent Dell and HP were 30% *more* expensive than the MacBook. I’m not so sure this applies now that a new MacBook costs R25k, but I still think it is something worth considering…

Hope this helps,

- Matthew

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