[nylug-talk] How to get a Windows tax refund

[Jay Sulzberger]

On Sat, 6 Jan 2007, alex at pilosoft.com wrote:

> On Sat, 6 Jan 2007, Jay Sulzberger wrote:
>
>> I do not know whether Dell sells any home computer without a Microsoft
>> OS.  Certainly they do not sell one at a lower price than the same
>> computer with a Microsoft OS already installed.  On the Dell website,
>> only Microsoft OSes are advertised.
> False.

You may go to

http://www.dell.com

and see that Dell offers to buyers of home machines no choice of
OS: it is Microsoft only.

>
> If you want to rail against windows tax, rail against someone other than
> Dell. Dell very much sells OS-less desktops (under "small business"). In
> fact, its right on the website:
>
> http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
>
> "Open source desktops"
>
> As far as price - it varies. Often enough, the promotions that are applied
> to windows servers are not applied to os-less servers on website.
> Occasionally, you can call your phone sales rep and they might budge,
> particularly for a large order (say, 50 machines). Currently, os-less
> desktops are 30$ cheaper than corresponding windows machine. Compare:
> http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/optix_n?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~ck=anavml
> http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/optix?~ck=anav
>
> Not every desktop is available OS-less, currently, only OptiPlex are
> (although, they did have dimension os-less at one point).
>
> I know, we own a large number of Optiplex boxes that are OS-less.

Not to give refunds is a gross violation of the decision of the
court in the large antitrust suit.  Serge got a refund, but most
folks who try do not.  It is a further violation of the court
order to give the impression that only Microsoft OSes run on Dell
home machines.  Dell and Microsoft are engaged in a combination
in restraint of trade.  The issue has been abjudicated.  Dell and
Microsoft lost.  But because we who run free OSes do not go to
the court, Microsoft and Dell continue their gross attacks on us,
and on every buyer of a home machine.

Dell and Microsoft wish to end even the bare possibility of
running a free OS.  To repeat: Dell does not offer for sale any
home computer without a Microsoft OS already installed, and Dell
and Microsoft ignore the plain and simple terms of the Refund
Clause of the Microsoft EULA.  Note that Microsoft wrote the
EULA.

http://www.windowsrefund.info
http://www.thetc.org

oo--JS.