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1994-08-02
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42 lines
Newsgroups: alt.games.doom
Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!parc!biosci!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!news.duke.edu!godot.cc.duq.edu!ddsw1!chinet!dhartung
From: dhartung@chinet.chinet.com (Daniel A. Hartung)
Subject: Re: Windows is not free (was DOOM FreeWare?)
Message-ID: <CttC1M.Ht3@chinet.chinet.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 1994 16:20:09 GMT
References: <3152if$aa3@sandra.teleport.com> <315rvh$sak@search01.news.aol.com>
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Lines: 31
In article <315rvh$sak@search01.news.aol.com>,
Doomofman <doomofman@aol.com> wrote:
>> how many people out there got a version of Windows free
>> when you bought your computer (I know I did).
>
>No you didn't. Nobobdy did. The cost of Windows and DOS
>is often not even mentioned, but it's there. Big PC retailers
>just pay a lump fee to Microsoft and thus the price of every
>system is a little bit higher, it's hard to know exactly how
>much. The companies have no choice; if they want to be
>able to bundle DOS and Win with some systems, they
>have to sign a contract to sell it with all. If you specifically
>*don't* want them (say you're an OS/2 type), then you
>don't get a discount - money in Bill's pocket, for
>nothing.
>
>Call it the "Bill Gates" tax on new PCs.
But the consent agreement with the Justic Department a couple of
weeks ago changed that. Microsoft will no longer charge computer
distributors with a flat fee for every PC they ship, whether it
includes DOS or not. (They weren't doing it with Windows, though.)
Presumably this will mean that PC sellers can choose more options
for their products (e.g. Novell DOS or even Unix) without feeling
they are paying twice. Same goes for consumer. Result=lower prices.
--
Daniel A. Hartung | I believe we can fly
Birch Grove Software | on the wings that we create
dhartung@chinet.chinet.com | -- Melissa Etheridge