How to get a Windows tax refund (Linux.com) [LWN.net]

How to get a Windows tax refund (Linux.com)

Posted Jan 6, 2007 21:55 UTC (Sat) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: How to get a Windows tax refund (Linux.com) by Holmes1869
Parent article: How to get a Windows tax refund (Linux.com)

It's also kinda funny when we talk about the "Windows tax". As with any tax, it's something your forced to pay if you want a PC.

Not you, but your vendor, actually. My friend works for huge transnational company. They buy desktops from HP and Dell. How many come with Windows preinstalled ? All of them. How many of these Windows are used ? None. Why ? Most desktops are using Linux and even ones where Windows is installed (it's very hard to develop addon for MS IE under WINE, for example) are using separately purchased copy of Windows!

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How to get a Windows tax refund (Linux.com)

Posted Jan 8, 2007 11:21 UTC (Mon) by tialaramex (subscriber, #21167) [Link]

Actually the "separately purchased" Windows they're installing is probably licensed on condition that they buy PCs with Windows already on them, so they aren't really paying twice here for those particular PCs.

Most bulk licenses for non-OEMs require that you first buy a computer which includes a properly licensed OEM Windows. You leave the OEM sticker on the machine, but install your own bulk-licensed Windows. Any PC with the bulk license Windows on it, but without an OEM sticker, is a license violation under these terms.

[ You might ask, if it comes with Windows, why bother re-installing? OEMs almost always install a custom build with "bundled" software that doesn't match what you want employees to have on their PC, plus they always install the latest consumer version even if your company wants to run the previous version or a beta of the next version. So you almost always need to re-install in a big IT setup but you don't need to pay full price ]