Re: [LIG] Acers laptop ads

+++ Sandip Bhattacharya [2005-09-23 23:21:01]:

> I wonder how many folks here have read the fine print in the latest of Acer's 
> "Sub 40k" notebook ads. They bundle Linux on them, and mention at the bottom 
> in small print, something like this:
> 
> "The linux that is preloaded is a free version and would have limited 
> functionality until another operating system is installed".
> 
> Is this another way for these hardware vendors to appease Microsoft while 
> trying to sell budget notebooks bundled with Linux?
>

They are probably shipping with a distro that doesn't fully support all the
hardware.

And these companies are only looking at lowering the price for
advertising reasons, and aren't really doing it because they want to support
Linux.(IBM was shipping a notebook with DOS about an year or so ago!)

I'm yet to see a high end laptop being advertised with linux as an option.
Linux is only shipped by these vendors on the cheapest low-end laptops.

They are definitely not appeasing msft with that, because chances are the
"another operating system" that'll be installed on those notebooks will be a
pirated one.

(IAC getting the same laptop with OEM supplied Windows will be cheaper than
buying it with Linux and then installing a legal copy of Windows on it)

Kingsly
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