Italian Judge Says Pre-Installing Windows on New PCs Is...

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

  1. Posts : 19,516
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #20

    Around here, most PCs, specially laptops and most desktops, come without any OS installed or eventually Linux or some kind of free dos, just enough to prove that machine works. Some also come with windows but not activated so you have to pay extra for it. Makes it much cheaper to by computer if you are not hell bent to use windows.
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 3,453
       #21

    I'd love to see the stenographer's notes (whatever it's called) .. that HP lawyer must have been totally useless...

    Wonder if that judge knows how to disable secure boot / set up MBR partitioning etc... :facepalm:
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 22,740
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #22

    paulsalter said:
    Not sure how easy it is in general to buy one without and OS at a store, but near me it is very easy, I know a few people who have gone the custom route, but have had windows put on it

    We have a big chain called Currys, which will only do off the shelf, I don't believe they do custom, these are usually outside the town/city centres (used to be other big chains but they closed down)

    In my area, there are also about 3 or 4 small IT shops, which do off the shelf builds or pre built for what you want, so I could easily walk into one of these, find a machine I liked and bought it with Linux instead of Windows, or no os at all if I wanted (cater for all)

    the problem with getting from the smaller shops here, is the price is higher than getting the same thing from a big chain (with os included), so if you just want standard build of something, its cheaper with the OS included
    Where I live customers have very few outlets to purchase a PC from.
    Off of the top of my head you have these:
    1 Bestbuy
    2 Walmart
    3 Staples

    And out of those I really doubt any of them have a PC without an OS on it in stock. Yes, we have Atomic PC in Oak Ridge but I don't know how many potential PC customers would know they could buy a new one from them and that you can get a choice of OS's you can have installed on it.

    Jeff
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 22,740
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #23

    Coke Robot said:
    I just call BS on the whole case. HP sells WINDOWS PCs. They do not sell Linux PCs. They do not sell PCs with mac os on them. They didn't force ANYONE to buy their PCs and take the cost of Windows. That's just what the finished product is. What an idiotic court case....
    I agree. But that's how the law goes at times like it or not.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 4,201
    Windows 10 Pro x64 Latest RP
       #24

    Not sure what the labelling laws are in Italy, but here in the UK every PC on sale in the likes of Currys will have a specification label which clearly states things such as Processor, HDD size, Memory, and Operating system, so by accepting the offer you are entering into a contract with the store for supply of goods "as Described" for the price stated, so this should prevent this sort of thing, as long as the Windows PC you buy doesn't have Linux installed or something like this :)
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 22,740
    Windows 10 Home x64
       #25

    Barman58 said:
    Not sure what the labelling laws are in Italy, but here in the UK every PC on sale in the likes of Currys will have a specification label which clearly states things such as Processor, HDD size, Memory, and Operating system, so by accepting the offer you are entering into a contract with the store for supply of goods "as Described" for the price stated, so this should prevent this sort of thing, as long as the Windows PC you buy doesn't have Linux installed or something like this :)
    It's pretty much the same in the US. The last time I took the time to check out a PC at Walmart the box had all of the specs clearly marked on the outside of the box.

    Jeff
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2
    windows 8.1
       #26

    The only issue I have with this article are two things:

    1) When you buy a computer it normally states it comes with an OS. I'm sure teh buyer saw this...
    2) The statement that you can't buy a computer these days without an OS is incorrect. If you custom order from places such as iBUYPOWER it's absolutely optional if you want a pre-installed OS, if you want a key on the side, if you just don't want nothing related etc.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 23,195
    Windows 10
       #27

    I hope something like this doesn't start happening, cause I am sure we would all lose out

    If for example a PC costs £1000 and £100 of this is for the Windows OS
    If they are made to not include the OS with it, what would the priced be, still £1000, then the OS would have to be bought on top, total of £1100
    Cannot see the price going down
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 5,833
    Dual boot Windows 10 FCU Pro x 64 & current Insider 10 Pro
       #28

    Coke Robot said:
    I just call BS on the whole case. HP sells WINDOWS PCs. They do not sell Linux PCs. They do not sell PCs with mac os on them. They didn't force ANYONE to buy their PCs and take the cost of Windows. That's just what the finished product is. What an idiotic court case....
    Couldn’t agree with you all the more. Others state it well thinking along these lines also.

    Not sure of the rest of the world, but most judges here have a law degrees and licenses to practice. They are not lawmakers. They are there to carry out the law. If HP was following Italian law as it stands, then the judge had no right to rule this way. This is referred to as legislating from the bench.

    Nor for the most part are judges economists with business degrees. This will do nothing more than add cost to the consumers. They would all have to be “customized purchases". In this case when one buys a computer, then one orders which OS will be loaded. This is against all principles of Ford’s assembly line to keep costs down. You can bet that retailers will charge more and rightfully so, for I believe the more licenses one buys the less expensive they are. Retailers can't and won't buy as many licenses as do an OEM. Then there's the labor aspect.

    As others stated, things are listed on the box by law. If anything, law should be that they have to list the price of each component, whether it be tangible or intangible. Hardware and software. That clarifies it more to protect the consumer/citizen.

    Then where is the line drawn? Technically they would have to list all what? > 3,000 components (estimation) with prices of each included in a computer, both hardware and software. Ridiculous you may think? Yes it would be!

    Again, what a crock. I see this more as political power move than anything else. Give some irresponsible people some power and it goes to their head!

    Perhaps CountMike's statement makes most sense. Preload any OS to prove it works. In this case an unlicensed, inactivated Windows. Then it's the consumers' responsibility to purchase the license and activate. For the most part this could be performed online or via the phone. In some cases via a B&M store.

    It's certainly going to be interesting to see this all unfold.
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 19,516
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #29

    HippsieGypsie said:

    Perhaps CountMike's statement makes most sense. Preload any OS to prove it works. In this case an unlicensed, inactivated Windows. Then it's the consumers' responsibility to purchase the license and activate. For the most part this could be performed online or via the phone. In some cases via a B&M store.
    One thing here is sure, there's so many free copies of windows used here. MS was very nice to open an office here and make a gift of many licenses to schools, universities and NGOs. MS office here was authorized to give some number of licenses to their customers and suppliers. Late 1990s and begining of this century MS even distributed windows to some opposition political parties. When you take into account fair number of illegal, cracked ("cured" as they are known locally) windows, normal, retail versions, most of them "home" versions is not too large. Given lo average salary, it's not surprising XP is still predominant Windows and Linux runs rampant. only a bit more of 50% households have a desktop computer and even from that number a lot of them are practically ancient and capable of Linux or XP only. Most of the younger population prefer smart phones and tablets anyway and use desktop or laptops mostly at schools.
    Couple of years ago, a friend of mine brought his daughter, she was 12 or 13 than and she was texting to herself on two phones, from one to other. When I asked why, she said "Practicing".
    It's not all bleak though, last year export of software exceeded food exports and stores are pretty well stocked with computer parts as sale of ready made, brand name desktops is practically non existent, with Apple having only one store and no regional office.
    Last edited by CountMike; 19 Sep 2014 at 11:22.
      My Computers


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 17:10.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums