Windows is Free
The fact is that there’s a distortion in the idea that Linux can’t be given away. There’s something wrong in the idea the price difference between Windows and Linux is representative of the actual quality difference. There’s an elephant in the room that no one is talking about.
Windows is free.
I’m not talking about the fact that Windows comes pre-installed in most computers, with its price hidden in the cost of the hardware. That contributes to the idea of Windows being free, but that’s not the elephant in the room.
The elephant in the room that no one is talking about is cracked software.
- Via tlug.jp.
Confession
I had pirated copies of Windows 95, 98, 98se (this one was actually provided by a store who was later reported to the BBB), and ME. I went legal with Windows XP, but that’s because it was an OEM version.
These days, I use a lovely MacBook with a very legal version of Mac OS X – and I will pay for the update later this year. But that’s because I have a job now and can afford it. If I was still a student, or had a lousy job, I’d still be using my PC – probably with the latest version of Ubuntu installed. But that’s because I no longer have the patience/desire to deal with Windows and would be choosing between the two “free” operating systems – Windows and Linux.
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