Jamie's Random Musings
Various thoughts and adventures, including but not limited to Linux, Windows XP and Widows Vista, and assorted bits of hardware new and old.
Wednesday 22 July 2009, 12:34 PM
Letter of Protest to ASUS
What I told them was that I resent being forced to pay a "Microsoft PENALTY" for a pre-installed operating system which I have no choice about, particularly when there has previously been a choice and ASUS decided to take that choice away from their customers. I further told them that I found the pre-installed Windows Vista Business edition to perform so poorly on the N10J as to make the system essentially unusable, while the various Linux distributions I have installed work very well, and all perform better than Vista. In conclusion I told them that unless they either offer Linux as an option again, or offer the option of buying a computer with no pre-installed operating system (and thus without the Microsoft PENALTY), I would not consider buying another ASUS computer in the future.
It would be nice if writing such a letter could eventually lead to a reversal of their decision to drop Linux. I'm skeptical that it will, but I think that the more people who make their opinions heard on this, the better the chances are.
jw 22/7/2009
PreviousComments on this post
Jamie,
you're one of thousands who have raised this issue, but unfortunately, thousands, in a sea of tens-of-millions who buy netbooks, is literally a drop in the ocean.
The only mechanisms which will force ASUS's hand on this, are,
a) if large competitors, for example HP and Dell, really push the low-cost Linux variants of their product line, in enough markets, to ensure that consumers recognise that there is a real price difference between the Windows and Linux versions, and that for (supposedly) low-cost products like netbooks, lower price is allowed to win some serious market share.
b) if those very-low-cost ARM-based Linux netbooks storm the market, achieving the same result as a).
c) if national or European consumer/competition regulators force OEM hardware vendors' hands, and ensure that all PCs/laptops/netbooks are made available with a no-OS (and with a commensurately price-reduced) option.
Conz, thanks for reading and commenting. That's exactly what I thought as well - we're a drop in the bucket, and all to easy for ASUS to ignore with no consequences for them. As yet I have not gotten any reply from ASUS, of course.
You make another very good point about making non-OS computers available - without a corresponding price reduction, it is not only pointless, it is actually counter-productive. Much the same as MS being forced to offer "Windows-N" (without Media Player) in Europe, but at the same price as the normal Windows. Not only did it not sell (DUH), it gave MS the chance to say "See, nobody wanted that forces solution anyway"!
jw
I had a thought. Now that computers, notebooks and netbooks come with a hidden partition containg an operating system installation, it would be easy to provide choice within this hidden system, as has been done in the past with, say, Windows 2000/Windows XP.
However, a fundamental difference would have to be that the choice remained after the initial choice had been made and the end user could subsequently change his or her mind at another time and make a different choice.
The problem to this suggestion is the Microsoft tax, how could it be dealt with if Windows is not chosen, or alternatively chosen later.
Of course, a simple solution would be a dual boot machine where the Microsoft tax is paid up front.
Another imponderable would be which flavour of Linux (or other) would be provided as the alternative to Windows. Personally I'm a Gnome/Ubuntu convert and consider that this would be the best choice to woo Windows users. Others will disagree.
I guess that there would be more imponderables, as well, including how the less technical user would cope with the choice.
I had a thought. Now that computers, notebooks and netbooks come with a hidden partition containg an operating system installation, it would be easy to provide choice within this hidden system, as has been done in the past with, say, Windows 2000/Windows XP.
However, a fundamental difference would have to be that the choice remained after the initial choice had been made and the end user could subsequently change his or her mind at another time and make a different choice.
The problem to this suggestion is the Microsoft tax, how could it be dealt with if Windows is not chosen, or alternatively chosen later.
Of course, a simple solution would be a dual boot machine where the Microsoft tax is paid up front.
Another imponderable would be which flavour of Linux (or other) would be provided as the alternative to Windows. Personally I'm a Gnome/Ubuntu convert and consider that this would be the best choice to woo Windows users. Others will disagree.
I guess that there would be more imponderables, as well, including how the less technical user would cope with the choice.
Jamie,
you may find this of interest:
http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2009/07/21/getting-your-microsoft-tax-refunded-1010-for-amazon-uk/
Moley,
there are a range of options that a competition policy organisation can take to boost competition in the PC platform market; some are listed here:
Why the Unbundling Windows Sceptics are Wrong
Conz, Thank you VERY VERY MUCH for that link. What a fascinating read, and what great information! The only potential "catch" I can see in it is that it was Amazon who refunded the cost of the operating system, so the response is likely to vary depending on what kind of netbook you purchase and where you get it from. BUT, it is certainly worth a try, and I can easily imagine that this could become one of my selection criteria, if I were to find a supplier, distributor or retailer here who was willing to refund the Microsoft Tax with no fuss.
I strongly urge others to read the above link, and consider taking similar actions.
Thanks again,
jw
P.S. In fact, your timing couldn't have been better in giving me that link. I just got a response from ASUS, saying in a very nice way "thanks for the comment, I will pass it along", so I have written back and said, equally politely, "Thanks for passing it along, but what I really want is a refund of the Microsoft Tax, since I refuse to accept the EULA". I'm not terribly hopeful that it will pay off, but it never hurts to try, or to make a bit more noise.
Update: I just got a reply from ASUS to my request for a refund for the unused Windows license. "Sorry, ASUS does not offer that service". Not a surprise. Bummer, but not surprising.
jw
