It's unfair that apple gets an easy pass on this, as well as any mobile device.
MacOS is free, what refund would you expect?
Get your Windows license refund
261–270 of 354 posts
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#262Earlier quoted context omitted.
What freedom do you need beyond replacing the OS, which is possible on all phones Google sells? If you want to replace the radio firmware, that isn't something that would be possible without that duopoly either.
Not having a constant remote root open for the mothership and whoever works there? Doing crazy things like taking a backup of the phone which you paid full price for?
If you replace the OS, you don't have remote root open, and you can back up whatever you want.
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#263Re: Get your Windows license refund
#264Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get a new Windows 11 laptop on Amazon for ~$200. If they're paying retail cost ($140) for the license, over half that is going to Microsoft. I think most people would much rather buy the equivalent Chromebook for $70. In fact, the equivalent Chromebook costs about the same.
That’s not how OEM pricing works. Depending on the retail price and volume Microsoft will lower license cost close to $0. No large manufacturer is paying $140 to license Windows for a notebook selling $200. That’s the full retail price for a consumer building their own PC. That said usable Windows notebooks are usually a bit more than that these days. And just the RAM alone to run usable Windows 11 is pushing $70 now…
That is exactly the point of the comment you're responding to. "Why do you assume that [OEMs pay much less than retail]?" Well, $200 Windows laptops exist, and $140 of that going to a Windows license is not a credible idea.
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lots of things are stopping me. Like needing a smartphone to read a menu at a restaurant, or replace a lost credit card.
> Like needing a smartphone to read a menu at a restaurant, Every restaurant I’ve been to like this has a menu somewhere. > or replace a lost credit card. The phone numbers never stopped working. You just stopped calling
> The phone numbers never stopped working. You just stopped calling
The bank managed to not fix the problem the last 4 times my grandmother called them. Every single problem required an appointment to fix (I suspect they're not even allowed to do anything with any account over phone given how many times this has happened).
Yes, her bank is bad and I've told her to switch. But I wouldn't expect any other bank to actually have good customer service.
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#266I also raised an eyebrow at "the vast majority of laptops are only sold with a specific proprietary operating system: Microsoft Windows", but after looking at some estimates it seems legit. Probably only about 1 in 10 laptops is a Mac. Software developers really just live in a different world than normal people. It got me thinking though: what is a laptop? People probably count Chromebooks, and that seems fair. Is a…
A portable IBM PC is a laptop (lawful good).
Is the Commodore SX-64 a laptop?
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#267Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe not, but as I understand it, languages were one of Gates' key bargaining chips in negotiating the terms of the MS/PC-DOS deal that put Microsoft in a position to start licensing to OEM's on a per-CPU basis in the first place.
I'm pretty sure the BASIC that launched from my ROM was not from Microsoft...
It was if it was an IBM machine.
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#268Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am seriously saddened by the complete takeover of mobile computing by Apple and Google. There is no freedom on your own device to choose your own software, except inside the very narrow constraints allowed.
We were fine without it, we can still be fine without it. Nothing is stopping you from buying an mp3 player, a small point and shoot, and running Linux on a 12 in ultra portable.
On MP3 players: I specifically got bone conducting headphones with on board storage so I could listen to music without carrying another device with me. Look for ones that are targeted towards swimming, they are the ones that tend to have on board storage.
On small point and shoots, I have a Sony ZV-1. It's marketed as a video camera, but I mostly use it for photography. It's great quality, and pocketable.
On compute, I don't really have a phone at all. I carry a Daylight Computer DC-1. Which as a device I recommend, but unfortunately the company backs anti-vax efforts which I found out about recently :\
Re: Get your Windows license refund
#269In 2011 I got a 143€ reimbursement from Dell for an E6420 laptop that I had bought for 910€. Maybe I got lucky but I called the customer service, told the lady I did not agree with the Windows license terms, fully ready to argue my case and she just went "oh, ok, let me just edit a new invoice and wire you the money for Windows plus the Antivirus plus etc.". Which was extra nice because I had no idea I was in fact ch…
> I had no idea I was in fact charged for the bloatware It’s complicated. Those licenses have a dollar amount for accounting purposes.
Double Irish with a Dutch Sandwich. Those taxes don't avoid themselves.