[nzlug] 'MS Tax' versus Commerce Commission

[Matthew Poole]

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007, Michael Field wrote:

> I still don't get why people "must" order a Dell/HP/Acer, and not the
> likes of Quay Computers (or another local assembler / retailer).
>
Where, pray tell, does one go to get a laptop that's not made by one of 
the usual suspects? Or get one at something approximating a reasonable 
price? It's all very well to say that you should support local business, 
and that you save money by not paying the "MS Tax", but the reality is 
that you spend far more on the hardware from these small manufacturers 
than you lose on the "MS Tax" levied by buying a laptop from one of the 
big names.
I can get a big-name laptop from DSE for a shade over a grand. Can you 
find me one that comes without Windows for a similar price? Anyone? Of 
course you can't, because they don't exist. And until that situation 
changes, only the few who have enough money to spend on things that the 
principle can override the financial will buy the Windows-less laptops. 
Those of us with restricted budgets will continue to buy the cheapest 
machine that does what we require, and for the foreseeable future that 
means something that comes with Windows.

I'll never buy a workstation for home that is pre-built, I'll always buy 
the parts and build it myself - usually as a piecemeal upgrade process. A 
laptop is a different story entirely, as is anything that will be used by 
a business. Hardware support matters for businesses, and cannot build your 
own laptop.

-- 
Matthew Poole
"Don't use force.  Get a bigger hammer."