[extropy-chat] Futurist priorities was ex-tropical

[BillK]

On Tue Mar 02, 2004 08:18 am Eugen Leitl wrote:
> By adding a Microsoft tax (something like $100) to hardware and
> removing my ability to purchase a system without an OS license I as a 
> consumer can no longer vote with my feet; that is, wallet. This is
> monopoly ramming things down our collective throats to maximize
> revenue, nothing else.

Heh! How very generous of you Eugen.
You getting soft in your old age? ;)

Dana Blankenhorn wrote an article recently, entitled 'A Tipping Point'
<http://www.corante.com/mooreslore/archives/001932.html>
He is a business/computer journalist about to buy a new computer for his
business, so it needs to be a Windows machine.
He found a nice cheap 'white box', then discovered he needs $146.75 for
Windows XP Pro, and Office Depot sells Office 2003 for about $400.
If you need more M$ software, it gets even worse.

M$ will be giving computers away free soon, if you buy their software!

BillK