Just another of Microsoft's strategies?

[anphanax]

EDIT: Written after reading article associated with http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/18/2036220&from=rss. Don't know if everyone here reads that or not, hence the post.

I've been angry about this for some time, but never thought Microsoft might be behind it as much as I do now.

If you've had the experience of buying a computer (at least here in the United States), you probably found out that the company you bought it from either didn't bother giving you a windows installation/restoration CD, or they gave you something in the equivalent of Norton Ghost, which I believe is set to write over your MBR, so goodbye other partitions .

They're sure not making it easy for average users to dual or multi-boot their systems, or at least they're setting traps for them. I don't think the average user is going to know they should probably get a non-destructive partition resizing program (such as the proprietary Partition-Magic tool, don't know of a F/OSS equivalent).

I might be stupid for just now realizing this, but it's not in the "Why Microsoft is Evil" section of this site, I don't think.

Forcing companies to provide systems with OSes already installed, and not allowing them to provide you with Windows CDs (which I think you should have a RIGHT to considering how you bought the damn OS with the computer) seems kinda "evil" to me anyways.

Also, I wasn't sure where to put this, so I posted it in the lounge. Thought about the *nix section, but wondered about one of the MS sections too.

[Aloone_Jonez]

I haven't read the article as I'm at work at the moment and the firewall won't let me, but this seems very stupid how you buy a computer and they won't eve supply the disc for the OS that you've paid for. I don't think the dual booting problem is evil I think it's more to do with poor design, some people I know have dual Windows partitions, for security reasons they have one partition for their OS and another for their files anyway it's still pretty stupid. :rolleyes:

[Narf Man]

Unlike most people I know, I built my own desktop and avoided the M$ issue.


...untill I decided to buy a laptop. Since you can't really build your own and all the "blazingly fast" Pentium 133 laptops on ebay are crap, I called Dell. After talking to several people and playing phone tag, I now hate Dell too. And gateway? Nope.

No one it seems will sell you a new laptop without an OS. Pisses me off.

[Pathos]

monopolies are where the money is at.

[Narf Man]

Yeah... I need to figure out how to make my own. It beats making an honest living.

[some bum with red shoes]

[OFFTOPIC]
[/OFFTOPIC]He is you god....
oh sory had to but try going here