Re: Exclusive OEM deals, still???

["Eric M. Bennett" <ericb@pobox.com>]

John Bryan quoted a Slashdot article that said:

>[Dell] said that if we ordered 50 machines within a year they
>would do whatever it took to keep our business (which *WOULD* include
>pre-installing Linux on the machines), but the rep added that they would
>eat the cost of the NT license which they would buy from Microsoft for each
>machine in order to keep their deal with Microsoft valid. This was
>acceptable to us, but we still thought that the idea of Microsoft still
>getting a license fee when we were buying a machine with absolutely no
>Microsoft software on it was just absurd."

I suspect Microsoft would argue--probably successfully--that the consent
decree does not cover Windows NT.  :-(



--
Eric Bennett (http://www.pobox.com/~ericb/)
Cornell University, Field of Biochemistry, 377 Olin Chemistry Lab

Piano, n.  A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor.  It is
operated by depressing the keys of the machine and the spirits of the
audience.
-Ambrose Bierce