[Am-info] Wal-Mart

[ethical@1of1.net]

In a message dated 2002 March 02 (Saturday), timestamp 10:42 AM, 
   on the topic Re: [Am-info] Wal-Mart [WAS: The Wallmart PC],
   "Erick Andrews" <eandrews@star.net> wrote:

"|>you sell 10,000 PCs with Microsoft installed, your per-processor
"|>charge is X dollars, total Microsoft tax:  10,000X.  if you sell 9,999
"|>PCs with Microsoft installed, and one PC bare or with another OS, your
"|>per-processor charge is (X+Y), total Microsoft tax:  9,999(X+Y). 

"|What the definition of "Y" here?   Some fraction of "X"?

"|If so, would you know if it's typically greater or less than 1?

First, I should note that this CPU charge is nominally the only thing
that the original FTC consent decree prescribed.  (It is widely
thought that Microsoft continued the practice thereafter, in minimal
disguise.)  IIRC back about nine years ago, a friend who ran a
computer assembly operation said that, for his purchases, X was about
$30 and X+Y about $50, but my recollection may be faulty. 

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