[Am-info] Gateway Official Hits Microsoft Licensing In Testimony

[Erick Andrews]

On Tue, 26 Mar 2002 17:04:35 -0500, Felmon Davis wrote:

>On Tuesday 26 March 2002 11:38 am, Joe Moore wrote:
>
>>
>> I wonder what would happen if the OEM really looked at the cost of
>> alternative OS support vs. the cost of supporting Windows.  What do
>> you think the service surcharge would be for a Microsoft OS?
>>
>> --Joe
>
>I don't know it for a fact but isn't it a pretty safe assumption that 
>MS could undersell any competitor in this contest? Most hardware is 
>made with Windows in mind so a Windows install is likely (not always, 
>as I know from person experience) to be relatively easy and 
>relatively cheap. 

I think you are sort of correct.

Microsoft could 'undersell' most anyone here if they dip into their
"cookie jar"...but that's another issue of current economic circumspect,
like Enron and Arthur Andersen.

The cost of support, however, if often seen as "tommorrow" instead
of long range planning toward real cost of ownership.  Unfortunately,
that's perceived by many corporations as "too competitive" given
MS's lock on IT structures.

-- 
Erick Andrews