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

[Felmon Davis]

On Tuesday 26 March 2002 05:32 pm, Joe Moore wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 26, 2002 at 05:04:35PM -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?
> >
> > 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.
>
> Well, in the present market, the OEM choice is easy.  If the
> hardware works with Windows, it can be sold.  If it doesn't, then
> "nobody" will buy it.  If it doesn't work well with Windows, then
> it's between Microsoft and the hardware mfr to come up with new
> drivers.  The OEM just has to tell its customers "try downloading
> the latest driver from our website".
>
> In the hypothetical future where the OS is purchased separately, it
> is in the OEMs interest to install/sell hardware supported by all
> (or many) of its available OSs, so that the same system can be
> purchased with Windows or Non-Windows.  This reduces the support
> cost of having multiple system configurations.  This would also
> create an incentive for hardware mfrs to support their products on
> multiple OSs, because in order to sell to Gateway, they'd have to
> have reasonably good support for operating systems other than
> Windows.
>
> --Joe
>

I hope so but this hypothetical scenario assumes both sufficient 
demand for other operating systems and a good cost/profit balance: 
OEMs must find that the market is willing to bear whatever it costs 
them to install Linux, OS/2 or whatever. (I'm having a hard time 
filling out the 'whatever' with plausible candidates.)

I don't think the demand is there, yet. I suspect the profit isn't 
there yet either.

sure is worth having a playing field where this kind of competition 
is at least thinkable.

F.