Windows 10: Italian Judge Says Pre-Installing Windows on New PCs Is...

I'll give them a quote *Tongue

 

Not sure how easy it is in general to buy one without and OS at a store, but near me it is very easy, I know a few people who have gone the custom route, but have had windows put on it

We have a big chain called Currys, which will only do off the shelf, I don't believe they do custom, these are usually outside the town/city centres (used to be other big chains but they closed down)

In my area, there are also about 3 or 4 small IT shops, which do off the shelf builds or pre built for what you want, so I could easily walk into one of these, find a machine I liked and bought it with Linux instead of Windows, or no os at all if I wanted (cater for all)

the problem with getting from the smaller shops here, is the price is higher than getting the same thing from a big chain (with os included), so if you just want standard build of something, its cheaper with the OS included

 

If this catches on in other country's or even the US it could solve the missing install media that OEMs want to charge for.

 

I build my own and this does not apply to me as I also own plenty of Windows licences from 95 onwards. I even have 3 x 8 pro licences. We have been through this process before. A computer is absolutely no good without an OS unless one likes to look at the "Missing Operating System" Insert disk and try again message. People in the past have insisted OEM refund them the Windows Tax and there are varying stories of success. Some do get refunds some not. I know for a fact Dell sell you 7 or 8 but only some specialist dealers will sell you a PC with no OS. How do you know the PC works? Graphics cards can output the basic 640 x 480 and then fall over and die with 1080p drivers. Hard drives could be defective. That is one reason OEM sell a complete system. I mean no one demands a refund from the OEM when they buy a tower and they get a new mouse, keyboard, power chord, monitor which in all honesty they already have so why the OS?

 

If that's the case, android shouldn't be preloaded on certain handsets that also can run Windows Phone. mac os shouldn't be preinstalled, the user has the choice in that matter... *sarc

Honestly, most ridiculous thing I've ever read. Not only is it just random and beating a dead horse that's been dead well over a decade, does that judge HONESTLY think everyday people know how to install operating systems to begin with?

As for the PC's price including Windows, the bloatware that ensues reduces the cost of licensing. If that's the center of the case, ok.

 

I don't have a problem because I build my own systems.

I can see where large stores would have a problem. They would have a warehouse full of computers with nothing on them. They would have to wait at point of sale for someone to load the customers desired operating system and update it. Many of us know how long that takes. The big manufactures like H.P. would not be able to installed a operating system in a assembly line fashion.
Just putting the operating system DVD of choice in the box and allowing the customer to install it will not work for 99% of customers.
No bloat ware is a great idea except it will raise the price of computers to 99% of users to compensate for lost earnings bloat ware brings in.

Their is pluses and minuses to most everything.

Now how is the problem solved?
The stores can keep a certain amount of computers with no operating system and let the customer choose which one they want. Give the customer the choice of installing the operating system or paying the store to install the operating system.
Now you have a computer with the desired operating system without bloat ware.
The downside would be a higher price to the customer.

Example:
I wanted a F150 with no power anything. (Windows, mirrors, seats ect.)
4WD manual shift lever, (no push button)
No carpet so I could just hose the dirt and mud out. We use to call that a plain Jane.
It cost me more that one with deluxe interior, auto 4WD, all the power accessories.
Why was that. Just because they had to take it off the assembly line and do it special the way I wanted it. The extra work cost more than the extra goodies cost.

The thing that don't make sense to me is; how many people want to buy a new computer without Windows installed? Their are some but I'm thinking they would go to a specialty computer store and pick out what they wanted and have it built.

Microsoft would surly like the idea of not selling H.P. millions of copies of Windows at a discount price but instead sell millions of retail versions to customers that just bought a computer without Windows installed. Then most of those customers would have to pay someone to install Windows. They don't no how and don't want to know how.

In the E.U. countries they claim this is done to help the customer. Bull Droppings.

It will cost the customers as a whole more money and head aches.
The E.U. dose things like this to show big companies whose daddy is stronger.
Companies like Microsoft and H.P. don't care one way or the other. You just let them know how the judge wants things sold and they will sell that way and adjust the price accordingly.

Their are but a few major computer manufactures and one major operating system manufacture.
What is the people of the E.U. going to buy? A Russian computer with a counterfeit Chinese operating system of choice. The computer users of the world don't have a lot of choices.

 

I just call BS on the whole case. HP sells WINDOWS PCs. They do not sell Linux PCs. They do not sell PCs with mac os on them. They didn't force ANYONE to buy their PCs and take the cost of Windows. That's just what the finished product is. What an idiotic court case....

 

Around here, most PCs, specially laptops and most desktops, come without any OS installed or eventually Linux or some kind of free dos, just enough to prove that machine works. Some also come with windows but not activated so you have to pay extra for it. Makes it much cheaper to by computer if you are not hell bent to use windows.

 

I'd love to see the stenographer's notes (whatever it's called) .. that HP lawyer must have been totally useless...

Wonder if that judge knows how to disable secure boot / set up MBR partitioning etc... :facepalm:

 

Where I live customers have very few outlets to purchase a PC from.
Off of the top of my head you have these:
1 Bestbuy
2 Walmart
3 Staples

And out of those I really doubt any of them have a PC without an OS on it in stock. Yes, we have Atomic PC in Oak Ridge but I don't know how many potential PC customers would know they could buy a new one from them and that you can get a choice of OS's you can have installed on it.

Jeff

 

I agree. But that's how the law goes at times like it or not.

 

Not sure what the labelling laws are in Italy, but here in the UK every PC on sale in the likes of Currys will have a specification label which clearly states things such as Processor, HDD size, Memory, and Operating system, so by accepting the offer you are entering into a contract with the store for supply of goods "as Described" for the price stated, so this should prevent this sort of thing, as long as the Windows PC you buy doesn't have Linux installed or something like this *Smile

 

It's pretty much the same in the US. The last time I took the time to check out a PC at Walmart the box had all of the specs clearly marked on the outside of the box.

Jeff

 

The only issue I have with this article are two things:

1) When you buy a computer it normally states it comes with an OS. I'm sure teh buyer saw this...
2) The statement that you can't buy a computer these days without an OS is incorrect. If you custom order from places such as iBUYPOWER it's absolutely optional if you want a pre-installed OS, if you want a key on the side, if you just don't want nothing related etc.

 

I hope something like this doesn't start happening, cause I am sure we would all lose out

If for example a PC costs £1000 and £100 of this is for the Windows OS
If they are made to not include the OS with it, what would the priced be, still £1000, then the OS would have to be bought on top, total of £1100
Cannot see the price going down