[EdLUG] Buying a laptop without Windows

Mon Jun 6 11:19:44 UTC 2016

Hi everyone,

Don't know if anyone else has spotted this, but Entroware
<https://www.entroware.com/store/index.php?route=common/home> appear to do
pretty well-specced laptops with various flavours of Ubuntu on them.

Gareth

On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 12:10 PM, Edinburgh Linux Users Group <
edlug at lists.edlug.org.uk> wrote:

> Well I recently bought a new laptop with Windows 10 installed.   For the
> first time there was no apparent need to accept anything to start using
> Windows 10.   I'm very happy with it (and I must confess I haven't thrown
> away the Windows ... call me a traitor if you wish ... )
>
> However, I think we are still trying to fight a battle that has
> effectively been won on most fronts, and the one which hasn't been (the
> desktop) is becoming more and more irrelevant every day with the movement
> to mobile devices and the development of browser based applications to
> accommodate that.    There are other targets for our ire, and perhaps more
> dangerous since in many ways they have "spun" themselves as being open
> source friendly but meanwhile keeping our personal information that they
> have gathered about us behind a wall of secrecy.
>
> We also aren't dealing with the same Microsoft as before, according to my
> observations.   In my particular areas of interest (database technology and
> application development tools) we've seen Microsoft announce or release
> Linux based products recently, which suggest that the world is changing.  I
> recall a (joking) conversation about 5 years ago with some people from
> Microsoft, when I suggested that I wanted SQL Server on Linux ... and yet
> in 2017 we should have exactly that.  And I don't think this is an attempt
> at "embrace and extend" like in the past, but simply a realization that if
> they want to compete in the Data Centre they need to offer their key
> infrastructure components on the Data Centre platforms of choice.
>
> Just my tuppenceworth ...
>
> BTW, my new laptop is an Asus X555L, which I got "loaded" for a very
> decent price.   Apart from the fact it doesn't have SSD (that was above the
> price wanted to pay) I'm very happy with it.   The i5 processor and the 8
> gig of RAM were more important to me than the fast bootup time.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 6 June 2016 at 11:59, Edinburgh Linux Users Group <
> edlug at lists.edlug.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> I have heard good things from system76 computers, pre-installed with
>> Ubuntu I think, although shipping costs may elevate the total price.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Alejandro
>>
>> On 6 Jun 2016, at 11:52, Edinburgh Linux Users Group <
>> edlug at lists.edlug.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>> It's actually more expensive to buy a windows-free laptop. The licence
>> cost is subsidised by the companies that post Microsoft to install all
>> their junk programmes by default.
>> On 6 Jun 2016 11:39, "Edinburgh Linux Users Group" <
>> edlug at lists.edlug.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear LUG members,
>>>
>>> I'm considering to by a new laptop (macbook died and I'm a bit fed up
>>> with all the proprietary stuff) and of course I'm going to use Linux only
>>> on this laptop. The problem is that all laptops currently come with windows
>>> pre-installed. Even if they charge a very small tax for windows, it's my
>>> principle - I don't agree to pay any single penny to microsoft as soon as
>>> I'm not going to use their product.
>>>
>>> The question is: do you by any chance know if it's possible to decline
>>> their license and get a discount/refund for the windows license? If so,
>>> what are the best shops/brands who make this process easier?
>>>
>>> Today I tried to call Curry's, but the lady in their call centre had no
>>> idea about the subject. She also tried to convince me that "Windows 10
>>> doesn't offer any license. You just buy a laptop and start using it.
>>> There's nothing to accept or decline"
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance!
>>>
>>> Best Regards,
>>> Maxim
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> EdLUG mailing list
>>> EdLUG at lists.edlug.org.uk
>>> https://lists.edlug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/edlug
>>>
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