On Sun, 11 Mar 2001 23:42:44 -0500 (EST), Thomas Mueller wrote:
> I don't think there were any government laws passed to prohibit computer
> manufacturers from producing an Intel/compatible computer without Windows or
> dealers from selling such a computer, but MS used their corporate power to bully
> computer manufacturers and dealers into unfair contract terms. But it still is
> doubtful whether MS could legally prevent a computer dealer from putting
> together a computer from parts, and selling such a computer free of MS Windows.
That is true; however, almost all of the dealers wanted to become licensed to
install Windows, because at the time there was very liitle money to be made by
marketing PCs with alternative operating systems. They had no choice but to
do Windows or perish.
> I believe IBM sold computers to businesses with OS/2 preloaded if the order was
> big enough, which would exclude home users. Then there were some smaller
> dealers who would put computers together from parts without Windows, apparently
> they didn't sign a license agreement with MS.
There were a few people who did such things as some kind of sideline. Even I
did it. There wasn't much money in it because almost everybody wanted Windows.
At the time it was very popularly believed that you had to have Windows or
OS/2 to get on the internet. Even I used to believe it before I discovered
Arachne.
> Such a dealer would not be the
> one to go to for somwbody who wanted/wants a ready-to-run preconfigured Windows
> system, but would be of great interest to OS/2 or Linux users.
Most would-be buyers wanted a computer that was a pre-configured
internet-ready system, and they wanted to buy from from an established,
licensed dealer instead of from just some hobbyist like myself who just
claims he knows what he is doing when he assembles a computer from parts that
he just scrounges up at the flea markets. If I really knew what I was doing
I would have been able to get one of those posh hi-tech jobs where I could
spend all day at a workstation in a cubicle and do nothing more than design
wallpaper for Windows GUI's while getting paid $100,000 per year as just
compensation for having to suffer such excruciating boredom.
Sam Heywood
-- See our Big Gizmotimetemp at
-- http://banners.wunderground.com/banner/gizmotimetempbig/US/VA/Mt_Jackson.gif
