Hi everybody, I decided that some of you might be interested to know that I got myself a new laptop a few days ago. The reason for your possible interest will be not just being good friends of mine (though some of you undoubtedly are), but the fact that the laptop came without Windows Vista Ultimate Housewife Professional Edition or whatchamacallit, and without court procedures, communications, negotiations, out-of-court settlements, or any other hassle required to get an unused-EULA refund from the manufacturer.
I had thought it was highly unlikely to impossible in Israel, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. Surprised, too? Read on. To start with, some manufacturers do offer computers without Windows or the associated "Microsoft tax". One example is Lenovo, who offer certain ThinkPad models preloaded with FreeDOS. From what I heard/read, Dell and HP do it on occasion as well. Obviously, unless you buy abroad or over the Internet (which may result, e.g., in incomplete warranty, expensive shipping, etc.) this is not enough - there must be an Israeli importer/distributor who will actually bring such products to Israel and sell them to you. I think it is fair to say that most Israeli distributors will not stock or order anything without Windows because "what are you going to do with the computer without software, anyway?" I talked to quite a few, and this was the uniform answer in every case. Well, it turns out that there is at least one importer who does that. They are http://www.memory4less.co.il, they live not far from Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station (address and phone number are on the website), and they sell equipment to both organizations and private individuals. I visited them in person (to have a look at the chosen computer), asked a number of questions (got answers from both salespeople and a technician, and in general got a reasonable level of service), and left with a nice Lenovo ThinkPad X200 with FreeDOS for my trouble. I had browsed http://www.zap.co.il for a laptop satisfying a number of requirements, and it had never occurred to me to include "Windows-free" or "FreeDOS" or anything related into my queries. I was quite resigned to paying the M$ tax. I just clicked through to a make and a model that interested me, got a list of vendors, and sorted them by price. Memory4Less's offer was the best by price, and after checking the customer reviews (quite good) I clicked on the link, and that was when "FreeDOS" leapt into my face. So, it was a fluke. While talking to them as they were preparing the simple paperwork, I learned that while they were aware that some people preferred to install SW themselves they were not aware at all of a category of customers that would be interested in getting Windows-free computers and might appreciate a vendor providing such an option. They would not remove preinstalled Windows from a computer (moving it to a diffeerent computer, moving the associated stickers around, etc., is a hassle). What they said they would do, however, is provide a quote for a computer that a manufacturer offers without Windows, and then order it and deliver it to the customer. I presume they will only do it if they work with the manufacturer regularly (I did not ask). I would guess that, if asked, they will also say which models come (from manufacturers they work with) without Windows. My chosen model was in stock, so I got it with zero lead time. It came with full international (including Israel) warranty from IBM. Memory4Less will extend the warranty (in Israel) past expiration for a fee, with service in their lab, if the customer so desires. Now, I have no connection to them, I do not represent them or vouch for them, I am not endorsing them or advertising them, and in general Your Mileage May Vary and Standard Disclaimers Apply. I am only reporting my own experience that resulted in a new laptop satisfying all my requirements, with good shopping experience, the best price for the chosen make/model I could find, and with no Windows or any refund-related hassle whatsoever. I figure it is a Good Thing(TM), and as such it should be noted and, where practical, encouraged. -- Oleg Goldshmidt | p...@goldshmidt.org _______________________________________________ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
