Nice to hear that there is another source for these. Ivory sells a few of their machines without windows (at least msi I think also dells, maybe more), but although buying a simple desktop from them is ok, laptops other than msi can be a hustle.
At the time I found quite a few dell distributors that sell dells windows free. Thinkpads this is the first time I hear about. On Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:24:25 +0200 Oleg Goldshmidt <p...@goldshmidt.org> wrote: > > 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. > _______________________________________________ Linux-il mailing list Linux-il@cs.huji.ac.il http://mailman.cs.huji.ac.il/mailman/listinfo/linux-il
