Windows Tax
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Some computer users use the phrase Windows Tax to describe the hidden cost of operating systems when bought with new computers. This is a pun on the historical phenomenon, the window tax.
In most of the world, IBM PC compatible computers are rarely sold without a copy of Microsoft Windows, pre-installed. Although OEMs can legally sell computers without an operating system, few of them choose to do so. This is due to reduced demand for computers that do not work out of the box, and also due to the way that Microsoft sells its licences.
Whilst anyone can purchase a full licence for Microsoft Windows, which would come in a box with a CD-ROM and a certificate, Microsoft provide significant discounts to OEMs who purchase OEM versions of Windows. These criteria are said to include whether or not the computers can dual-boot with other operating systems. This system of discounts is said to be one of the reasons that BeOS failed to make significant headway in the marketplace.
Although other operating systems exist for Apple computers, the concept does not extend beyond the IBM PC platform. It could be theorised that the majority of people who use the term are advocates of alternative operating systems who feel offended when it is assumed that they will want to use Windows, and are charged for it in the price of the machine. This is also a concern for corporate customers who already have site-wide licenses for Microsoft products. They may be required to pay for additional licenses when purchasing new computers even though they already have the licenses they need.
There has even been a public protest about the Windows Tax, when February 15, 1999 was announced as "Windows Refund Day" and a number of people from SVLUG (the Silicon Valley Linux User Group) marched to Microsoft's offices in Palo Alto to protest.
External links
- Windows Tax (http://www.computerbits.com/archive/1999/0400/linux9904.html)
- Windows Refund Day (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/279926.stm)