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Microsoft, the incumbent, offered OEMs cheaper Windows licenses as long as there was no dual boot, or a windows license was paid for every machine sold regardle
by beagle3 7y ago
Microsoft, the incumbent, offered OEMs cheaper Windows licenses as long as there was no dual boot, or a windows license was paid for every machine sold regardless of what it ran.
Under these terms, it was suicide for OEMs to offer anything except “only Windows”. I was actually working for another company whose software was killed by Microsoft by a similar “or else” threat from Microsoft at the time.
Microsoft was a bully doing (likely) illegal things, except the FTC wasn’t doing its job.
- ulfw 7y agoAnd what would have stopped OEMs to offer the same device with a different SKU with BeOS AND Windows for say x USD more? (kind of like Dell does with their Linux lappies)
- beagle3 7y agoLack of demand (for BeOS at an extra cost; or for Windows by people who wanted BeOS) Also, some of the time Microsoft simply forbade dual booting as a condition for OEM licensing.
- loeg 7y agoMore SKUs cost more in manufacturing, QA; choice paralysis may drive away customers. All for a relatively niche offering that might piss off their big product. Little upside. It's even a bit surprising Dell sells Linux laptops, considering.