i’m just buying myself a new computer. i think nearly four years of using something that wasn’t new when i bought it shows i got a pretty good deal last time round. i hope i’ve chosen right this time too. last time i bought a refurbished pc that came without an operating system. this time i wanted various features that meant a new pc made more sense but i couldn’t buy what i wanted without also acquiring an operating system that i don’t want. i’m glad to see that someone is challenging this situation even if it is walmart.

the register guess that people will load their naked pcs up with pirated versions of windows rather than versions bought at retail price or using a free os like linux. they’ve missed the other choice which is that when you upgrade your hardware (rather than buying your first computer) you already own an operating system to put on your replacement pc. if the old pc is going in the bin, why should you have to throw the software away too? you might want to change to the latest microsoft os but i don’t think that you should be forced to buy it.