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hotrodlincoln
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Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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Location: Not in Austin anymore
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 Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: Dell offers 'Windows Vista Bonus' to frightened customers |
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By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco → More by this author
30 Jun 2008 19:24
The 'bonus' is XP instead of Vista
Dell is actively promoting a Microsoft licensing loophole to channel partners eager to keep selling PCs installed with Windows XP, after Microsoft's official cut off.
The Dell channel blog is pointing resellers to the loophole in the Windows Vista license that enables business customers to downgrade from the unwanted Windows Vista to its dated, but comfortable and better-supported predecessor.
According to the blog: "Dell can sell what we've branded 'Windows Vista Bonus' which allows us to preinstall XP Professional with a Vista license (on select system categories). This lets customer's upgrade to the Vista platform when they're ready. And yes, Dell will support both OSs."
Dell's blog points resellers to further information here.
Dell, meanwhile, is also making Windows XP available as an image to those partners using the company's Custom Factory Integration service.
The blog was designed to coincide with the last day Windows XP was officially available from Microsoft. From now on, you can only get Windows Vista. Officially.
Dell has taken a leading position in continuing to offer Windows XP. Earlier this month Dell vowed to keep selling PCs running the operating system until "at least 2009".
Dell's stance of not just offering Windows XP directly but actively telling its huge ecosystem of resellers how they, too, can game Microsoft's system and continue selling Windows XP demonstrates a significant shift in the OEM's relationship with Microsoft.
With chief software architect Bill Gates' departure fresh in the air, it should be remembered how, under Gates' tenure last decade as chief executive, Microsoft exploited its position as supplier of a popular PC operating system to play hardball with PC OEMs on licensing Windows.
During the US Department of Justice's antitrust trial, IBM revealed that Microsoft had delayed giving IBM access to Windows 95 simply because IBM refused to kill its own OS/2 operating system or agree to not bundle its SmartSuite rival to Office on IBM PCs.
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http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/30/dell_xp_channel/ |
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Commendatore
Hates with a Vengance
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
Posts: 80
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:56 am Post subject: |
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I tried to do that but Dell technical support told me that the computer I bought was designed for Vista and that it may or may not run on XP.
Were they bullshitting me or what? |
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diashto
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Location: Detroit area
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:44 am Post subject: |
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in general, if it can run vista, it can run xp. XP doesnt support a couple new things that vista does hardware-wise (DX10, ReadyBoost), so there may be some glitches if its a higher end machine.
The biggest problem you have to worry about generally is the driver support.. but all current hardware that i'm aware of has both vista and xp drivers. |
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Commendatore
Hates with a Vengance
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
Posts: 80
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| I had a feeling Dell was trying to stonewall me about upgrading to XP. They probably just didn't want to be bothered. |
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diashto
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Location: Detroit area
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| Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Commendatore wrote: | | I had a feeling Dell was trying to stonewall me about upgrading to XP. They probably just didn't want to be bothered. |
No, its more likely that the guy trying to sell that to you got instructed to say something like that, or read some marketing thing that said something that he interpreted it that way. |
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