Linux Friendly Companies - UK

As I stated in my previous post, I bought an MSI Wind yesterday with XP installed, which was wiped and replaced with UNR as soon as I got home. I did have some communications with Argos, Comet, Currys and MSI during my research. I had mixed results, some of which are against UK consumer law as far as I know.

First I visited both Currys and Comet to get a feel for the size of 10" netbooks in the plastic, instead of just in pictures online, then I emailed Argos online customer service. I asked the salesperson who approached me from both companies about getting a refund for an unwanted and unused Windows licence. All three were so similar that I'm grouping them together. The separator was that the guy in Comet was on top of me almost as soon as I got in the door, which is something they tell their staff not to do as it often makes the customer feel intimidated to the point that they just turn round and walk out. Full disclosure: many years ago I used to work in Comet. It's changed beyond all recognition from my time there however.

All three were clueless to the fact that Windows is separate from the hardware. They trotted out all the usual lines about:

• It comes with Windows
• If you remove Windows it invalidates the warranty
• Windows is secure
• Windows is free
• You can't refund Windows
• Everybody wants Windows

These are the ones I remembered and aggregated from the three retailers. Sound familiar? Does Best Buy ring a bell? Best Buy employees were given staff "training" which amounted to pro-Microsoft propaganda designed with one purpose; demonise non-Microsoft and inflate, exaggerate or create the reality of Windows. It seems that Microsoft do the training materials for Argos, Comet and Currys in the UK too. The staff training in Comet is piss poor at the best of times, or at least it was in my time. So you can't really be surprised at the lack of understanding from sales staff on the realities of Windows and Linux.

Linux users know all of this propaganda by heart. Microsoft read the same PR manual as the Bush administration; they both apply the "if you repeat the same lies often enough in a docile mainstream media, people believe them" doctrine. The reality: 

• Windows is NOT secure no matter how many security applications you run, or how much you lock down.
• Windows is NEVER free. The cost of the licence is included in the price of your new PC. The exact amount will always be hidden behind NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreement) between various companies and Microsoft.
• The Windows EULA (End User Licence Agreement) states that if you refuse to accept the EULA, that you're entitled to a refund. You are told to contact the seller or installer; funnily enough Microsoft don't want you to contact them, I wonder why.
• People buy PCs, which come with Windows. Most people don't "choose" Windows.

The warranty is a mixed bag too. You get a warranty from the manufacturer as well as the retailer. In these cases, the retailers warranty would be invalidated (assuming their responses are legal under UK consumer law) but that does not account for the manufacturers. The way the sales staff tell it, you'd think they speak on behalf of the manufacturers too.

Some manufacturers are very Microsoft centric, and see non-Windows as a warranty problem. Netbook manufacturers have no moral case here, as the ASUS EeePC with Xandros Linux started the whole netbook market, which they've all piled into with their own Linux netbooks. They've all been schmoozed by Microsoft into offering XP, then Windows 7 on their netbooks, while their Linux models are harder to find if they still make them. The point is that their hardware was designed with Linux in mind, even if most of their stock leaves the factory with Windows installed. They know Linux. They know Linux does not cause hardware faults.

I emailed MSI UK to ask the same questions I'd previously asked Argos, Comet and Currys and was very impressed with the tech support responses. First they were quite happy with Linux if customers wanted Linux. They told me that the MSI warranty is not affected in any way by the choice of operating system(s) the customer installs. They also told me that upgrading the ram was also allowed without affecting their warranty.

I explained that it was not just the cost of Windows I objected to, but the fact that Microsoft would use my sale as another buyer who "chose Windows" despite the fact that XP was wiped within half an hour of buying it. They helpfully pointed out that they sell models with an X which are their Suse Linux models, and a link for reviews. The downside of this was that I couldn't find anywhere selling their Suse Linux models.

Unfortunately the reviews I found, along with the approximate prices listed, meant that I'd be paying over £300 for an 80gb model. The deal I found for £200 was very good, I couldn't find any Linux model close to that price. I didn't manage to get the Windows XP licence refunded, but given the size of the discount, I'd imagine Argos made very little (if any) profit from my sale. MSI would have already been paid by Argos, so their tech support has been (kinda) rewarded.

I'd rather not buy Suse Linux because of the ethics of the Microsoft / Novell deal means that I'd still be paying Microsoft for Linux; which they are not entitled to a penny for, as they have nothing to do with Linux. Regardless of which Linux it came with, I'd always be installing my own as most Linux users would do; the point was to be counted as someone who "chose Linux".

I can't speak highly enough of MSI, as much as I struggled to find a Linux model, they do understand Linux and the fact that some users choose to use it. They don't use bullshit excuses to weasel out of promises. So if Linux users want to spend their money with a Linux friendly company, I'd include MSI in that camp; or the UK division at least. If Linux users in the UK want a great deal on a netbook, check out Argos for an MSI Wind.