Andrew Bayliss a.bayliss@uea.ac.uk wrote:
Inflated hardware prices: well, not really by much, if any. Find an x86 machine at the same price as an Apple one and you'll probably find that the performance/features are about equal.
On laptops, it's probably not so noticeable actually.
Inflated software prices: Inflated from free (beer), yes, but (from Dabs): Windows XP Pro: £234 Mac OS X: £92
These are prices for one installed copy.
And just for comparison (yes, i know there are licensing issues with the other 2): Red Hat 7.2 Deluxe: £58 Red Hat 7.2 Pro: £140
If this is redistributable still, these are prices for one media copy, which is not the same thing at all. What is more, you cannot be forced to upgrade by a termination clause.