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by Arkanosis 1603 days ago
Major French computer store LDLC (and its subsidiary materiel.net) sells modern laptops with FreeDOS preinstalled (so you don't have to buy Windows). I wonder if that's something others do as well.
2 comments

Yes, some laptop OEMs have (or have had) FreeDOS as an OS option.

Though with a quick glance at current local computer retailer catalogs I found only HP 290 G3, which is not a laptop (https://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c06636833.pdf). Found plenty of discontinued laptops (e.g. HP ProBook 430 G6: https://support.hp.com/lv-en/document/c06179691), though, so maybe it is just not as common anymore. I vaguely remember seeing FreeDOS laptops much more often 5-10 years ago.

Retailers do that to have the big, red font, price cheaper than their competition. Per law they have to include everything in that price, Windows license too. No Windows license, price is cheaper. That's the sole reason retailers include FreeDOS or Linux, not because they are somehow evangelists of Windows alternatives.