[mickgardner]

But it is NOT as expensive as the system they're going to. Ubuntu is and always will be free. It's also open source. The majority of users are not thinking of freedom when choosing an OS and price is only part of the story. In the end, like it or not, Users choose OS's based on a number of factors, including the eco-system of the operating system, software availability, hardware and device support. etc etc. Ubuntu users are not getting locked in. They can still do whatever they like with their operating system once ubuntu is installed.