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by macco 4823 days ago
Why should it. Premium OS -> Premium price. Ubuntu is about free as in freedom, not free as in beer. ;)

Actually I think, Dell has a real chance to get better margins with Ubuntu. They can position themself as the computer company for open-source users and maybe even as an Apple alternative is the mass market - impossible with Windows.

1 comments

Just a note, I think Ubuntu is marketed as an open source OS, the OSI definition says it has to be freely distributed. Strangly enough it's free software that is free as in freedom, not as in free beer, open source is free as in free beer (according to OSI).
No, open source does not have to be free of charge, according to the OSI. The first clause clearly says:

"The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software"

Extremely sorry, now I feel really stupid.
Where do you see that in the open source definition (http://opensource.org/osd)?
That was not my point. My point was that an Ubuntu computer may have the same price as a Windows PC or maybe even more expensive, because you become a better value for your money.
Funny, I downloaded Ubuntu free of charge last month. I know you have to click differently, but given their failed attempts to monitize, who can blame them.
My statement about OSI was wrong, but Ubuntu is free of charge and will always be. Canonical can't charge for software they have only partly written.