From: adam@address.invalid   
      
   Aragorn wrote:   
   > On Tuesday 31 July 2012 17:30, Adam conveyed the following to   
   > alt.os.linux.mandriva...   
   >   
   >>> purchase a brand-name PC which with Windows pre-   
   >>> installed and the Microsoft-approved stickers on them.   
   >>   
   >> I do.  It assures me the components will all work together, [...   
   >   
   > No, it assures you that the components will all work together *with   
   > Microsoft Windows 8* - a very important nuance   
      
   Without getting into the legalities, basically I could have returned   
   this computer to the (local) store within 7-10 days for practically any   
   reason whatever, even "doesn't match my decor." :-)   
      
   > it's not unthinkable that a hardware problem may surface under GNU/Linux   
   > (via the logs or the screen output at boot time) while it doesn't   
   > complain about anything under Windows.   
      
   Which was why I spent the first few days after purchase running lots of   
   hardware tests under Linux, and certainly would have brought it back if   
   any had failed.   
      
   > What it sounds like to me is that you're simply maintaining a   
   > conservative but wrong attitude analogous to the pointy haired bosses   
   > who choose Microsoft Windows as the platform for their business computer   
   > park over GNU/Linux and FLOSS because Microsoft is a corporate entity   
   > and has a name attached to it.   
   [...]   
   > This is no different for me.  I have a shop or another company who build   
   > the computers for me, and the manufacturers of the individual components   
   > as a fall-back.   
      
   Sounds like we both want somebody we can go back to with any hardware   
   problems.  There are gurus who do the selecting, purchasing, and   
   assembling themselves, and therefore have no one else to blame (barring   
   defective components).   
      
   >> This brand uses industry-standard parts of decent quality.   
   >   
   > There's no reason to assume you couldn't hand-pick those parts yourself.   
      
   Apart from my lack of knowledge and of confidence. :-)  I'm willing to   
   put up with a slight loss of control over the choice of parts in   
   exchange for convenience.  The same argument could be used for/against   
   compiling one's own kernel, or many other things.   
      
   Adam   
   --   
   Registered Linux User #536473   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)