Tax reduction

Doghouse – Tariffs

Article from Issue 295/2025
Author(s):

Customers can significantly reduce the tariffs on their software by choosing open source.

While I was working at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in the early 1980s, an interesting business practice came to my attention: the concept of "bundling" an operating system.

Before this practice, a person could buy their hardware and software separately. For server systems, this is still the practice. For desktop, laptop, and other smaller systems, it became the practice of manufacturers to install a particular operating system. That operating system was Microsoft.

There are practical reasons for bundling. The retail stores didn't have to install the operating system to show potential customers that the hardware worked, and the machine's speed and capabilities could be compared to other systems on display. The customer could then take the system home with the operating system installed and working properly.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News