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Bundling of Microsoft Windows is the installation of Microsoft Windows in computers before their purchase. Microsoft encourages original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of personal computers to include Windows licenses with their products, and agreements between Microsoft and OEMs have undergone antitrust scrutiny. Users opposed to the bundling of Microsoft Windows have sought refunds for Windows licenses, arguing that the Windows end-user license agreement entitles them to return unused Windows licenses for a cash refund. Although some customers have successfully obtained payments (in some cases after litigation or lengthy negotiations), others have been less successful. ==The "Windows tax"== Microsoft encourages original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to supply computers with Windows pre-installed, saying that consumers benefit by not having to install an operating system.〔 Analyst Vishal Tripathi said that many consumers purchase PCs with pre-installed operating systems because they do not want to deal with the "learning curve" and inconvenience of installing an operating system.〔 Virtually all large computer vendors bundle Microsoft Windows with the majority of the personal computers in their ranges. In 1999, ''Maximum PC'' wrote that non-Windows users "have long griped that machines from large companies can't be purchased without Windows". In 1999, analyst Rob Enderle attributed the lack of computers without Windows available for individual purchase to economic impracticality, citing certification and warranty requirements.〔 Microsoft once assessed license fees based on the number of computers an OEM sold, regardless of whether a Windows license was included; Microsoft was forced to end this practice due to a consent decree.〔 The decree, entered into in 1994, barred Microsoft from conditioning the availability of Windows licenses or varying their prices based on whether OEMs distributed other operating systems. Author Wendy Goldman Rohm said that the decree was effective in allowing Dell and HP to offer Linux computers, and Jeremy Reimer of ''Ars Technica'' stated that the decree made it "fiscally realistic to sell computers with alternative operating systems".〔 In 1999, a Microsoft representative stated that their contracts with OEMs did not "stop[] any OEM from shipping any operating system on their PCs".〔 In 2010, Microsoft stated that its agreements with OEMs to distribute Windows are nonexclusive, and OEMs are free to distribute computers with a different operating system or without any operating system. In a 2001 article in ''Byte'', it was reported that license agreements between OEMs and Microsoft forbade OEMs from including Windows alongside another operating system on the same computer. According to a 1999 ''New York Times'' article, "critics assert that the company continues to use its market clout to ensure that nearly all new personal computers come with Windows pre-installed."〔 In 2009, Microsoft stated that it has always charged OEMs about $50 for a Windows license on a $1,000 computer. In 2007, Dell stated that its computers with Ubuntu installed would be priced about $50 lower than comparable systems with Windows installed.〔 In a 2010 ''ZDNet'' article, Chris Clay wrote that Dell computers with Ubuntu preinstalled were priced higher than identical systems with Windows preinstalled, even though Ubuntu is free and open source. The claimed increase in the price of a computer resulting from the inclusion of a Windows license has been called the "Windows tax" or "Microsoft tax" by opposing computer users. Some computer purchasers request refunds for Windows licenses included with their purchased computers because they do not want to use Windows, preferring an operating system such as Linux instead.〔 Jeff Walsh of ''InfoWorld'' said that businesses with site licenses can save money by requesting refunds of Windows licenses included with purchased computers. Users can avoid the "Windows tax" altogether by assembling a computer from individually purchased parts or purchasing a computer from an OEM that does not bundle Windows. Some smaller OEMs and larger retail chains such as System76 have taken to specializing in Linux-based systems to their advantage from major suppliers' paucity of non-Windows offerings. Beginning in 2007, Dell offered computers with Ubuntu pre-installed.〔 In 2014, Hewlett-Packard stated that it sells "units bundled with a built-in OS and those without".〔 Some Linux distributors also run 'partnership' programs to endorse suppliers of machines with their system pre-installed. Chris Clay of ''ZDNet'' wrote that employee discount programs create a financial incentive to purchase computers from a large manufacturer, even if the manufacturer does not offer computers without Windows.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bundling of Microsoft Windows」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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