It has always seemed unfair that when you spend loads of money on a new PC it won’t do anything until its loaded with basic software to do basic things, from turning the desktop on with an operating system to typing a letter in a word processor or surfing the web in a browser. That was a persuasive reason to switch to Linux and use open-source software which is not proprietary and is very good value for money.
Apple users have had to suffer as much as anyone because software is more proprietary and more expensive, but their tune is changing, as noted by Sam Grobart in Bloomberg Businessweek:
Apple has acknowledged something that’s been true in the industry for years: Software is a means to sell hardware. Sure, there are some specialized applications that can command a hefty profit margin, but bread-and-butter applications used in the mainstream are not things you sell. They are things people get when they turn on that shiny new object they just shelled out for.
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