A couple years ago I remember reading an article that said the cost of the preinstalled software on a new computer was 400 dollars. Does anyone know where that or another article like it would be? Google and Yahoo news haven't been any help. I need to know for a speech I am making in speech class Wednesday.

I basically just need the average cost of Windows and all the other software Dell and other compainies install on their new computers.

You are referring to the so-called "Microsoft tax". Calculating the exact amount would be a matter of speculation, but "a couple hundred bucks" seems about right . If nothing else, you could simply use the retail price of XP as an appropriate figure. -- J.W.

I suspect that J.W. has "hit the nail on the head". I seem to recall reading something similar a year or two back.

Though the article quoted a considerably higher price, because they'd quoted for the base OS graphically installed+office suite+couple of servers+other bits and pieces. The price was in the thousands, and yes the article used retail prices (currently in the UK, windows XP Pro = £233 (todays exchange = 445$ US and MS Office about £305 = 585$ US today and those are both "web specials" from one of the cheapest regular sources ).

So it'd be easy to cost things well into the 1000's of $.

regards

John

p.s. Of course, it's cheaper pre-installed, but still not as reasonable as most linux distros!

Well, I can estimate it easily, but I have to have sources listed on my speech outline. Which is why I am looking for an article on the subject.

Oh, right OK, though thats gonna be a little harder, because I think that you'd have to lay your hands on some sales type info for identical spec hardware - and even if you checked some of the sites that will sell you "kit" with pre-installed linux of some kind, it'd be harder to match it to identical stuff, just with windows instead! (erm, plus for real comparison, you'd have to make sure that the windows box had ALL the same facilities/apps).

Not gonna be the easiest task to do, or speech to make without the requisite slides/presentation/OHP view graphs!

regards

John

Eh? I don't need all that. I just needed an article talking about how much the software in a new computer costs... As it is, I figured out a better topic for my speech. But I am still interested in figuring this out.