Windows to become a legal requirement...

[D-Dan]

Well, almost, and only in France.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1934443/french-politicians-tax-tablets-running-windows?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=French+politicians+want+to+tax+tablets+for+not+running+Windows+

Steve

[Rik]

I wonder what they'll do about Kindles, Steve?

[zappaDPJ]

I can think of no sensible reply to that story

[cavillas]

Don't you just love the French, such a quirky sense of Governance. 

[DorsetBoy]

Same in Australia where ISP's require you to run Windows ........ so, get an old Win98 dsc and set up ,then use Mac/Linux.

Wonder what the Froggies will do about their own government systems and the Gendarmerie as they use Linux?

[Rik]

Apply an exemption.

[Technical Ben]

I can think of no sensible reply to that story

Same here. Even the insensible ones would be difficult to post.

[gizmo71]

Wonder what the Froggies will do about their own government systems and the Gendarmerie as they use Linux?

Apply an exemption.

Read the article - a Linux box will be classified as a proper computer and thus not covered.

[Rik]

Isn't Apple OS based on Linux, though?

[DarkStar]

Read the article - a Linux box will be classified as a proper computer and thus not covered.

That's not my interpretation:

-"they have decided that a device is only a computer when it runs Microsoft Windows. If it runs Linux or a Mac OS then it must be just an MP3 player that's being operated by someone who is a 'pirate' and therefore needs to be taxed".

[Rik]

I must admit that's the way I read it, Ian.

What's amusing to me is that Windows still holds the dominant share of the OS market. Do they really believe all piracy is limited to 10-15% of the population.

[gizmo71]

Hmm, you're right, the Inquirer article does say that, but if you read the article it links to (in French) you'll see that The Inquirer appears to have just made that bit up for sensationalism purposes.

I'm surprised this one hasn't appeared on SlashDot yet.

BTW, all hard drives in France - and any equipment using one - are already paying an MP3 levy so computers don't escape even if they are running Windows.

I wouldn't mind paying an MP3 tax but only if it made copying legal...

[Rik]

No chance of that, Giz, they like to get us both ways.

[Technical Ben]

Hmm, you're right, the Inquirer article does say that, but if you read the article it links to (in French) you'll see that The Inquirer appears to have just made that bit up for sensationalism purposes.

I'm surprised this one hasn't appeared on SlashDot yet.

BTW, all hard drives in France - and any equipment using one - are already paying an MP3 levy so computers don't escape even if they are running Windows.

I wouldn't mind paying an MP3 tax but only if it made copying legal...

They do know that piracy existed in the days of the fax machine right? You could even do it over wide band radio (and it was!).

[Rik]

Probably not, Ben.

[gizmo71]

Ah, it has made SlashDot.

[D-Dan]

I wonder how tablets that are set up to dual boot Windows and Linux would fare? Are they "Real" computers some of the time??

Steve

[Rik]

And which part of the time are they involved in piracy?

[Technical Ben]

But everyone knows the only reason Linux is exempt... is because there is no decent software worth pirating on it!*





*As you cannot pirate free software.

[Rik]

 

Good point, Ben.

[gizmo71]

I wonder how tablets that are set up to dual boot Windows and Linux would fare? Are they "Real" computers some of the time??

As I say, I'll wager things running Linux (alone) are already exempt as it's also a 'proper' operating system.

[Danni]

Isn't Apple OS based on Linux, though?

Nope. It's based on Unix, Linux's big cousin. Linux is Unix like, but was written from scratch and is not based on anything.

It's one of the reasons why I got annoyed that Apple OSX and Linux got shoved in the same forum with an incorrect name for so long. You've corrected it now, though

[Rik]

 

We get there eventually.