Cool, finally someone with a real solution. My next machine will probably a System76 then.

I really did not know what to do. I simply refuse to pay for an OS I really don't want.

My only option seemed to buy a Loongson, but that would make me incompatible with the rest of my team:

http://www.tekmote.nl/epages/61504599.sf/nl_NL/?ObjectPath=/...

Asus also sells Linux systems via Amazon in Germany, that is how I got my netbook with an AMD Brazos CPU.

The only issue is that they only do it occasionally with a limited set of units.

For appropriate values of ‘wonderful’. But I guess if one pays 1500+ € for a computer, an extra 100 € for Windows is not all that important.

So, even if I hate MS and did not use their product, I still need to pay to support MS to be even more evil next time.

I see it as a slight annoyance that comes bundled with this wonderful trackpoint. Really, my point was that this is a major issue if the system costs 500€, but about two thirds less important if it costs 1500€.

Yes it's important. I don't want to pay for something I don't want.

The question is (a) how much extra are you willing to pay for not having Windows pre-installed. Does $100 - $200 sound reasonable? And (b) how many other people share your view?

You are welcome to make your own personal demands on the market only if you are willing to pay for them, or in this case, if you can find many thousands of other people also willing to pay the price.

It's pointless just claiming a "right". You have no rights. You can't force anybody to supply what you want except by enabling the supplier to make a profit. As it is, you're expecting them to make a significant loss.

It's not just a question of removing Windows (or whatever OS you have installed for burn in and testing). There's the huge cost of qualifying parts for a different operating system, the extra tracking and stock-keeping costs, extra advertising and marketing costs (that will reflect the small number of units shipped), and the high cost of supporting Linux.

Since any 157 Linux buyers typically want at least 57 different versions of Linux, and a fair few want to dual boot because they actually do use Windows (for games, iTunes, whatever), the whole idea is a non-starter....

Ouch. $112.68 shipping to Europe.