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Comment by supernikio2 | Hacker News Reader

The key word here is "impose". I can imagine a world where at time of purchase you would select which OS (if any) you would want pre-installed on the machine. Even a checkbox for Yes/No Windows would be an improvement.

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And then people go to Best Buy and see there's a model on the shelf that looks to be the exact same but its $60 cheaper, so they buy that and then realize they have no idea what to do with it so I guess this brand of laptop just sucks, Macs don't have that problem I guess I'll just buy those instead.

Apple should also be forced to allow the user freedom to choose at least one other OS. But maybe thats too much to ask. I think it's not too much too ask, but I am probably an outlier. Dont start about Asahi please. I know it exists.

Okay we force Apple to give the consumer freedom to choose at least one other OS. But none other exists, so what should Apple do? Create a second operating system themselves to give the illusion of choice? Be forced to bankroll an independent team such as Asahi (which you don't seem to consider valid)?

It seems to me that you are asking too much.

Publish enough docs to let someone write a full OS?

What's wrong with Asahi linux?

Well, it doesn't work at all with the Macbook on my shelf from 2024. Doesn't install, doesn't boot. I'd say that's pretty important for an OS.

Ah. Yeah I don't know how they can even charge money for it then.

Well, you asked what's wrong with it, and being entirely unusable on a lot of the target hardware its trying to address sure seems like a problem. I didn't realize I needed to give them money to properly speak true statements.

I don't blame them, it's not like Apple makes it easy for them. They're definitely working hard on the project and I wish them luck. But one can't act like it's actually a viable OS to generally run on M series hardware. It kind of works on a select few models.

It should stop refusing to boot things that aren't osx

I have bought many computers that have Windows installed, they have all been trivial to replace with Linux installs. On almost all of them, I never even booted into windows once.

Was it wasted money going to Microsoft? I don't know, I bought the computers because the price point worked for me. I have also built a lot of computers myself, but most of the time my home built machines end up costing more than the pre-built one that has windows installed (although my parts are probably nicer, but maybe not always).

This is like a ton of things you buy. Sometimes they include parts you don't want, but if the price is good, it doesn't matter that you discard part of it.

The payment is the real problem here. It's like if every meal you bought included a $1 fee to McDonald's even though they had nothing to do with it. That would be very evil anti-competitive stuff, right? Or if the fee is for a McDonald's promotional poster they put in the box and you throw away, same thing.

I’d imagine the choice would be

Windows (+$120)

Linux ($0)

DIY ($0)

Linux wouldn't be zero. There's still a cost involved in installing the OS, even if it's miniscule and automatable. You can bet your life that laptop manufacturers are going to charge you for it.

And properly supporting it as well. Look at all the major brands supporting Linux on their computers, several even go so far as maintaining their own distros.

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