this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2026
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Cant you ask the shop to sell you the machine without windows? And get a rebate for it, since you're going to remove it anyway.
Not really. Most computers are sold off a shelf at a big box store, pre-configured and ready to go. The license for windows is flashed onto the hardware, so the staff doesn't really have a way to remove it from the computer.
If enough people start asking about it then it might persuade big box stores to test the waters with a few Linux-based units or at least an unformated drive.
Big Box stores want you to buy a product and leave. They want fewer skus that work out of the box. Windows sucks ass, but most of the time you end up with a functional, if shitty, PC.
Also - Microsoft and Apple pay for floorspace at the big box stores. What Linux distro is gonna do that?
I guess Chromebooks, kinda?
Sure, trade in your gremlin for a pinto...
I’d rather keep my Pacer thanks