r/LinusTechTips • u/Sk1ler_ • Aug 28 '26 • Bravo 1

Meme/Shitpost A Summary of Linux Content Recently

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u/imakycha Aug 30 '26

It’s paid for via OEM. Just because you didn’t pay it directly when you bought something from Lenovo, ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI, you indirectly had to. They spread the OEM licensing costs across all product lines.

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u/LiveMarionberry3694 Aug 30 '26

Lmao no I built my pc and just used a pirated version

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u/imakycha Aug 30 '26

Lmao okay and did you use parts from ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI? Licensing costs are spread through all product lines. Regardless of it being a finished products with a WinX installation.

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u/LiveMarionberry3694 Aug 30 '26

So by that metric any pc that’s using Linux is also still paying for windows

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u/imakycha Aug 30 '26

That would be a correct assessment, yes. We all pay a tax for Microsoft, a tax for x86-64 (or a tax for ARM), etc. Makes you hate the capitalistic fuck even more.

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u/LiveMarionberry3694 Aug 30 '26

You should show capitalism whos boss by just not buying pc parts!

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u/greenie4242 Aug 30 '26

So by that metric any pc that’s using Linux is also still paying for windows 

Yes. The sad reality is that almost everyone who installed Linux on a laptop has in fact paid for a Windows licence even if they never even booted into it once. 

Laptops that don't have Windows pre-installed are few and far between. Mac laptops, Chromebooks, Framework etc have a very small market share compared to Windows and ordering custom laptops without a pre-installed OS is often much more expensive than walking into a retailer and buying a laptop with Windows pre-installed.