ESR: "Free Hardware": A Trojan Horse?

"Recently, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft have been pushing a vision of the future in which computing hardware is 'free'--actually, sold with software subscriptions. IT customers tempted to sign on should take a lesson from the recent box-office bomb Troy and beware of suits bearing gifts. Because it's very clear that this version of 'free' hardware will actually be 'controlled' hardware--controlled, specifically, to effectively seize control of the customer's operation..."

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Related Stories:

• Sydney Morning Herald: Free For All(Apr 10, 2004)
• ZDNet: It's Software That Will Almost Be Free(Apr 03, 2004)