linuxmemes

Nice list, I would add routers (not everywhere). But for example here in Germany you get a device from your ISP for free but don't try to change the DNS settings because your ISP wants to know what you are doing online.

Only alternative is a fritzbox which is highly overpriced for a simple router+modem. >200€ for a cablerouter.

I had to buy a used fritzbox, need to nearly hacked them for activating the deactivated bridge-mode and put a cheap Asus router on it with flashed openwrt.

I needed 6 months for the whole setup.

The tv thing is the most insane. Like I grew up used to knowing phones are all tapped and computers too. But I pay to not have ads on tv but my tv itself has ads. And I can run a Linux computer and we’re getting somewhere with spyware and ad free phones even if it’s not yet where I need to switch, but tv, fucking hell

Unfortunately it's concept which were in the past.Nowdays u are not owning ur device,you are actually just renting it. Unless new laws are passed that will prohibit such a business model.

Yeah and try to load a custom OS into anything other than an computer is a nightmare, just last week while trying to install twrp recovery and flash a custom ROM which I been doing for quite some while hard bricked my phone, mad ended up fucking it completely by trying to fix it with mtkclient.

I build computers and sell them, and will put whatever OS you want on them, except Windows. If you want windows, I take $150 off the price of the tower.

Love their concept but I just can't afford it. My problem isn't finding a machine that works well with Linux. It's finding a machine that I can afford. And the stupid windows fee for something I will immediately uninstall is a big deal to me.

Dell sells Linux laptops too don’t they?

Have never seen this as a consumer though. I remember buying a laptop 10 years ago without OS since it was cheaper than same model with preinstalled Windows. Checked a random laptop and same still applies, version with Windows costs 30 eur more in my local webshop for what seems to be the same model with same specifications (No English available, use translate if needed):

• No OS
• Windows

I think that was only true back in the 90s, when there were still other OSes to compete against Windows, like OS/2, Solaris and BeOS late in the decade. Once Microsoft effectively dominated the consumer PC market (2000s?), they turned around to threaten to never do business with OEMs that dared to bundle competitors' OS. They also did something similar in Japan, which destroyed NEC (who created the PC-88 and PC-98, the most popular 80s and early 90s computers there) dominance.

I haven't met a Linux user that would consider leaving the factory installed OS instead of immediately blowing it out and installing their own

This route does still count as a Windows sale and you still pay for the license.
So if the manufacturer offers a "no os" option, rather than any Linux option, it's still a better choice than "Windows" if you know you will reimage to something else anyway.

These days it's not uncommon to have a powerful GPU just for AI acceleration.

I am in Europe but these laptops are rare in the low price end unfortunately.

They only offer that option for some models. For everything else, you have to select the Windows version with no added cost, and just eat the loss of the baked-in Windows tax.