Yep, I saw that too - sounds quite disturbing.
Original at
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...vista_cost.txt
What is more worrying is that x86 mobos with all this DRM encryption crap built in may effectively be Microsoft only - other OSes like Linux won't install at all. Same for graphics cards - only usable under Vista. And Microsoft WILL be able to pressurise hardware manufacturers into not releasing open/non-DRM encumbered chipsets.
Just as Linux becomes a truly viable alternative OS, MS uses the hardware (under the guise of anti-piracy DRM protection) to truly lock the door and enforce it's monopoly completely.
Very clever, very nasty and very bad for all of us. Extraordinary that no one can control them. Still, with a net income of $12.6 billion on $44.2 billion for 2006, I suppose they can buy anyone.
On the bright side, openSuSE 10.2 is gorgeous and I've ordered the boxed set (I'm not impressed by the FSF's shrieks about the Novell/MS "arrangement", though I fear that Novell is going to get more than it's fingers badly burned).
And the SimplyMEPIS 6.0.1 release -
http://www.mepis.org/ - is the best yet. Warren Woodford really has put together a very polished distro.
Merry Christmas to all!