Allowing M$ to pick and choose which OEMs can install that other OS is leading to a new monopoly designed to replace Wintel, at least on ARM. No longer will consumers be able to install an OS from M$ on a PC if M$ gets its way. M$ will have loyal OEMs only blessed with the privilege and revenue streams.

Are you paying attention, x86/amd64 OEMs? If you depend on M$ you can be left out in the cold the next time M$ makes a secret deal with one of your competitors. To avoid this, OEMs should install GNU/Linux and Android/Linux and be free of M$ forever. There’s no reason at all for an OEM to give this much control to M$. M$ is a software company. M$ is not taking the risk of investing in hardware production facilities and the vagaries of the market. M$ will make $billions no matter how small OEMs margins become.

Are you paying attention, US Department of Justice? This is what results when you give M$ a slap on the wrist and allow them to promise to be good…

see Microsoft seems to be excluding HTC from Windows | Microsoft – CNET News.

What folks years ago predicted has happened. M$ will sell use of GNU/Linux on its cloud services. When they sell GNU/Linux through their OEM-”partners”, the world will be a lot closer to having a proper market for PCs. That is likely to happen but not until they have their hat handed to them with “8″.

I expect eventually to see M$ either coopt a distro as “partner” or develop its own distro. Either will be an improvement over exclusivity on retail shelves. For the moment, this seems like history happening, appropriate to the anniversary of D-Day.

BTW, this is the ultimate proof that anyone can make money from GNU/Linux when The Great Satan of IT can do it.

see Microsoft to run Linux on Azure | ITworld.