FOSTER CITY, California -- Computer users carrying penguins and shrink-wrapped software marched on Microsoft offices in Silicon Valley Monday and demanded refunds for the Windows they didn't want to buy and don't plan to use.
The refund movement is gaining widespread support among users of Linux, a version of the Unix operating system designed to run on personal computers. It was developed in 1991 by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds. Its mascot is a penguin, Torvalds' favorite animal.
Linux is still maintained by Torvalds and a group of far-flung programmers and can be downloaded for free. It's also sold in a commercial version by Red Hat of Durham, North Carolina, for US$50. The system has an estimated 8 million to 9 million users worldwide.
The Windows Refund Effort organizers hoped to gain more attention for the alternative operating system, which is becoming more widely used in network servers and to protest that it is nearly impossible to buy a personal computer without Microsoft's operating system pre-installed.
All PCs sold with Windows come with end-user licensing agreements that state that if the user does not agree to the terms of the agreement, they can request a refund. People who seek such refunds describe the process as a bureaucratic nightmare.
"I got stuck with this software because I couldn't buy a laptop without it," Charles Lingo, a retired maintenance engineer from San Jose, told the Associated Press. "It's a rip-off by a monopoly."
Microsoft spokesman Robert Bennett said his company isn't forcing anyone to buy Windows.
"You have the choice of operating systems," Bennett told the Associated Press. "You can buy a personal computer with a non-Microsoft operating system, you can buy a computer with no operating system at all. Most customers choose Windows, but you certainly don't have to."
He said that although Microsoft won't give them refunds, they could go back to the company that sold them the computer.
