>> but when something astronomically expensive breaks... it makes me very 
>> frustrated, to say the least.
> 
> As far as the end-user is concerned, Windows is free, since it comes 
> with the computer. You have to be actually interested in computers 
> before you can figure out what Windows costs.

Well, true. But Windows isn't the only product M$ makes...

> I don't think 
> "astronomical" is quite the right term, myself.
> 
> # Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): £229.99

...OK, that's come down pretty drastically then. Last time I looked, 
they wanted £600.

> Contrast with Illustrator for $600, Photoshop for $1000, Maya 3D for $5000.
> 
> Ask your boss how much the software to run your lab equipment cost.

Yeah, but who buys that stuff?

A better question might be how much does Office cost? (A lot of people 
seem to be quite shocked that this doesn't just "come with" a computer. 
They think of "a computer" as a thing that runs Word...)

Last time I checked, it's something like £100 for Word, £180 for Word + 
Excel, £250 for Word + Excel + PowerPoint, and steeper still if you want 
the other stuff. (Admittedly, most people just want Word, or maybe Word 
and Excel.)

In contrast, a graphic tablet and a copy of Photoshop cost my dad about 
£75 (I think), and that's *very* specialist...

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