As I said before I am vehemently opposed to using linux on my own hardware, and go to great lengths to get my clients to switch when I feel it meet their needs. That said, instead of getting all religeous about this, why not just protest with your wallet? Buy products from vendors who do support open standards. You arent going to change their minds about making hardware like this, its all about the market. And the market sways in favor of windows-centric hardware. Just dont buy the damn board. Spend your money elsewhere.