That's sort of how I feel about Microsoft. Bundling software is a marketing strategy, and most people see bundled software as free. It is often promoted as being free. In a big way, bundled software is free to the consumer. I know, I know, there's always a built-in cost. But the fact is that the Microsoft operating system was thrust upon the consumer, virtually for free, in order to promote the platform. It's almost like an advertisement that automatically installs itself on your desk. That was a clever strategy used by Microsoft because it created a captive audience that would buy copies of their application software.I think this is similar to what you guys are saying about free access to shared music on systems like Kazaa and Napster. You're saying that is is acting like advertising to "try before you buy." I think you're saying it's bringing you into stores to buy the things you like the most. Also sounds like you're saying that there's no loss, since the people who aren't paying wouldn't be paying anyway. The only difference is their access to the material. They wouldn't have cared to even check it out if it weren't free.