(a) A clone is not an installer.

And Grieber would be happy, I'm sure to clone, if he had an external HD. But maybe not, since some on this thread warn against the generally reliability of clones.

He wants the Lion installer that he would have been able to get by updating Snowy -- an installer he could put on a disk and that in the past he would got with any new Mac he bought. But now he is not able to have that because he bought a shiny new Mac with Lion preinstalled!!. Now ain't that crummy .. he says.

(b) Well, yes it is.

This is all about a guy who has no broadband and no ability to clone. But in the old days, he got an installer on a disk when he bought a new Mac. And now he doesn't. And he feels deprived. Well, I think he's got a decent case. But the times are always changing - and when they do there's always some who get screwed.