Slashdot Mirror
IBM Launches Linux Desktop in India
kanad writes "Who says that Linux on desktop is dead. Well maybe in the developed markets where people are using windows since last 10 years and are used to it. But in nascent markets it maynot be the case. From this story at Times of India , IBM is launching a linux based desktop model (A30) for about US$ 850. The specifications of the A30 is available from zdnet india site although the price mentioned is about US$ 1100.
IBM CEO recently visited India generating news and smoke about big blue taking some serious linux initiative in India.
Here is a more practical story on
Linux in India"
The articles don't state what company has put together the desktop software, just that the hardware is from IBM. Is this another partnership for Red Hat or have IBM rolled their own?
E-Sys has launched Linux PCs in India some 2 months ago - priced from $200 onwards (no monitor). The highest model comes in at about $300 which includes a financial accouting package as well.
LUGs are very active in India - and the recent drives by MS thru NASSCOM (like the BSA) is forcing lots of folks to switch over. Every day, new firms spring up offering Linux support for Home PCs as well as business segments.
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Does anyone know if IBM is making Debian GNU/Linux available on these systems? It would be fitting for the only truly free Linux distribution to be delivered pre-installed on these systems in such a poverty-stricken country. I'm sure IBM will do great support for their hardware (they have been impeccable on the service contract on our department's 'Regatta' p690 POWER4 system (32 CPUs really make dselect fly!!!). The only question that remains is the software aspect of the deal. So...Does anyone know of any reliable apt-get mirrors in India?
> I think the first step we'll see in Linux becoming big on the desktop (in a general work area) is overseas governments. Eventually it may spread to the schools of those overseas countries. After that has happened, other countries will follow.
What about all the CS & EE students back home who use it at the university and get used to having a big pile of free, powerful, and stable apps, and demand the same thing on their desktop both at work and at home after they graduate?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
that the linux PCs are being sold in non-metro areas of the country.
Unlike in US, there is vast diff. between the metro cities and other small cities.
Majority of the enterprise level business are located in metro cities and I am not sure targetting SOHO business in non-metro cities is such a bright IDEA.
Simply because, in non-metro cities it is very easy to get pirated microsoft software and PCs are assembled from cheap parts from taiwan , rather than bought from PC vendors.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
This is exactly what I get from my newphew. He's using macs at school, and he complains about OS9 all the time, and not those logical i can agree with you sorta things. It's primarly the "why did they put that over there" sorta deal. I guess i'm somewhat old and grew up in a market of aspiring and dying platforms.
It's somewhat ironic the fact that while I've never been a big mac fan my self, I have always respected its relative ease of use, yet i'm finding more often then not, the kids are complaining cause it's not *windows*(tm) which I find to be an unacceptable complaint.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Perhaps we'll actually start seeing some OEM level hardware support, or if nothing else at least some specifications so we can make our own drivers for the latest GO-GO gadget device.
While I'm by no means a fan of IBM, their whole microchannel experence has left a sour taste in my mouth, I must admit they are a big ass company, and when their business is supporting linux for large nations like India I see an increase in demand for drivers for cheeper hardware. Wether or not then will be release under some form of OSS license remains to be seen, but IBM at the very least has the mussle, they have the contacts, and they have the ability to get the job done.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Like all technological things, serious Linux aoption starts in Asia (Dell started selling linux systems in Asia a few days ago according to some article), and now it has reached India. Soon it will reach Europe, and around 2013 the USA may also start moving out of the stone age, and onto an OS that works.
Are you kidding? Putting Linux on systems will reduce 'much of the hardware costs'??
Did you notice the price mentioned in the article on these machines? $850 is well beyond the reaches of many, many people in the First World and completely beyond the reach of people in the Third World.
Wow, I am totally floored. On slashdot when the subject of computers in India comes up theres usually 300 posts from liberals basically asking "what are thes filthy illiterate wogs gonna do with a computer when they don't have indoor plumbing, food or basic sanitation ?"
I guess the IT market being moved on a massive scale to India helped educate them as to what "illiterate peasants living in dirt shacks and eating grubs to stay alive" are capable of.
Gee, wonder if my sarcasm is showing yet.
On the contrary, I think those people that are "desperate" to use Linux on the desktop have the technical skills such that ease-of-use isn't really an issue. And for most people (I assume you're talking about general computer users), they don't see themselves as getting "done over by Redmond". For them, Windows is what they use at work, so it's the easiest to use at home. The movement towards desktop Linux isn't coming from the user base, but rather the administrative one.
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
People don't have the time to devote to learning new things...
Bull-ca-ca...
People DO have the time, it's technophobia that keeps them from doing it.
They are SCARED of anything new or different.
This is the underlying problem. I have found that it is extremely simple to switch and entire windows based sales force to KDE + linux. over 50% of them had it down and were up to speed in 24 hours. the rest were fine by weeks end.. Oh and productivity was not impacted contrary to the gloom-and -doom sayers that haunt here...
if you tell users to quit acting like 3 year olds and get to work Open office and KDE seems much easier to deal with initially, and by the end of the week, I had given out 30 cd's with Open Office on it to sales people for home use and told them "Yes it's legal and you can give it away to everyone else you know.. Yes free and legal."
also today I have had 2 people ask if Linux can be used at home and where they can learn more...
yeah, linux is too damned hard to use...
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.