Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dell's New Linux Blog

Posted by timothy on from the tentative-steps dept.

comforteagle writes "I've just written up an interesting find: Linux engineers at Dell have started their own Linux site and weblog about Linux at Dell. From the announcement: "Welcome to the Dell Linux Community Web. This site is dedicated to providing any information that may be useful regarding your usage of Linux on your Dell equipment. While Dell primarily works with and officially supports Red Hat Linux, many of our customers choose to run other distributions." And perhaps more importantly it appears that the new site and weblog is run and maintained by the engineers themselves. It certainly has that 'made with vi' look." And kudyadi points to this PC Magazine interview with Michael Dell, in which Dell talks "about Dell's expanding product line, the company's late entrance into the Media Center space, and where the PC giant and the industry go from here." He touches on Linux just a bit, too.

6 of 317 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Stuff like this is very important for Linux as a whole and dell as a company.

    For instance I would of bought a Dell laptop in a heartbeat if I knew dell supported it and offered a Windows-less or linux OS pre-installed.

    I just didn't want to pay the "mircosoft tax".

    So I just got a slightly used gateway from Ebay instead.

    Desktops I don't care so much about since I build my own computers, but laptops and such are only aviable from manufacturers and linux support is a big plus.

  2. Linux/Dell is an expanding platform. by JPriest · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There is a huge shift right now in several major companies to build servers with Dell rather than Sun/Solaris. I know a few companies that seem to be ordering 2650's by the truck load these days.

    --
    Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
  3. Dell Linux Engineering by tronicum · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It is quite interesting that Dell allows their departments to setup their own information systems in the way the focused customer is used to.

    In such big companys there are often rules how to communicate with customers and they have common ways ("old fashioned") stuff like newsletters, discussion boards, press releases. If they now allow them to setup their own way this sounds like a benefit to the customer. Maybe they start a IRC Server next or publish their own set of linux patches (for dell specific needs).

    BTW I would not buy a Dell labtop again my Inspiron is so poorly processed, if you press on the left side, it jiggles at the other....

  4. Where the f*** is IBM!?! by lonesometrainer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So, even Dell offers you *some* kind of installation support for Linux on Desktop Systems and Laptops (read: links to community supported laptop-groups, i bet that there's one or two active dell employees). I bet that there'll be some more support on that page in the future.

    And our big linux brother IBM? Nada. At least where I live (europe) the official statement is and has been since 1999: IBM only supports Windows on these systems.

    There are good internet resources and mailing-lists, *but* the only way to get there is google (no link at ibm.com, etc.)

    IBM is cheating on us.

  5. Re:That's very speculative... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Dell's case, it's not tech jobs that are being shipped off to India, but call center jobs. I left Dell EMEA in mid-2002 because I got a better offer from another company, not because I was outsourced to India.

    In any case, call center jobs are ten a penny. Any industry - not just tech companies - will eventually ship off the lower end jobs to cheaper countries. I mean seriously, do you know anyone who actually enjoys working in a support call center and wants to make a career of it? Probably not. And most call center support technicians don't know anything about computers anyway, regardless of where they come from. It's like working at McDonalds; people just do it for the cash...

  6. DELL, Linux, RAID and all that by j.leidner · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Good news. But at the same time, and as usual, this is a grass roots movement, while officials can't be bothered too much.
    I asked DELL support about a Linux-related problem and they told me they don't support Linux. They said my laptop was shipped with Windows 2000, so they can't be bothered. While this is certainly true, it's not MY fault that they didn't ship Linux in 2001 when I bought it.
    I've also contacted them about RAID systems, and they corporate sales folks I had contact with didn't really know what they were talking about, so I had to get in touch with a RedHat developer to answer my question (which he instantly did).
    Maybe here's a good way to make money for distro companies: try get a service contract with hardware vendors like DELL, who haven't got enough inhouse expertise (at support level).
    I do hope this engineering effort is part of a wider wave in the company.