HP to Globally Launch Linux-Based PCs

Rade T. writes "Reuters UK reports that HP, the No. 1 personal computer and computer printer maker, said on Wednesday that its putting its weight behind personal computers that run the Linux operating system. I guess this is the first serious step towards solving the problems that Linux faces on the Desktop/Laptop."

Comments

Why is this going to be different than Dell

[MajorDick]

Why is this going to be any different than Dells attempt at selling Linux Based PC's ? Dell tried it and it failed. For a lot of reasons, support, lack of customers and about 50 other reasons. Im curious as to why HP thinks they can make this succeed.

Cheaper with Linux . . . or not?

[StateOfTheUnion]

If the same system is available with MS-Windows or Linux, will the Linux system be cheaper (No M$ License fee)? My cynical bet is that the systems will cost the same . . .

Re:Cheaper with Linux . . . or not?

[pjkundert]

I would be totally happy to pay the same amount for a supported Linux desktop, laptop or PDA, as for the Windows version. I would much rather give my money to a company willing to support me, than to Microsoft, who as never supported me, no matter how many copies of software I have bought.

I have worked with Windows since 2.0 (yes, you read that right). I've installed (and re-installed, and re-installed...) it on hundreds of computers -- for friends and family, not as my job! I've purchased several copies of Windows for our business -- not by choice, but because necessary software has required it.

Microsoft has had literally hundreds of chances to "win me over", by just giving a *shit*, JUST ONCE, about my experience. But, they don't even know I exist. So, I've used Linux since 1995. Through all the growing pains (ever installed Slackware from 36 floppies?). Through the infancy and adolesence of Open Office, KDE, Mozilla. Through the busted device drivers, developed by dedicated developers blindfolded by the hardware manufactures they are working to enrich -- who, in turn, are slobbering after Microsoft.

How many other people are willing to put up with just about ANY amount of annoyance, just to get some option OTHER THAN Microsoft? I'll bet there are a LOT of such people.

If Microsoft can't make Billions AND give a crap about their clientelle, then they deserve to get the crap kicked out of them by Linux. It's not a question of if, but when.

Re:Big Win for SuSE

[Anonymous Coward]

Given the niche they're shooting for, "Fink said that he expects businesses to use Linux where employees only need a few applications, such as in a call center or support center where workers need to access only a database and e-mail."

I don't think Microsoft is going to be doing a lot of crying in their beer. They might be looking over their shoulder, and they might like it to be otherwise, but the end result will be nominal at least in the near term.

Re:Reuters Buying the SCO line?

[jdunn14]

Based doesn't mean that the code base came from Unix. I'd agree with Reuters in that Linux is based on Unix from a design perspective. It's no coincidence that the command line is extremely similar, or that errno.h is similar, etc.

Time to mature

[mao che minh]

Linux (and more importantly, the applications that the big dogs like IBM and Novell are now pushing on it) will never mature to a usable level until it gets corporate desktop exposure. With it, they begin to get feedback, like "We need feature A in application B, and this aspect of KDE/Gnome/Ximian isn't very useful".

It's a shame that the Asian market gets it first (for selfish reasons), I would like to see a fully functioning Novell/Suse desktop (the people at the Brain Share "show" are getting a sneak peek now).

Novell's press release

[i2878]

HP and Novell Expand Relationship to Offer Linux From Desktop to Datacenter

Can Novell please get a /. "topic" now?

I wonder what microsoft thinks of all this

[Capt'n Hector]

First HP goes with Apple for music (iTunes and HP iPod) and now they are trying out Linux... that's twice microsoft has been bested in favor of open standards. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but go HP!

Re:I wonder what microsoft thinks of all this

[Ryan Amos]

Look at it this way: The guys in India and Russia work just as hard as the people here do. HP's competitors will hire these people even if HP does not, yet American workers cost more. If HP doesn't oursource to India, they're at a disadvantage. This is way OT, so I won't debate here as there have been far too many stories about this recently. But the crux of the situation is that the world economy is evolving so that we're not the only people capable of white collar work. If you want the job, you can have it, but it may require relocating to Bangalore and taking a significant pay cut.

I'm not totally insensitive here; I'm in the same boat too, but you have to be realistic and see the direction the world economy is headed. Just because these guys in India weren't born in Kentucky doesn't mean they deserve the job any less. If you work for someone else, you're always going to be subject to their rules. Learn to deal with it or work for yourself.

Re:...when?

[crackshoe]

I would assume that HP would adopt a single flavor of linux, to decrease their hassle/improve support. and i can just image the tech support people once they've been'trained' to fix user problems on linux.

Re:The cynic speaks...

[BCW2]

Novell is still the best backbone around. Secure and easy to admin. Redhat abandoned the desktop.
Do you ever read any article on /.?

Puzzeling...

[The_DOD_player]

It is a strange fate the Linux desktop seem to take.

Most of us, who already use Linux on desktop on a regular basis, consider ourselfs power-users. One of the reasons I use Linux (well... KDE ;) ) on desktop, is because it allows me to organize many browser-windows, editors, IM-windows ect. without cluttering the UI. Yet here the Linux-desktop is being presented as a tool for the light-weight users.

It would seem we have little in common with these new Linux users.

Re:Reuters Buying the SCO line?

[DaHat]

One OS can be based on another with out a single line of code being copied... lets take a look at the dictionary.com definition of based>.

I like #4, "The fundamental principle or underlying concept of a system or theory; a basis"

Linux is quite similar to Unix in terms of its higher level command set (ie what a user types in to a console to say... list the contents of a directory). By building a system which is functionally similar to an existing system, you help to ease the transition from one to the other, you base your new work on old.

Another example of this would be XPde, tell me it isn't in some way based on the Windows XP GUI, I highly doubt a single line of code was copied from Windows XP into XPde.

Forget world tours, show us the drivers

[MrIrwin]

When HP budget injets and scanners come with Linux support in the box then I will take this sort of news seriously.

Re:ipod open standard?

[repetty]

ACC is an open standard. The DRM is your problem.

Scanners and Printer drivers

[RichMan]

HP needs to show how really committed to Linux they are by making drivers for their scanners and printers that work under Linux.

Look at all the unsupported scanners SANE Project HP search

Re:This is not as good as you might think

[theantix]

Your demands are not realistic, you could not reasonably expect HP to support any linux distribution someone could throw one one of their machines. There is so much variety in the linux world that a technical support team would be hard pressed to help the disparate needs of their customers, I would be surprised if they would even support version of SuSE or RedHat that was customized in a significant way (for example a custom kernel or non-stock filesystem type or desktop environment). Tech support just doesn't work that way, and you can't reasonably expect them to be able to help people that deviate too far from the stock system they understand.

What you _can_ reasonably suspect is that they will officially support a select few distributions that have special relationships with the company, to ship drivers that work with those distribtions, and finally *release specs* to their hardware and the source to their distro-specific drivers. That way, other distributions have all the information they need to get their systems to work with HP's hardware if they desire it. That is far more reasonable that what you propose.

Apple could make a good move here

[adzoox]

... and release iTunes for Linux - and have the iTunes Music Store on the "other percentage" of computers as well. This would - I'm sure - make HP very happy and sort of give them the "killer app" on Linux PC distribution - and bolster their own partnership with Apple, the hPod, and iTunes.

Ehm yeah right. Read up on MS history

[SmallFurryCreature]

If you are old enough you may remember when PC's were new and suspicious. Real work was done on terminals hooked up to mainframes or at a minimum servers.

But slowly the idea started to emerge that not everyone needed the full power of a mainframe setup. Cheap simple extremely limited machines started to appear wich could do a few tasks but that was all they needed to do. These machines where DOS and later Windows machines.

Now linux is doing the same. Sure Linux does not have the same capacity yet as a windows machine but windows did not have the same capacity as a mainframe. The question is does it do what is required well enough?

There is a difference. Dos/Windows got in through the lowend single purpose workstation. Linux is going in at all angles. High end server, middle file/printer server, lowend single purpose workstation, specialized appliance (firewall).

MS is scared. HP selling linux as an option is not something MS wants to see.