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Dell to Ship Linux Desktops in Europe
Anglophile writes "Looks like Dell has launched a new line of desktop computers. The Dell Optiplexes will be sold in Europe, come with the Linspire operating system and include a one year free membership to their download warehouse. "
Something wrong with the big distros?
This is great ! If DELL is putting their weight behind that will be a major policy shift for *many* corporations.
- People who believe other people have no right to live, got no right to live ...
A few years ago, didn't Dell ship desktops, laptops and servers and sich with Red Hat Linux on them, nyet?
Do they still pay the microsoft tax? I would assume Dell passes the savings of not paying for an OS right into their pocket. Consumers will not see lower prices.
"could basically shut down Dell by not selling to them"
Microsoft COULD do that, but it'd be a blantant violation of their slap-on-the-wrist agreement with the DoJ. They probably couldn't get away with it, and would be forced to start selling to Dell again.
MS is dependent on its oem retailers probably more than the other way around.
"Imagine how confusing that would have been: selecting between Lindows and Windows in the OS box while config'ing your machine."
It's funny how this detail is conveniently forgotten on Slashdot when it comes to making arguments about why Microsoft is in the wrong in that case. Protect the consumer, not the underdog.
"Derp de derp."
They probably couldn't get away with it
Depends if Bush gets re-elected or not.
Linspire is Debian-based and one of the most windows-like distribution. Besides, it has an excellent software upgrade system that is esy to use for everyone. It makes sense.
:).
And I am a Mandrake user and apologist
"That's what Microsoft said too; that's why they sued Lindows. But of course, anyone who suggested that they might just be right about the confusion got flame broiled..."
What really irks me about the anti-MS sentiment on this topic is that it's WAY too late to do anything about it. MS owns the trademark regardless of whether or not they can put a (R) next to it. It'd take years to un-weld it from people's minds. At this point, setting it 'right' would potentially put a LOT of consumers out there in a position where they have to be unnecessarily careful. That's exactly why this whole trademark system was put into place to begin with. Oh, but we MUST SCREW MICROSOFT! BUAHAHAHA!!
Lame. The really really really stupid thing is that Lindows could never ever claim they landed on that name by accident. Their maliciousness in this case needs to be a factor in this as well. They cannot possibly ignore that even if MS had no legal right to trademark Windows years ago they would still be confusing people. You don't want Lindows to win this. It would set a precedent that would give MS the power to do the same thing to somebody else (i.e. Palm). Bad bad bad.
This guy is right. People here make anti-microsoft claims just for the karma. Rarely are they backed up with any credible evidence. It's a shame to see a good discussion revolve around some jerk who should me modded down as "-1, Jumped on the Bandwagon"
If you like microsoft then use them. If not, then don't. And btw, I use gentoo, but I only say that not to get modded down as an ms fanboy because that's how some will read this.
The menu choice would then say "[ ] Microsoft Windows". Even the biggest idiot in the world would have no confusion distinguishing that from "Lindows". The consumer is already protected without needing to privatize a word already in general use.
I think this is great news. Of course the hard core Linux users will bitch and moan about Lindows/Linspire because it's *gasp* easy to use. Keep using slackware if you insist, but let the masses use what's best for them. My mom and many others, for example, don't have to patience to learn cyptic CLI commands to install a piece of software.
"The consumer is already protected without needing to privatize a word already in general use."
Bullshit. Everybody calls it Windows, not Microsoft Windows. Additionally, the parent company if Linspire is called Lindows.com. To further confuse things, Microsoft has several variations of Windows like 2000, XP, Me, etc that people are familiar with. Calling it "Microsoft Windows" is not enough by a long shot, especially when compared to "Lindows.Com Lindows".
What they'd need is a big bold sentence saying "This is not the same as Windows! Watch out!" Not even a screenshot would differentiate between the two. Protected consumer, my ass. If Microsoft made a product called Winux, you all'd suddenly change sides on this issue.
"Derp de derp."
2003: Dell asks MS for bigger discount. MS declines.
2004: Dell starts selling PCs preloaded with Linspire.
2005: MS quietly increases discount for Dell.
2005: Dell quietly withdraws Linspire PCs, claims no market demand.
"Microsoft COULD do that, but it'd be a blantant violation of their slap-on-the-wrist agreement with the DoJ."
And?...
They will never stop until somebody makes the
If you actually bothered to RTFA (which almost no one on this thread has seemingly done), you might have noticed that these PCs will be shipped with the "English or Italian" versions of Linspire.
This line will not, for the short term, be targetting the French or German markets, where there's been the most high-profile noise about switching. Rather, it seems to be aimed at Britain (where the noise has been mixed and lower-level) and Italy, where I can't recall any high-profile switch stories.
If there is anything at all to this business plan, it would demonstrate a "trickle-up" story of Linux on the desktop: it's already happening, in small ways that don't make the headlines. Munich and so forth are nice PR, but the revolution will not be televised. It'll probably happen at a dozen dried-octopus dealers in Calabria and Liverpool before it gets past the policy point at the Munich and Paris bureaucracies.
While we're all focused on the high-profile intending-to-switch cases (some of which will probably go bust anyways), desktop Linux is already being deployed on a small scale, for unfashionable uses, by people who aren't interested in being poster-children for the anyone-but-Microsoft crowd, who are making the switch out of business sense, rather than anti-Americanism.
This is how Linux made it into the server market in the last decade: at the beginning, adoption was basically driven by admins surreptitiously installing it in firewalls, print servers, file shares, places where the suits wouldn't notice.
Desktop Linux is like unto a thief in the night. Be watchful for it, but do not expect to see it until it's already made itself at home.
Google confirms: Ruby is the world's most beloved programm
yes but only if Dell agrees to ship AMD chips too. I fail to understand why a major like Dell continues to remain the last holdout when companies like HP and Compaq have started shipping AMD powered systems. Having used AMD for a long long time now..I can atleast say that it does not lack in any manner...give the customer the choice and let him decide rather than some corporate honcho somewhere deciding that NO AMD
http://students.iiit.net/~jayaram
The biggest cool thing is that they really understand average users. They worry seriously about things like how hard it is for users to change the time, and what users will think of having to do more to change the time than click on their clock.
Also they will be using reiser4 in their next big release.:)