HP Will Ship Systems With Novell Linux Desktop

Ted Haeger writes "Two weeks after Novell ships the Novell Linux Desktop, HP announces that they are certifying their hardware and allowing customers to order systems with NLD pre-loaded through HP "Factory Express.""

Comments

Baby Steps

[miyako]

This looks like another step in the right direction, having workstation PCs available from a known and large company can only help linux on the desktop at the business grow. It's still a baby step, I think when we see a big company release a consumer level PC running Linux that it will really be something to get excited about. As it stands right now, I don't think this is going to be happening. The reason for this is that the people interested in Linux are not going to be interested in buying a "consumer level" PC, they are going to either build a machine, or buy a high level prefab.

No Boxed Retail Package

[reallocate]

I checked with Novell Customer Service: NLD isn't marketed as a boxed retail package. Pity. I wanted to buy it.

Big step for corporate desktop

[plasticsquirrel]

This may not be a big step for Linux as a whole, but it is a huge step toward a Linux that is viable for corporate desktop users. In the past, Linux vendors seemed to believe that a full Linux install (everything but the kitchen sink) was fitting for any sort of desktop install. Increasingly, though, we see the sort of features like real manageability and simplicity that are necessary for large deployments.

Red Hat started moving in this direction, but their corporate desktop distro, Red Hat Desktop, was very (IMO) half-assed both in implementation and the way they marketed it (or failed to market it).

Sun's JDS is a nice corporate desktop Linux distro, but it will most likely only find a home with current Sun customers, unfortunately (or fortunately, if you have a beef with Sun's treatment of Linux like I do).