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Is the Dell/Microsoft Alliance Fracturing?
An anonymous reader asks: "Dell has historically been the most loyal of all Microsoft's partners. Even today, it is very difficult to avoid paying the Microsoft tax on most of Dell's desktops and notebooks. Recently, two things have made the news where Dell is not toeing the Microsoft line. First, was the announcement that Dell is trialling shipping desktop and notebook PCs in the UK with Firefox as the default browser, instead of IE (announcement confirmed here). Today we have news that Dell is not going to support HD-DVD, despite reported incentives that recently induced HP to do so. So, what are some theories as to why Dell has lately been less of a friend to Microsoft, and what does this mean for the future? Does it mean that it might soon become possible to order Dell's full line of personal systems with Linux installed, or no OS/FreeDOS to save the Microsoft tax?"
Today we have news that Dell is not going to support HD-DVD, despite reported incentives that recently induced HP to do so. So, what are some theories as to why Dell has lately been less of a friend to Microsoft,
I don't know about a cohesive theory to tie all of it together, but for the HD-DVD thing, I would suspect Dell's not supporting it because it keeps getting delayed, because they can't seem to get their shit together finalizing the AACS "content protection".
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Pioneer just released a Blu-ray DVD drive for PC's: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?typ e=te...
Dell is under no obligation to ship IE with their machines
Unless IE has been decoupled with Windows recently without anyone being told, Dell, like everyone else, has no choice in the matter.
Does a Christian soccer team even need a goalkeeper?
Suuure.. In Windows, you can't delete system files, especially if they're not in immediate use.
Actually, you can order anything from Dell if you need a large number of machines, with large starting somewhere around five and preferably running into the hundreds or thousands over a few years. All you need to do, is talk to them and if your needs are totally custom, send them a pre-installed disk drive. Dell is far more accommodating than any other PC manufacturer.
Oh well, what the hell...
WTF is insight about this post? An asteroid may fall out of the fucking sky soon too and kill us all. Mod this shit up as insightful too, motherfucker. This reads like a fucking fortune cookie. Fuckers who got mod points waste them on the dumbest shit.
You actually can already do it, at least here in Brazil.
Dell offers the n-Series of Desktop computers, without any MS software. It comes with FreeDOS.
Free translation from Dell homepage (originaly in Portuguese):
"The n-Series systems are some of the desktop and workstations selected from the Dell Dimention(TM), Dell OptiPlex(TM) and Dell Precision(TM) series sold without an operation system.
Avaliable for IT professionals wishing to have control over instalation and development of their systems. A copy of the FreeDOS(TM) open source operating system is provided with the n-Series systems, inside its box ready for instalation. Some of the n-Series systems are also avaliable with the Linux operating system".
This comes from this url.
morcego
For the family PC, I use Mandriva, which, in version 10.1, has click 'n' go package management with urpmi (I've built it up into a decent gaming platform), is the easiest installer I've ever seen anywhere (auto-detected *everything*, down to exact make and model.), has a bang-up login program that the user can click to select ID and change desktops with a GUI menu (choices are KDE, Gnome, ICEwm, Blackbox, and Window Maker...with the same menu in each system, managed by Menudrake). It's not only as easy as Windows and Mac: IT'S EVEN EASIER!
You can get an approximate value of the shovelware by comparing the business machines to the consumer versions at Dell. The business machines (optiplex, latitude, workstations, servers) do not include any of the trials or demos. They typically cost about $50 - $100 more (before corporate discounts) than consumer.
However, as your purchase volume goes up the cost of the business machines becomes less than that of consumer because high volume purchasers use less support (per machine) than low volume. In a corporate environment there is likely to be a help desk that fixes most of the problems that would otherwise hit support.
BS. Yeah, the first thing a clueless user would think is rm -rf, right? They won't know the rm command exists, let alone use it while they su to root.
All they'd do is use their desktop, be that gnome or kde, and manage the files they see as *icons* with their *mouse*. IF they delete something accidentaly, that obviously cann't be anything vital to the system, since linux won't let you do stupid things like this, while you're logged in as a user.
On the other hand, in windowsland, how many times have you seen a clueless user deleting vital system files? Exactly! TOO many times. ("what's this msblabla2131.dll? hmmm must be a virus, lets delete it.")
VStrider.
You actually can already do it, at least here in Brazil.
:)
Dell offers the n-Series of Desktop computers, without any MS software. It comes with FreeDOS.
This is possible in the US too, but the problem is that it doesn't actually save the 'Microsoft tax'.
Methinks the OP just forgot about this part of it.
from BlakeRoss.com Update: I see a lot of organizations covering this story and quoting me as the "official" source, but the only officials qualified to speak in that capacity are spokesmen from each company.
MiniDisc rocked. I used to record live music with it, then edit it down, right on the little minidisc recorder. Let's see anyone edit music on an iPod.
The killer for the minidisc was that the DRM prevented you from even uploading your own taped music to the computer. Even worse, getting mp3s, ripped CDs onto minidisc was only possible through either recording from line out, or using Sony's awful SonicStage software.
If Sony had laid off the DRM a bit, then the small music player industry might look a lot different. The success of the minidisc in the Japanese market shows there probably wasn't much inherently wrong with it, and my experience confirmed that the hardware was great, excellent battery life, easy to use, reasonably tough, pretty cool looking etc. Shame about the DRM.
-- "It's not stalking if you're married!" My Wife.