Pre-Installed Linux On Dells Coming

When Michael Dell took back the reins of he company he founded, one of the first things he did was to launch the feedback site Dell Idea Storm. Following up on the recent Slashdot discussion of the early results of this experiment — an overwhelming expressed desire for pre-loaded Linux — Dell reports on what it plans to do with this feedback. Quoting: "[W]e are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations. [On the question of which distro to choose:] "[T]here is no single customer preference for a distribution of Linux... We want users to have the opportunity to help define the market for Linux on desktop and notebook systems. In addition to working with Novell, we are also working with other distributors and evaluating the possibility of additional certifications across our product line."

Comments

Business software

[DogDude]

This is a nice idea for home users. If they could find some decent accounting and other business software, I'd consider it. As is, I just can't use Linux for business because it's lacking so much software.

Idiotic Move

[chrismgtis]

To a point this is a very idiotic move. Anyone who wants to use Linux is most likely not going to purchase a Dell (odds are they build their own). If they did, they would most likely want to install the OS themselves. Any poor soul that purchases a Dell with Linux on it, will most likely do it thinking they are getting a some kind of deal. They will get the PC and be very confused which in the end will cause a huge technical support headache for Dell and result in nothing but a pissed off customer because technical support doesn't know what Linux is. Much less how to use it. In the end the customer has a computer they can barely use cause they can't figure out Linux. If they had the technical ability to figure it out themselves they wouldn't have purchased a Dell (most likely - I'm going by the "odds" here).

Be honest. How many of you Linux users would actually purchase a Dell? How many of you would purchase a Dell with a pre-installed Distro of Linux? I didn't think so.

Re:Dell's laptops cost MORE w/ no OS than w/ Windo

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"As opposed to messing around in Windows? Have you ever tried to walk someone through fixing their Windows PC over the phone?"

Yes, I did it for years.

"Most people can find the shift key. It's actually a hell of a lot easier to tell someone to type specific text than guide them through a GUI over the phone."

Mmm hmmm.