Helping Dell To Help Open Source

Glyn Moody writes "Dell's IdeaStorm is turning into a fiasco — for Dell, and for open source as well. Instead of just shouting at the company to sell pre-installed GNU/Linux systems, how about helping them find a way to do it? Here's a suggestion that I've posted on the IdeaStorm site: that Dell set up an independent business unit for GNU/Linux systems, just like The Innovator's Dilemma tells us to do when faced with a disruptive technology."

Comments

Re:Why Again?

[DerekLyons]

Why do we want Linux on Dells again?

Because the Linux community has this fixed (and unsupported) idea that Joe Sixpack is pounding on the door of Best Buy and Circuit City begging, begging, to buy a Linux PC.

F$CK LINUX!!!

[crhylove]

No seriously, why try to get Linux installed? If you're a FOSS fan, start at the beginning: Open Office, Gimp, GAIM, Firefox, Thunderbird, Shareaza, Zsnes.....

Why not just preinstall all the FOSS apps that are really going to allow people to look at beryl/compiz and say, "Hey! That's bad ass, but can I still have the Gimp? Oh, I CAN?!?!!"

I can't think of ONE advantage to allowing Linux preinstalled (maybe desktop linux still isn't ready for primetime?), but I can think of literally hundreds of advantages to familiarizing people with Firefox, Thunderbird, and the other really outstanding FOSS apps that exist in both Linux AND Windows.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about an all FOSS world too (Linux obviously being a piece of that), but all the office, teaching, construction, mechanic, and other non techie types *I* know LOVE Firefox, but still find Linux scary, difficult to use, and incompatible with important programs, like "San Andreas". Frankly, at this point I agree with them.

FOSS WILL win, but it will take time, and FireFox, Open Office and the like are way ahead of promoting it over Linux at this point. Hell, if anything, most of the Linux distros I've seen and used go a long way to NOT promoting FOSS.

rhY