Will Dell Be Bad For Ubuntu?

vcore writes "Many people are excited for Ubuntu's upcoming release on Dell computers, and while it is certainly good news there are a few causes for concern. Very few details have emerged so far so it is not completely clear what impact Dell with have on the thriving Ubuntu community. But there are questions concerning support, logistics, pricing, and a number of other areas that are affected. From the article: 'Dell is in the practice of filling their computers with large amounts of "bloatware" and also all sorts of co-branding, but it remains to be seen what they will do with Ubuntu. It has been reported that Dell will be shipping a standard version of Ubuntu 7.04...'"

Comments

I switched at home

[BenEnglishAtHome]

several weeks ago when rebuilding an HP machine with XP just got too frustrating and time-consuming. Threw in an Edgy install disk and it worked perfectly. Upgraded to Feisty with no drama. I've been using it exclusively for over a month.

How can Dell be bad for Ubuntu? Yes, I RTFA and I think most of the potential problems are non-issues. The update mechanisms can scale; Dell can help if need be. I can buy support from Canonical or Dell can outsource it to them if Dell can't handle it.

I don't really see the downside. I'd love to see a few completely clueless oldsters accidentally get one of these Ubuntu Dell machines for their first and only computer. Then we'd have converts who simply didn't know any other way.

Even a clueless newbie can figure out Feisty. Now, I think there's another Slashdot post I want to read.

Re:I switched at home

[dattaway]

I don't really see the downside.

Notice the increase of legal threats from Microsoft towards Linux distributors lately? They want this STOPPED.

Re:I switched at home

[BenEnglishAtHome]

Reasonable points. But I think a better one is that geek buyers are more influential. I know I'll order a Dell for my mom when they're available.

People ask me all the time what kind of new computer to buy. Once I get them to agree that they've completely given up on their current machine and written off all the data on it, I give them a CD with Ubuntu. I tell them to just put it into their old computer and boot it up. I give them just enough information for them to kick off an install. I tell them to let it do whatever it wants if it asks questions. In a couple of cases, I've had those users, clueless all, come back and tell me they appreciated having a working second computer for various basic tasks. None of them were dissuaded from buying that new Windows computer but at least there are more and more regular non-computer hobbyist types who are learning that there are OSes other than Win and Mac. I think that's how Linux will spread to "normal" users: via the recommendation of a trusted geek.

Now that Dell has it pre-installed, I can make that recommendation when they ask me what new computer to get after, of course, I verify they have no need of anything aggressively Windows-specific. Sometimes there are specific games involved and Linux is out of the question, but not as often as you might think. (I mostly deal with middle-aged folks.) Dell is providing us another way to fulfill the "spread via recommendation of a trusted geek" model.

I see that as a good thing. You may see it as no big deal or an idea doomed to failure. Time will tell if either, neither, or both of us is right.

Answer

[Tuoqui]

No, it wont be bad for Ubuntu. It may be bad for any Linux Guru's around making them go prematurely bald by having them rip their hair out when some Dell customer asks them 'Wheres Internet Explorer?' or 'Does this thing have google?' or in the case of semi-knowledgeable find that they've activated the root account and are running everything from there instead of using 'sudo' (yes you can cringe now)

Re:Answer

[alphamugwump]

I would really love to see this blossom into a good old fashioned KDE vs Gnome war.

Indeed. I haven't posted my Konqueror diatribe in over a month.

Seriously, though, Dell shipping Ubuntu could greatly escalate the existing tension. Ubuntu defaults to Gnome, so Gnome will be the "environment for newbies", and some people will try to differentiate themselves by running KDE. KDE users will probably become arrogant and fanboyish, with the influx of punks trying to be 1337. This, of course, will drive the old-school Gnome users insane. KDE 4 will eventually release some time in '08, pushing people completely over the edge. Next thing you know, we'll turn on the news and hear about people being trampled to death at a linux con.

No joke.

Compu-elitism?

[First Person]

Part of the attraction of Linux has been that the user community consists of a select group of highly informed individuals. A few years back, only those "in the know" had heard of the OS at all. Even now, it primarily appeals to those comfortable with OS installs and compiles from the command line. The Dell support for Ubuntu lowers the bar considerably, democratizing access even -- dare I say it -- going so far as to turn AOL users into Linux users. This is indeed a frightening possibility to many, but I am convinced that Dell's support is a good thing and a goal that many Microsoft bashers have advocated but never actually expected to come to pass.

So now we must move on to the next battlefields wherein the truly geeky may differentiate themselves from the huddled masses yearning to break free of their (Redmond wrought) chains. Certainly some will fight bitter battles over which distribution is best. Others might even start using BSD, much to the Netcraft-troll's dismay. Some might even quit whining and start writing some code.

Okay, I admit that last possibility is far fetched, but one can idealistically dream.

Long Term Support.

[pavon]

This is something I hadn't thought about before, but I wonder if Ubuntu is going to work with Dell to make what ever version they ship with be a LTS (long term support) release, or if Dell is just going to ship with the newest version of Ubuntu all the time? The last LTS release was Dapper Drake (6.06) and last I've heard the next release, Gutsy Gibbon, was not going to be a LTS release.