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Why Buy a PC Preloaded With Linux?

Posted by kdawson on from the diabolically-advocating dept.

Shadow7789 writes "I have been in the market for a new computer for the past few weeks and I know that I want to run Linux on it. However, every time I look at (for example) Dell's computers that are preloaded with Linux, the question pops into my head: 'Why should I buy a PC preloaded with Linux?' They are more expensive, and it's not hard just to reformat the PC with Linux. I hate paying the Microsoft Tax as much as anybody else, but if paying that 'tax' allows companies to reduce my price by bundling with my PC products that I will never use, why wouldn't I just buy a Windows-loaded PC and reformat?"

21 of 518 comments (clear)

  1. Well, for one thing.. by oneandoneis2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If it's got Linux installed on it, you know that the hardware it's got is supported by Linux. Nothing worse than buying a new computer and finding out it's got some chipset or other that Linux doesn't work with yet.

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    So.. it has come to this
    1. Re:Well, for one thing.. by TeknoHog · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Conversely, when people buy Windows machines, hardware makers think people will only want/need Windows drivers. Many of those people will install some other OS, but how are the businesses supposed to know about that? In capitalism, buying decisions are the primary means of sending messages to the producers.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    2. Re:Well, for one thing.. by phtpht · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Also, if the PC/notebook/whatever has some special features - e.g. buttons - the preinstalled Linux will have them mapped to sensible functions. It's the polishing.

    3. Re:Well, for one thing.. by hunteke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In capitalism, buying decisions are the primary means of sending messages to the producers. Agreed, but I'd think being specific as a consumer where possible would be good. That's why when I recently bought my Dell, I bought it with Windows instead of Linux. (It was a good $300 cheaper for better hardware!) Then, when the computer arrived, I rejected the on-first-boot MS Eula and got a refund for a little over $50 dollars. This way, I still got what I wanted, and I was able to send the most accurate message as well. The article that gave me the idea: How to Get a Windows Tax Refund
    4. Re:Well, for one thing.. by nanamin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I guess I'll be buying from Dell from now on. I tried to get the "Windows Tax Refund" from HP after buying a machine pre-installed with Windows from them, and they were very rude and in the end would not refund my money. Buying a machine with Linux preinstalled provides a financial backing to an alternative choice, namely the ability to buy a machine that doesn't come bundled with an operating system you will not be using. Unfortunately, many vendors do not offer this option, or the even better option of buying a machine without *anything* pre-installed.

    5. Re:Well, for one thing.. by theheadlessrabbit · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why would ANYBODY go buy a random PC and then just expect Linux to work on it? WTF? You find out what works and then buy the PC, not the other way around! and this is exactly why 1997 through to 2008 have all failed to become the year of Linux on the desktop.
      --
      -I only code in BASIC.-
    6. Re:Well, for one thing.. by The_Wilschon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you buy windows and then get the refund, then you are quite clearly saying "I don't want windows". However, if you buy linux instead, then you are not only clearly saying "I don't want windows", but also "I do want linux". So what you propose definitely does not send the most specific message.

      --
      SIGSEGV caught, terminating

      wait... not that kind of sig.
    7. Re:Well, for one thing.. by pherthyl · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you had stuck with windows, how much of your time would it take to clean the crapware off the machine? How much time did it take to put all the software on that you use? How much time will it take in the future to keep the various virus/spyware/malware stuff up to date and clean up the mess? So even if you spend a day setting up Linux there's still no way of knowing if that's more or less than it would have taken to set up windows.

    8. Re:Well, for one thing.. by at_slashdot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Buying stuff to send signal is ridiculous.

      --
      "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- Prof. Dumbledore
    9. Re:Well, for one thing.. by akpoff · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Good point and while this is a Linux-related thread, those of us who run OpenBSD or some other free OS only have this option for sending a message: "We want reliable hardware with open-spec components so we can use them as we want."

    10. Re:Well, for one thing.. by Pharmboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Buying stuff to send signal is ridiculous.

      Not true. Everytime you buy a product, you are "voting" for it. Refusing to buy a product is voting against that product. In capitalism, the product with enough "votes" to pay the bills, wins. The ones that don't, go away.

      An example: I don't buy Sony products, hardware, games, music CDs, etc. Even if they are the best or have the best price, it doesn't matter. Part of this is to "send a signal". I don't wear anti-Sony shirts or really even talk about it (excepting this post). I just refuse to buy any of their products since the root scandal. That *is* me quietly voting against them, thus for their competition. My goal isn't to put them out of business, it is simply to *not* contribute toward their success. They forfeited any possibility of getting my votes (dollars) in the future, regardless of what you or anyone else does.

      Seriously, what other methods do people have to voice discontent against a company? Letter writing? Voting with your dollars *is* democracy in action, as it is the only way to send a signal with the most important commodity in the capitalist world: money

      --
      Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
  2. I've often thought of this by Kickersny.com · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm a die-hard Linux geek as well, and all for preloaded Linux (especially if it solves driver issues!), but if a computer is cheaper with Windows, why not buy the cheaper computer and get a refund for not accepting the EULA? You then save money on both fronts, and get your Linux computer.

    At the end of the day, I always decide that the hassle isn't worth it and that I'd also rather send the message to the company that there is a market for selling computers preloaded with Linux.

    Just my $0.02.

  3. If you can install it yourself, that's nice, ... by Ihlosi · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ... but pretending that every computer user out there can install an operating system is just delusional. Yes, there are people for whom clicking on "ok" several times (or, g0d forbid, getting the computer to boot from something other than its HDD) is an insurmountable task. They hear "install an operating system" and immediately know that they cannot do it. Regardless of how simple it may seem to you. It's not Solitaire, a web browser, or outlook (express), so they cannot do it and do not even want to try learning it.

    And that's the ideal case where there are no problems whatsoever after installing the OS. During my last attempts to install Ubuntu, I had to manually mess with the video driver settings (and that was for an ancient Ati Rage Mobility 3 chipset, nothing newfangled, which ran just fine with the previous version of Ubuntu).

  4. support? by doktorstop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can see several benefits of buying a Linux-installed desktop.
    - for one thing, one can pray that the manufacturer has done everything to maximize compatibility. Sure, you can do it yourself, but for an average user, it really makes sense.
    - support. Support is needed, when you're stuck and dont know what to do (or what questions to ask in the forums!). Having professional support is always a plus.
    - you can't resell your Windows liscence anyways (read the small print). So why just trash it?
    - giving the industry a sign. Ok, that one is a bit too theoretical, but anyways. A company producing a nice linux-powered PC that sells will continue to do that. Develop drivers, boots support, invest time and money. It will be an indicator that it isnt ony possible, but profitable... maybe others will then follow!

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    http://www.automatiq.se
  5. Why buy a pre-built computer? by MasterOfMagic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not that much more difficult to build a computer on your own. You get to pick the parts which means you can build Linux compatibility. You don't have to pay for Windows. It's really that simple.

  6. It's convenient. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I bought a Ubuntu Dell because it's very convenient. It's been a long long time since I thought installing an OS was a fun use of my time; and it was kinda nice to have it working out-of-the-box.

    And it doesn't always cost more.

    Dell pricing is very funny.
    Sometime the Linux models cost more, sometimes less.
    Sometimes the Dell Small Business models cost more than Dell Home, sometimes less.
    In my case a dell coupon code that they didn't mention would work on the Ubuntu model happened to work, so it was actually the exact same price as the windows model that day.

  7. laptops yes to maybe, pc's and servers no by xzvf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is probably obvious to most people, but any x86 server is good out of the box today running Linux. Same for the vast majority of desktops. Slightly less so for Laptops, but I haven't tried many that don't work. It is the "secret" contracts with MS and the spam-like crapware that cause most of the headaches. We should be able to buy virgin systems, like businesses and put on any OS we like. The hardware manufacturers would love to support only the hardware, but they are forced to support Windows and squeeze their margins. Companies like Lenovo and Dell sell their hardware with Linux because they don't have to support the OS. Of course the Lenovo T61 I just bought was $97 dollars cheaper with the Suse option than with the Vista.

    1. Re:laptops yes to maybe, pc's and servers no by Anrego · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is probably obvious to most people, but any x86 server is good out of the box today running Linux. Same for the vast majority of desktops. I don`t agree with that at all. There is still plenty of hardware out there that is simply not supported, and even more so hardware that is supported, but requires some tweaking. To an experienced Linux user, having to patch alsa to get line in support might not be a big deal, and checking against hardware compatibility lists before buying parts is always a good idea, but the point stands that neither of these are things which someone who is new to Linux is going to want to go through.

      And I think thats really what pre-installed Linux is about. It's not for experienced Gentoo users who have no issue tweaking and who know what hardware is well supported. It's for people who have heard a lot about this "Linux" thing lately and what to give it a try.

      With a pre-installed machine you are getting hardware which has been chosen for you and is known to work well with Linux. You are also getting a certain amount of "polish". Chances are the media buttons on your keyboard/case will do something sensible right out of the box, your video capture card will work without any configuring, etc..
  8. simple matter of opportunity cost by bersl2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you buy something preloaded with Linux, the companies involved know that they just sold one more unit on account of Linux. If enough computers are sold in this way, compatibility with Linux will have much more value to them, and the hardware they buy will reflect this. This, in turn, will encourage more hardware vendors to be compatible with Linux.

    The question you want to ask yourself is whether the extra money paid is worth the chance to help bring this about. How much is the future prospect of better Linux compatibility worth to you? Is there something more valuable you can and want to do with whatever money you might save?

  9. Re:You should definitely pay the "tax" by ciaohound · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you stand on principle, you may cost Microsoft a few bucks, but in the process you will end up costing yourself a few bucks too. It's hardly worth it since it's really a drop in the bucket for MS whereas it's probably a real cost to you.

    No, you'll feel better if you stand on principle, especially if it only cost you a few bucks. Judas killed himself over twenty silver pieces, right?

    Look at it this way, every voice probably counts for something, but in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter all that much what you as an individual do, so why go out on a limb and do something that is going to directly harm yourself?

    Every voice probably counts for something? That should really inspire the next generation.

    So pay the Microsoft tax and save a few bucks. Whatever money MS gets will go into coming out with a better competitor to Linux, and that perpetuates the good positive feedback cycle that competition is supposed to spur.

    Come on, man. You do actually use Linux, don't you? Do you really believe your own post? I encourage you to think critically about it. Participating in slashdot should embolden us to eliminate the Microsoft tax, not rationalize paying it.
    --
    Oh, yeah, it's not easy to pad these out to 120 characters.
  10. Re:To make a point by jimicus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    However, if you read the Windows EULA, you can get a full refund from the retailer for the copy of Windows, so that proves a point, and saves you a lot of money. Assuming the retailer has read the EULA, that is.

    Depending on the country you're in, they may or may not be obliged to refund the cost of Windows. Very few countries where they would be have included in such legislation "and the retailer must make it easy".

    Forcing you to spend an hour on the phone to a potplant reading from a script and training staff in a draconian refund policy (but not the customer's legal rights) are just two ways retailers use to duck out of honouring your statutory rights.