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1 of 3 Dell Inspiron Mini Netbooks Sold With Linux

Posted by timothy on from the for-their-patients-who-chew-gum dept.

christian.einfeldt writes "According to an article in Laptop Magazine on-line, one-third of Dell Inspiron Mini 9s netbooks are sold with the Ubuntu Linux operating system. Dell senior product manager John New attributed the sales volume to the lower price point of the Ubuntu Linux machines. And the return rate of the Ubuntu Linux machines is approximately equal to that of comparable netbooks sold with Microsoft Windows XP. Dell spokesperson Jay Pinkert attriutes the low return rate to Dell's good communications with its customers, saying 'We have done a very good job explaining to folks what Linux is.'"

9 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The problem are the other two thirds by jonlandrum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't that what stops people from switching to Linux in the first place? On the other hand, if Linux is supplied by the OEM, they're just as likely to keep Linux versus switching to Windows, "just in case."

    --
    \\//_ Live long and prosper.
  2. What, 33% market share and we're complaining? by jonaskoelker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The problem are the other two thirds.

    What? I'm sorry, What???

    We're seeing Linux have 33% market share on a general-purpose computer. Yes, I know, it's a certain class of computer but what I driving at is that it's a machine that is suited for a wide variety of tasks (as opposed to only being a router, phone, DVR, text reader, etc.).

    I'd love to live in a world where Linux had 33% market share on general-purpose computers. I think that trading one monopoly (MS) for another (Linux) is not a good thing, even if I like Linux.

    What I'd much rather see is a wider variety of OSes and no one kind having a dominant position. That way, we can have more competition, more attention paid to being cross-platform and (hopefully) more interoperability.

    I don't much care what everyone else uses as long as I have a good experience with Linux. As long as I can't make people stop hosting their videos in stupid flash wrappers (and gnash doesn't work very well) I'm dependent on flash working well enough on Linux. As long as there are no fast graphics cards with open-source drivers, I'm dependent on the proprietary ones.

    So, I want the people in control of the software I have to run to be happy to treat the platform I run with some kind of respect.

    But I don't want my choices imposed on anyone else. To healthy competition!

    1. Re:What, 33% market share and we're complaining? by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But I don't want my choices imposed on anyone else. To healthy competition!

      I agree with this. I may be in the minority here, but I don't want Windows to die. I just want Microsoft to be in a position where they have to fight fair because they don't have the influence to rig the entire market.

      Global software monoculture wouldn't be such a good thing. It's always good to have valid competitors, so long as there's actually a level playing field.

    2. Re:What, 33% market share and we're complaining? by impaledsunset · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think that trading one monopoly (MS) for another (Linux) is not a good thing, even if I like Linux.

      Just to remind you that there is a difference between a free system and a proprietary one when we are talking about monopoly.

      First, the word monopoly is connected to the market, and is tied to the vendor, not the program in question -- claiming that GNU/Linux has a monopoly would be like claiming that electricity has monopoly in the power market. It simply doesn't lead to any of the problems usually associated with monopoly in economics that I've studied or read about. It's about the _vendors_, not about the products, goods or programs.

      However, if there was a monopoly of a single vendor of services for GNU/Linux (for example, Canonical), which is, given the nature of free software, impossible, it would still cause a lot less trouble than what you get from monopoly with abusive anti-competitive practices and vendor lock-in. In your hypothetical situation, you aren't replacing your broken leg with a broken arm, you are replacing it with a painful bruise.

    3. Re:What, 33% market share and we're complaining? by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't want Windows to die. I just want Microsoft to be in a position where they have to fight fair because they don't have the influence to rig the entire market.

      They don't seem very capable of adapting, and adapting is the only way for them to not die without being able to rig the market.

  3. Re:"HP's Linux" by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because of a deal they made with MS.

    Call your dell rep and ask they will tell you all about it.

  4. a Linux sale is a Linux sale by christian.einfeldt · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Assuming that it is true that loads of people are installing Microsoft Windows XP on their Linux-powered Dell Inspiron netbooks (which I'm not sure is true, since the original article didn't mention that), it doesn't really matter. A Linux sale is a Linux sale. When the Dell managers evaluate their future strategies, how much will they consider whether XP was installed post-sale? Very little.

    And the same is true for Dell's competitors. If Dell's competitors see that they can move product in a down market by installing Linux on the machines, will they spend much time contemplating whether XP is installed on the machines? Probably not.

    Most OEMs have small margins on their sales of all but the upper-end machines. Volume is what matters. Hence the power of Microsoft Windows. At least until today. For OEMs and pretty much everyone in the channel, volume is what matters. As of today, they will know that Linux distros have proven that they can drive one-third of that volume. That is what really matters.

    And it gets better. As Linux-related desktop sales increase, you will see more and more third party vendors, such as 2dBoy, port their products to Linux, as maker of the popular indy game World of Goo has recently done.

    Volume is king. And now Linux is seeing some significant volume sales.

  5. Re:Alternative: Liberated (or "pirated") XP by Erikderzweite · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Note that most users don't have USB CD-ROM drive to install pirated XP on such netbook in the first place. And installing XP from USB stick or via network... I better stick with Linux instead for it is much easier.
    In case of netbooks the argument "they just buy it cheaper to install pirated Windows" doesn't hald.

  6. So why aren't they selling it with Linux here? by shermozle · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No Linux version here in Australia. If it's accounting for 1/3 of sales, why the hell isn't it available?

    I certainly won't buy the Windows version, but I'd definitely consider the Linux version.