Slashdot Mirror
Dell To Offer Open Source Bundles
ruphus13 writes "Dell has been offering Linux-based machines for a while, especially its Server-class machines. Now, Dell has decided that there are several open source applications that are ready for mainstream consumers. From the post, 'While we've all been speculating about whether Dell is working on Android netbooks, the computer hardware and software vendor was busy bundling open source applications to offer to small- and medium-sized business customers looking for low-cost alternatives to commercial software. The pre-configured "SMB-in-a-box" software is only available in the US for now, but Dell expects to launch a similar offering in Asia by the end of 2009... Although no specifics have been given about which apps are included in Dell's first bundle, it is aimed at the retail sector.' It is going to be interesting to see what Dell picks as the 'must-have' applications for the SMB market."
First I thought they are going to give Samba to the SMB crowd... Lame, I know :(
the money and the expense is in the support....
What an idiot.
I read TFA and also TFA linked from TFA (original sources, anyone?). I'm left wondering whether this is a new Dell distro of Linux, a package bundle on top of Linux or Windows, a package list for something like Kickstart or another automated OS installer, or a consulting and integration lineup with a preferred set of software.
With Dell talking about wanting to be a services company as much as a box-pusher and specifically mentioning training and support in TOFA, it wouldn't surprise me if this was a consulting group within the company. It's worded as if it's just a selection of software pre-installed, though, like they already do with crap bloatware and trialware.
As long as the bundled software doesn't start to act like the ad-ridden "free" software that has come with any PC I've purchased in the last decade, I'll be happy.
Mod parent funny!
That's funny, because even so minor a distro as Puppy works with my wireless immediately upon installation.
Stale old trolls aside, I would think Dell is more interested in putting OpenOffice and Firefox and GIMP on the Windows desktop than Linux.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
It is going to be interesting to see what Dell picks as the 'must-have' applications for the SMB
Samba.
If this means that they're going to offer bundles to retailers, I'd really be interested in seeing what POS software they decide to bundle. I've been looking for open source POS software for several years now, and there's really nothing out there for small to medium retailers out there that's even remotely competitive with stuff for Windows. If they can find something decent, they'll take a huge share of the retail market.
What kind of loser uses wireless in an SMB?
Nevermind the fact that this is an OEM solution. So you aren't going to have
such problems any more than you would with any Windows box where all of the
myriad drivers and little bits like DVD decoders are preinstalled.
Dell will smooth over the Linux problems just like they do the Windows problem.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
What I really want to know is why would someone spend their time posting this tired old drivel over and over... and over... and over again. It's not really going to work very well as astroturfing... and it's certainly not funny.
Ultimately, on the scale of what's "cool", pressing submit on the parent post is about as far below a "level 5 dwarf" as a "level 5 dwarf" is below a threesome with Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson.
1998 called. It wants it's FUD back.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Hmmm...I disagree in part:
For most distro's Linux is far from being ready for the desktop for a variety of reasons. Fedora 11 came out yesterday and it couldn't be more involved to get working (I still can't get the proper alsa drivers installed!...oh and dropping out to shell is for some reason impossible for me?) but the ever popular Ubuntu is just about ripe for the picking in business environments.
The learning curve to admin a Linux network may be fairly involved, but to just use it to process documents and surf the web (which is most desk jobs) there is no learning curve. Example: my wife couldn't be more computer illiterate. Her notebook has been on the fritz lately due to hardware issues so she's been back and forth between my netbook running Ubuntu and my desktop running Windows 7. For someone who's only really used XP for the past couple of years she found each OS equally user friendly. To be fair I'm using the Ubuntu Netbook Remix which has really big buttons that say exactly what a particular app is and does, but she still understands the basic Applications>Internet>Firefox.
That said I also understand there are more specialized applications that are better suited for Windows for certain professionals. By no means is Linux a viable option for every situation, however the Ubuntu desktop option is certainly valid enough to be offered. The learning curve for basic use is all but non-existent and over-stated. If a small business can save $100 per PC for their receptionists and account executives by using Ubuntu and OpenOffice.org what is wrong with giving them the option? I for one have respect for Dell for being this open minded :)
P.S. I've been playing with Edubuntu and Sugar (OLPC) on SD cards on my netbook for my 2-year-old and even SHE understands how to use it...to a certain extent....well she understands banging on the keyboard makes things happen. Also she understands 'sudo give me ice cream' gets her a nice bowl of vanilla.
Were one not a raging troll, one might assume that Dell seems this as an obvious business opportunity. They get to choose what wireless cards go into their boxes and they can have engineers do whatever needs doing to the system images that they ship(plus, when you order as many wireless cards as Dell does, I suspect vendors are inclined to please you however they can).
If the default setup experience sucks, that is Dell's cue to fix that and provide the fix as a value add on their systems.
The average user doesn't want to spend months learning how to use a CLI to cut their wireless card's firmware
mr_mischief wrote:
That's funny, because even so minor a distro as Puppy works with my wireless immediately upon installation.
Some people are lucky to own WLAN or 3G hardware manufactured by a company friendly to free software. You are; Anonymous Coward likely isn't. But if you buy a PC with free software preinstalled, you can at least have some level of assurance that free software supports your hardware.
Why would they do that when other companies like Google and Adobe pay Dell to preload their software?
Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
The last thing I want is a level 5 dwarf (haha) providing me my OS.
What about a level 3 little person providing your business with an Internet connection?
Less money on software = more money for hardware. I can see how this can benefit Dell.
Nintendo sold a different kind of SMB-in-a-box two decades ago. I believe it was called the "Nintendo Entertainment System Action Set".
The same kind of loser that buys Dell laptops?
Do you work at a place that still has an ethernet hub sitting in the middle of the conference table or something?
Less money on software = more money for hardware. I can see how this can benefit Dell.
However, less bloated software == less demand for hardware. People can add extra terminals, made by companies such as NComputing, to their desktop PCs instead of buying more full-blown PCs.
Well, for the "medium" sized businesses in SMB.... with the advent of 802.11n, wireless to your desktop is about as effective (if you've got decent gear) and frequently cheaper than stringing Ethernet cables and hooking them up to fancy switches. Or so the marketing message goes:
But I work for these people; what do I know? *shrug*
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Why would they do that when other companies like Google and Adobe pay Dell to preload their software?
Well, they offer it as an option for those requesting it. If they can show Adobe and Google that some people don't want acrobat and picassa, they might be able to charge to give them the privilege of having their software installed on new computers.
--- Justin Dearing http://www.justaprogrammer.net/ We're just programmers.
My workplace has a robust wifi system in place, but still has ethernet switches on the conference tables. Wired ethernet is much faster, less flaky in all OSes, and more secure than wireless ethernet.
Convert FLACs to a portable format with FlacSquisher
they might be able to charge to give them the privilege of having their software installed on new computers.
Dell already does get paid to preload 3rd party software.
...only available in the US for now, but Dell expects to lauch a similar offering in Asia...
Ahh, yes. It's good to see they're offering this in both of the world's countries.
... the ever popular Ubuntu is just about ripe for the picking in business environments.
On my home computer I have just migrated to Ubuntu from Windows (because I don't like Microsoft - I'm not going to make a big deal of it), and generally I really like it. It's intuitive and very easy to get on with in all respects bar one. It really needs a Windows -style 'installation wizard' . I'm getting used to 'sudo'-ing but God ! it takes a while and is often quite a labourious chore, and even then half the time things don't work (like my webcam).
Smivs on the intertubes!
a threesome with Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson.
Wait, and who else?
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
Just about anything with .deb works like a cross between .rpm in Red Hat type builds and .exe in Windows.
Lets take Skype for example: If you go to Skype's Linux Download page after you click on the "Download" button they ask you what distro you're using. Regardless of what it says you just need to pick the Ubuntu option. That download will be some long string of letters and numbers ending with i386.deb. Save that to your directory of choice (probably /home/user and if you're nasty /home/user/Download...in this way /home/user acts just like C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents). Now all you have to do is double-click that file just like you would skype.exe in Windows and the Synaptic Package Manager will pretty much do the rest similar to how Windows Application Manager does.
Now there are situations where its more involved like if you want to compile your own .deb package or something, or if you're installing a .bin file, but even then it isn't really too hard considering Ubuntu's deep forum support. When it comes to business environments most network admins in small or large businesses limit what a user can install anyway. If you'd want a program installed on your office PC you'd ask the admin who'd be able to take care of it regardless.
Another easy way to install apps in Linux is through the repositories and GNOME's Add/Remove Applications feature. This feature works the same in a Fedora build as it would in Ubuntu, but Ubuntu also has the Synaptic Package Manager to give you a GUI of your repository options. With these options its as easy as checking off what you want, then putting in the root password, then using the app! That's even easier than Windows!
Your webcam may be driver related in which case, yeah you'll probably be working from terminal a lot. Many webcams don't have proper Linux driver support (like my Orbit!) but that's more of a strike against the manufacturer or the community (in Ubuntu's case Canonical) than the distro itself (its not Ubuntu's fault nobody wants to get the drivers ready for your device...there are a lot of devices to figure out!).
I suspect that it could be Thunderbird, Firefox, Gimp, OpenOffice under MS Windows.
Given the close relationship between Dell & MS (read: Dell accepting MS money to decide what software it pushes on its hardware) I would not be surprised if the ''open source applications'' were things that did not really compete with MS offerings, eg: Gimp, pidgin, games, ... and avoid competing with the MS cash cows that make up MS Office & things like MS IE & Outlook.
They only have two PCs sold Ubuntu and two PCs sold with no OS - none of which are even halfway modern systems. It's almost like they don't want to make money from Linux users. You'd almost think that some large monopoly was using them for a hand-puppet.
"I once preached peaceful coexistence with Windows. You may laugh at my expense - I deserve it." Be's Jean-Louis Gass
... that the multi-year OEM contract for Dell and MS is about to come up for renegotiation.
"Why thank you for coming Mr/Mrs Microsoft-Sales-Person. We've had this interesting proposal where we have this free operating system to give out. We only have to pay about half of our prior fees you recieved and we get to customize it so that our product stands out from your other customers... in a way you wouldn't allow before. Tech support will be further outsourced to the internet support as those linux folks do love showing how smart they are (and most decent techs hit google first anyhow). So... what do you have for us today? Besides an unbalanced negotiation not in your favor?".
It'll be interesting to see if Dell sees this through or drops it once MS meets their pricing demands.
"Common sense will be the death of us all"
And why shouldn't they?
These applications work euqally well on both platforms, so the choice of platform is reduced to personal preference.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
While the OS they put on their retailer packages costs $100/seat, the POS POS from Intuit that they use now costs $1600/seat. My guess is they're re-negotiating with Intuit. The price of Windows is negligible, especially in this situation.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/bsd/point-of-sale-accounting?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
You make your wife sound like a pet or something.
Wired ethernet is ........... more secure than wireless ethernet.
Why, do you encypt all your wired ethernet traffic too?
Another time-traveler...
Keep playing with Windows 95. And don't forget to blow out the candle when you leave.
And why shouldn't they?
Because anyone with half a brain isn't running Linux purely for Firefox or
Open Office. They're doing it for other advantages over Windows at the OS
level.
- Robustness. (Assuming you're not running Ubuntu; also, if robustness is
truly a priority, use BSD)
- Security.
- Much more diverse hardware support.
- Flexibility. You can customise just about anything.
- Efficient software. You can use a 400 Mhz CPU to power a firewall or CLI
media centre.
- Openness. If something breaks, you can delve into the
source and fix it yourself, and if you can't, you can hire someone to do it.
But I work for these people; what do I know? *shrug*
That sales accounting is second only to hollywood accounting, just ahead of bistromathics?
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Cause dell would sell you hardware without setting up the drivers for you or making sure to select hardware that works with the OS they are selling you right?
When you buy a windows machine from dell do you have to install your wireless cards drivers? No dell does that for you.
Well, I thought the obvious sarcasm was amusing.
I think just about every high and medium tier, and a lot of low tier ISV shops just simultaneously crapped their pants. There are tons of companies that offer office in a box server setups for companies that have neither the time or inclination to get IT right. Dell is now going after some low hanging fruit at the expense of their partners. Sure, the support will be outsourced to India as usual, but who can really compete at Dell scales, especially since this would be a one stop shopping and support experience for hardware and software?
Samba, Asterisk, some CMS, some Exchange email/calendar/groupware analog and you are most of the way there.
Sucks to be you, Fusion Systems.
PS - captcha is Ambushed, how appropriate...
Mostly because you know what you're plugged into. Unless your computer is configured to only ever connect to the secure job wireless (very impractical if you take it anywhere else) most people would never notice a man-in-the-middle.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
How...how...how...Second Millennium! Either you haven't had anything to do with Linux for the last decade or so, or you're a Microsoft fanboi astroturfing FUD. In either case, get back under your bridge, troll. I have a billygoat, and I'm not afraid to use it!
Good, inexpensive web hosting
1998 called. It wants it's FUD back.
The punctuation police just knocked on the door. They want their apostrophe back.
I was using *only linux* from 1999 to 2001. Back then it had it's benefits but things such as localization & many drivers were abit screwed. When XP came, even though I'm a *nix fanboy I used what made my life easier, XP (which I think was a great OS from Microsoft). Now I use OS X and I'm pretty happy. I have seen Linux playing great *but* a friend just got a brand new laptop , installed linux and wireless is crap + his internal microphone is not recognised+ he has problems with sound (when he uses head speakers, sound in on for default laptop speakers as well == no music at work).
Of course all these are not driver problems and not linux problems. Linux is out of the stoneage for good but it is not yet where is should be for laptops, this move by Dell is bood because it provides what is missing most: support for laptop hardware.
a couple of corrections (typos): *are driver problems and not linux problems*, *this move by Dell is good*
- Efficient software. You can use a 400 Mhz CPU to power a firewall or CLI media centre.
But is it energy efficient? You can get proper media centers with gui which use less than 50 watts of power compared to 100+ which your CLI machine takes.
- Openness. If something breaks, you can delve into the source and fix it yourself, and if you can't, you can hire someone to do it.
Openness is good to a certain point. It allows modifying the platform to your needs without spending too much effort.
But if my firewall or media center breaks down, I most likely wont bother to fix it(ok I'd probably try), let alone hire someone to fix it for me! Hiring people costs money and if you spent only $50 on the device/appliance it's junk after the warranty.
There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
Inkscape too
You failed to get the point.
Why should Dell include Linux, and not just the Open Source apps for the Windows platform?
Sure, Linux users don't run Linux just for Firefox or Open Office. But you forget; Firefox and Open Office users aren't using Firefox or Open Office just for Linux either.
They can, and should co-exists without depending on each other. The Open Source world isn't a package deal. Why shouldn't Dell pick and choose which parts of the Open Source worlds they want?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
PCs are a random collection of spare parts.
Sometimes this gets Linux. Sometimes this gets Windows.
Trying to claim that it's only a Linux problem is pure bullshit.
Furthermore, Wifi in general sucks as a consumer technology.
It hasn't even matured into a single stable protocol yet and
is inherently problematic regardless of what platform you are
on.
MacOS has it's own problems: mainly NIH syndrome.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
I am not a big fan of Dell's Tech support, but I have been buying their laptops for awhile anyways. They have always done me well. My latest purchase is a Dell Mini 9 with Ubuntu. Absolutely love the machine.
I find it a little amusing that a friend and I were discussing the very possibility of Google coming out with their own computer OS, and debating whether or not it would be a variant of Android, or something else they have been cooking up. So, we are happy to see google talking about offering android as an OS alternative.
I love linux, but I would be more than willing to give Android a try, as I have seen a lot of good things come out and through their phones.
As far as OEMs offering equivalent open source programs on their machines in junction with windows OS, and in lieu of Micro$oft software, I think it would be a good move on their part, and hope to see them make the move in the near future. I wonder if the EC antitrust suit would have any affect on this.