It should be kept in mind that the subject of this article is Desktop units, not server hardware. With that in mind, Windows is "it". What alternative is there? Hardware configuration and Desktop Linux are, by tradition, two things that just don't get along. For a typical business, trying to configure hardware on hundreds of Linux desktops would result in an enormous waste of time and computers that are unable to communicate with printers, USB devices, or log onto the internet. Total disaster!
Now, Ubuntu is one Linux distribution which is making some enormous strides toward general usability. There is definitely some potential, here.
For now, though, the word is "Microsoft". Sorry.
First of all, Dell's poll is still up and running. Some posters stated that it was down.
I believe the purpose of Dell's poll is to match hardware to a particular Linux distribution. Some pieces of hardware work better with Linux than others. If Ubuntu, for example, turns out to be most popular among pollsters, then Dell will select hardware that will work best with Ubuntu. This would be critical with dial-up modems, wireless-wlan, graphics, etc.
For my own purposes as a home user, Ubuntu is next to perfect:
Sound automatically configured during installation.
Wired broad-band connection easy to configure (PPP much more difficult).
CUPS connection to USB Epson C80 printer super-easy to configure.
DVD/RW configured automatically upon installation
USB Flash just plain works. Simply plug the thing in.
ATI 9600XT graphics card automatically configured.
In terms of installation ease, Ubuntu is practically OS X!
As for Dell's true motivation for its Linux poll: all I can say is these corporate people have all proven themselves to be a slippery bunch of weasels. Who knows!
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It should be kept in mind that the subject of this article is Desktop units, not server hardware. With that in mind, Windows is "it". What alternative is there? Hardware configuration and Desktop Linux are, by tradition, two things that just don't get along. For a typical business, trying to configure hardware on hundreds of Linux desktops would result in an enormous waste of time and computers that are unable to communicate with printers, USB devices, or log onto the internet. Total disaster! Now, Ubuntu is one Linux distribution which is making some enormous strides toward general usability. There is definitely some potential, here. For now, though, the word is "Microsoft". Sorry.
- Sound automatically configured during installation.
- Wired broad-band connection easy to configure (PPP much more difficult).
- CUPS connection to USB Epson C80 printer super-easy to configure.
- DVD/RW configured automatically upon installation
- USB Flash just plain works. Simply plug the thing in.
- ATI 9600XT graphics card automatically configured.
In terms of installation ease, Ubuntu is practically OS X! As for Dell's true motivation for its Linux poll: all I can say is these corporate people have all proven themselves to be a slippery bunch of weasels. Who knows!