engadget.com — If the customer's always right, then let's hope that Dell's ready to deliver. Since February 16 when it launched Ideastorm, a customer-based crowdsourcing site, over 100,000 comments have addressed the possibility of offering leading Linux versions preinstalled in addition to, or in place of Windows.
Mar 7, 2007 View in Crawl 4
pow3rbookMar 8, 2007
Yes but if one main company like Dell offers a distribution of Linux preinstalled when you buy the computer, then they would get many Linux users wanting to buy their computer. You cannot just say that if only 1% of CURRENT Dell customers want it, it will do bad. I am sure they would get a lot of new customers if they offered the option of preinstalled Linux or nothing Blank Hard Drives.
wvdavisMar 8, 2007
Dell does offer Open Source Desktops to the consumer. It is their N-Series, and has been featured on digg several times. <a class="user" href="http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/nseries?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&redirect=1">http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/nseries?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&redirect=1</a>Granted it is FreeDOS, but once you get it load whatever OS you want on it.
tektalkMar 8, 2007
The Linux option brings me a little closer to getting a dell laptop, but the fact that dell makes ugly laptops with media buttons; it just makes me want to stick with my Thinkpad.
alleycatMar 8, 2007
>>>Even if they do offer linux its bound to be the distro you don't want. I bet they just sell the computers with blank hard drives and call them "linux ready."
bootesMar 8, 2007
Who really cares? When you get your new PC go ahead and format the drive. If you're going to use Linux on it you should know how to do this.
gmorganMar 8, 2007
That is indeed the issue. MS make it a zero sum game. Linux or them. Most Linux users will buy about 10 times the amount in technology in their lifetime that your average Windows user will. Linux users are also the sort that would pay large amounts for early adoption if we were given the appropriate driver support.
gmorganMar 8, 2007
RHEL isn't cheaper than Windows OEM, you got raped.
quick5pnt0cobraMar 8, 2007
LMAO I can't wait until Dell makes thousands of these things and finds that about .00001% of their customers want Linux installed on their desktop machine. It's funny because they claim they got something like 100K requests for Linux, but they aren't sure if they came from individuals or a group of Linux enthusiasts. LMAOSure some of the uber geeks here might like Linux on their desktop, but the reality is the public does not. I've personally dabbled with Linux but it failed to impress. The fact is that Linux requires the user to learn Linux, and the vast majority of computer users do not want to learn an operating system. Dell is really wasting their time and money on this one.
sarahmaddelsonMay 11, 2007
Dell and Linux? Doubtful...