arstechnica.com— Dell's recent IdeaStorm experiment reveals increasing demand for Linux and open-source software on the desktop. The big problem with Linux preinstallation is that one size rarely fits all.
Feb 28, 2007View in Crawl 4
I see one big problem with this article. The main point of getting windows installed on your puter is not to get your computer presetup to what you want. As a "serious" user you will reinstall no matter what os. The point is that you don't want to pay for an os you don't want to use. The best thing would be if they just sold em OS less, though that is not going to happen in the near future.Most people don't install windows on their PCs, it's already configged
Adding Linux as an option would be disastrous to any of the major players in desktop marketplace. Linux has an extremely long way to go to the point where it's as user friendly as Windows or even Mac OS. I mean imagine telling some average Joe Consumer about trying to compile some latest version of *whatever* using GCC (even if it were that simple)? You people can't be serious. "Oh, Mr. Joe, we need to download the latest driver tarball for your network card." Joe - "what do I need to do then?" "Well you have unzip it and compile it. You do have GCC installed don't you?"... I mean come on. gcc -c -Q -O3 --help=optimizers > /tmp/O3-opts? lol you people are insane!This would be disastrous and damaging to what these companies offer and try to support. I could see 1000s of consumers who have heard of this "Linux thing" ordering one of these systems, only for their eyes to bug out of their head at trying to understand what the hell "root" is. Linux is NOT for consumers, it's for technically oriented people that want to learn and basically become experts at administrating a linux system. Linux is not easy to use, and it's not user friendly. Yes, there are UIs that improve the kernel, but the thought of requiring a average Joe Consumer to open a shell to do something is just imbecilic, the Linux community needs to learn and understand that. gcc -c -Q -O3 --help=optimizers > /tmp/O3-opts!!!!!
"So put one standard install on there and say everything else is unsupported?"That's what Dell does right now. The standard install just happens to be Windows.Here's what I would like to see Dell do, and it would help them with their Windows users too:Dell could make an extremely standardized boot CD (who gives a flying fart what _that_ runs?) that would be programmed specifically and solely to diagnose hardware failures in Dell hardware: User: I can't reach the interweb. Dell: Please insert the Dell Diagnostic Disk that came with your machine and reboot. User: It says, "Your Ethernet Card Is Not Responding. Model #E3C7071" Dell: Thank you, that model matches the one on your account. I see you're still within the hardware maintenance period, we can arrange warrantee coverage, etc etc etc.Then it doesn't matter. "Hardware" warrentee support can be completely divorced from software support, which can be sold as needed or as it is seen as profitable or not.It also doesn't prevent Dell from supplying, say, a HD install of PCLinuxOS or Knoppix that in fact does include adware and freebees, just as they include a HD install of Windows.As pathetic as it may seem, then a "Linux" system can be restored/reinstalled when things go really bad just exactly the same way that "Windows" systems are restored/reinstalled.Those who buy software support agree not to vary the version of the software, exactly the same way that support contracts say now: "This warrantee only valid so long as the original operating system that was shipped with the machine is used." That's what it says on my Sony Vaio, so I restore WinXP before sending it back for maintenance.What do folks think of this idea?
I would also be happy if the _hardware_ warrantee didn't specifically say, "Valid only as long as the Operating System that the system was shipped with is used."Meaning, somehow, that if I overwrite Windows with Linux, my keyboard can explode and they can avoid any responsibility.I would wager that if I overwrote XP with Vista, however, they would still honor their warrantee. Yeah.
@all, I don't think they are marketing to Mom & Pop. I think people who would consciously choose Linux would be someone who knew something about it, or was willing to learn for the price drop. Also, they could use Linspire or some other crapped down bloat-Linux that is actually pretty f**king easy to use. You guys keep talking about support in India. Um, if you need to talk to tech support so often that you're tired of speaking with Indian guys, maybe you should stop working with computers. I mentioned in my post, that most of you were complaining about, that Dell could give a minimal amount of money to whatever distro they choose. Most of those companies already offer support for minimal fees! Dell could pay it up front and boom, you have support. I'd rather get it from the devs of the software than the manufacturers of the hardware.A bunch of people posting here don't realize that Microsoft says f**k off when you buy a preloaded machine. You are forced to go through the Indian guy (employed by Dell) because Microsoft refuses to deal with Dell customers. You are so stuck thinking that it has to suck that you don't realize that support from the dev would be BETTER.
"just purchase microscope diagnostics and take dell out of the equation."But that's not the question at issue. The question at issue is Dell supporting, or at lest not hindering, Linux installation.It's easy enough to take Dell entirely out of the equation: Don't buy Dell.Thank you for the pointer to "Microscope Diagnostics", I had not heard of it.
rdoger6424Mar 1, 2007
I see one big problem with this article. The main point of getting windows installed on your puter is not to get your computer presetup to what you want. As a "serious" user you will reinstall no matter what os. The point is that you don't want to pay for an os you don't want to use. The best thing would be if they just sold em OS less, though that is not going to happen in the near future.Most people don't install windows on their PCs, it's already configged
onnootMar 1, 2007
I agree. We don't want to pay the Microsoft tax, and we're clever enough to support ourselves.
jeromehorwitzMar 1, 2007
Adding Linux as an option would be disastrous to any of the major players in desktop marketplace. Linux has an extremely long way to go to the point where it's as user friendly as Windows or even Mac OS. I mean imagine telling some average Joe Consumer about trying to compile some latest version of *whatever* using GCC (even if it were that simple)? You people can't be serious. "Oh, Mr. Joe, we need to download the latest driver tarball for your network card." Joe - "what do I need to do then?" "Well you have unzip it and compile it. You do have GCC installed don't you?"... I mean come on. gcc -c -Q -O3 --help=optimizers > /tmp/O3-opts? lol you people are insane!This would be disastrous and damaging to what these companies offer and try to support. I could see 1000s of consumers who have heard of this "Linux thing" ordering one of these systems, only for their eyes to bug out of their head at trying to understand what the hell "root" is. Linux is NOT for consumers, it's for technically oriented people that want to learn and basically become experts at administrating a linux system. Linux is not easy to use, and it's not user friendly. Yes, there are UIs that improve the kernel, but the thought of requiring a average Joe Consumer to open a shell to do something is just imbecilic, the Linux community needs to learn and understand that. gcc -c -Q -O3 --help=optimizers > /tmp/O3-opts!!!!!
curthowlandMar 1, 2007
"So put one standard install on there and say everything else is unsupported?"That's what Dell does right now. The standard install just happens to be Windows.Here's what I would like to see Dell do, and it would help them with their Windows users too:Dell could make an extremely standardized boot CD (who gives a flying fart what _that_ runs?) that would be programmed specifically and solely to diagnose hardware failures in Dell hardware: User: I can't reach the interweb. Dell: Please insert the Dell Diagnostic Disk that came with your machine and reboot. User: It says, "Your Ethernet Card Is Not Responding. Model #E3C7071" Dell: Thank you, that model matches the one on your account. I see you're still within the hardware maintenance period, we can arrange warrantee coverage, etc etc etc.Then it doesn't matter. "Hardware" warrentee support can be completely divorced from software support, which can be sold as needed or as it is seen as profitable or not.It also doesn't prevent Dell from supplying, say, a HD install of PCLinuxOS or Knoppix that in fact does include adware and freebees, just as they include a HD install of Windows.As pathetic as it may seem, then a "Linux" system can be restored/reinstalled when things go really bad just exactly the same way that "Windows" systems are restored/reinstalled.Those who buy software support agree not to vary the version of the software, exactly the same way that support contracts say now: "This warrantee only valid so long as the original operating system that was shipped with the machine is used." That's what it says on my Sony Vaio, so I restore WinXP before sending it back for maintenance.What do folks think of this idea?
curthowlandMar 1, 2007
I would also be happy if the _hardware_ warrantee didn't specifically say, "Valid only as long as the Operating System that the system was shipped with is used."Meaning, somehow, that if I overwrite Windows with Linux, my keyboard can explode and they can avoid any responsibility.I would wager that if I overwrote XP with Vista, however, they would still honor their warrantee. Yeah.
idandfeiMar 1, 2007
@all, I don't think they are marketing to Mom & Pop. I think people who would consciously choose Linux would be someone who knew something about it, or was willing to learn for the price drop. Also, they could use Linspire or some other crapped down bloat-Linux that is actually pretty f**king easy to use. You guys keep talking about support in India. Um, if you need to talk to tech support so often that you're tired of speaking with Indian guys, maybe you should stop working with computers. I mentioned in my post, that most of you were complaining about, that Dell could give a minimal amount of money to whatever distro they choose. Most of those companies already offer support for minimal fees! Dell could pay it up front and boom, you have support. I'd rather get it from the devs of the software than the manufacturers of the hardware.A bunch of people posting here don't realize that Microsoft says f**k off when you buy a preloaded machine. You are forced to go through the Indian guy (employed by Dell) because Microsoft refuses to deal with Dell customers. You are so stuck thinking that it has to suck that you don't realize that support from the dev would be BETTER.
mweatherMar 2, 2007
My point was that they pre-install it, but don't support it. Why would Linux be any different?
Closed AccountMar 2, 2007
As for hard drive partiton management and imaging terabyte unlimited's bootitng has no equivalents as far as functionality and price point go
curthowlandMar 5, 2007
"just purchase microscope diagnostics and take dell out of the equation."But that's not the question at issue. The question at issue is Dell supporting, or at lest not hindering, Linux installation.It's easy enough to take Dell entirely out of the equation: Don't buy Dell.Thank you for the pointer to "Microscope Diagnostics", I had not heard of it.