Jump to content
Due to a large amount of spamers, accounts will now have to be approved by the Admins so please be patient. ×
IGNORED

DELL may offer Linux


Recommended Posts

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21340292%5E15306,00.html

 

Dell may offer Linux

Correspondents in Boston

MARCH 07, 2007

DELL is considering offering Linux as an alternative to Microsoft 's Windows.

 

The PC maker said it received more than 100,000 customer requests for Linux in a "suggestion box" posted on Dell's website less than three weeks ago.

 

"We are listening to what customers are saying about Linux and taking it into consideration," said Dell spokesman David Lord. "We are going forward. Let's say, 'Certainly stay tuned."'

 

Linux is an open-source operating system that is generally available for free and can be used to run most computers, including Dell's PCs.

 

Dell does not break out how much it charges for Windows when it calculates the cost of a computer system, but a basic upgrade version of the software generally retails for $US99 ($127).

 

The only operating system that Dell currently offers on its PCs is Windows, with one exception, Mr Lord said. Dell sells high-end Linux desktops designed specifically for use in oil and gas exploration, he said.

 

Making Linux available on other Dell PCs has been the top request since the website was launched on February 16, according to data posted on the site.

 

The second most popular request was that Dell offer another popular free software title, OpenOffice, which competes with Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow... I was just thinking in the past two days that one of the big events necessary to send MS a message would be a major PC supplier offering a Linux alternative, which could potentially be offered at a lower price and be targetted at the grannies/people who have no aspirations to use PC gaming... Dell would be a perfect contender to sell even cheaper PCs preconfigured with all the basic tasks (email/browsing/wordprocessor etc) in Linux and it would be a major win for open source solutions.

 

In reality though... MS would know of these possibilities and I suspect they dont charge Dell/others anywhere near $99 for their software... more likely they sell it for peanuts to the hardware companies as they know it puts their product out there and steals market share which means everyone is encouraged (forced?) to buy MS applications and inclined to buy MS O/S upgrades at a full price later.

 

Fingers crossed a miracle happens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In reality though... MS would know of these possibilities and I suspect they dont charge Dell/others anywhere near $99 for their software... more likely they sell it for peanuts to the hardware companies as they know it puts their product out there and steals market share which means everyone is encouraged (forced?) to buy MS applications and inclined to buy MS O/S upgrades at a full price later.

 

Microsoft sell licenses to Dell AFTER Dell sell hardware.

 

About 5 years ago, Michael Dell (CEO) started selling Linux with Dell servers (mostly high-end corporate stuff like RedHat Enterprise Linux and clustering tools). Microsoft saw this cutting into their revenue and cracked the shits. They told Dell that if they chucked out all non-Microsoft software, Dell could be charged bulk for Microsoft licenses on a per-sale bases, and at a flat rate. Nobody knows the exact figures, but it's damned low (insider information suggests as low as US$20 a copy, whether it's Home, Pro or Server!).

 

Word was that Microsoft's "offer" was worded quite strongly. And Dell understood this was an "offer" that they had no choice but to accept.

 

Michael Dell left the position of CEO (I can't remember if he was voted out or stepped down). He was probably the only really pro-Linux member of Dell's board of directors (or at least, the only person who cared more about the users than the profits).

 

Occasionally machines would appear on the Dell website that didn't contain an OS. These were never easily found (often 15+ mouseclicks away from the main page), and more often than not were MORE expensive than a server with Windows. Any sane business operator would much rather buy the cheaper Windows server and chuck the OS than buy a more expensive box. Microsoft don't care - they still register the user as a "happy Windows customer" whether you use the paid for license or not.

 

Fast forward 5 or so years, and Michael Dell is back behind the reigns. More interestingly, within a month of his return, the Dell "Idea Storm" website is opened. Dell ask the public to comment as they see fit, and the very vocal Linux crowd go nuts.

 

To me, this sounds very much like Dell wanting to prove a point. For a long time Microsoft have told the world that there is simply no demand for Linux. Dell, not wanting to piss off the financial giant that is Microsoft, have had no choice but to shut up and put up. This "open forum" that was Idea Storm is a way for them to absolve any interest in Linux, and merely show Microsoft that "the public has spoken".

 

On a slightly different topic: Comments on the Idea Storm site interest me. I've read a lot of Windows users who are getting angry at Dell's Linux focus. I've seen comments which basically allude to customers thinking that a focus on Linux will "hurt" Windows users. This I cannot understand. Dell at the moment essentially give their end users no choice in the software that comes pre-bundled with their hardware. Adding a Linux option does nothing to the Windows users. They can happily go on ignoring Linux just like they did the week before the option appeared. I'm still lost as to why so many Windows users are angry that Dell are considering offering an extra option. It's not like they will be forced to have Linux pre-loaded (unlike Linux users, who currently are forced to have Windows pre-loaded if they buy from Dell). But anyhoo...

 

Dell have a massive battle ahead of them. Linux users are a bloody awful customer base because if you put 2 of them in a room, you'll have 3 different opinions on something. Which distro do Dell use? Use Ubuntu, and all the Debian guys will be pissed off. Use RedHat, and SuSE will be pissed off. Etc, etc, boring, boring.

 

Offering multiple distros would be a support nightmare. Anyone who has run a large helpdesk will know how hard it is to keep training and skill sets high at the best of times. Throw in multiple options, and all hell breaks loose.

 

I applaud Dell's moves. It's brave of them to stand up to Microsoft like this, especially when Microsoft have them over a barrel with pricing. I don't envy the amount of work they're going to need to put in to make this work, and I wonder what solution they'll come up with to appease the distro-wars.

 

But it's clear Dell recognise there is a shift towards Linux. Not a monumental one (we're not talking BILLIONS of users or anything - probably not even millions), but one that's large enough to make the world's largest Corporate Desktop and mid-range server manufacturer sit up and say "we need to be a part of this, or we might miss out on sales".

 

Interesting times ahead...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...