Feed yourself!
Dell powered by Linux?
February 20th, 2007 by marius
Big news from Slashdot again: Apparently after the new customer feedback website opened by Dell, 2 out of 3 customers are asking for a pre-installed Linux distribution. They are talking about a tri-choice between Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE, allowing multiple-boot with Windows installed also, or no Windows at all, because yes, Linux can replace Windows successfully!
Open software like Firefox, Thunderbird, Gaim, Gimp, PDFCreator, Audacity and of course Open Office will be available. The manufacturer, Dell in this case, will be able to work together with the packagers of a Linux distro in order to have all the drivers installed, maybe offer support from the same packagers, in less words: making it “Idiot proof” like the Mac.
No, it’s not wireless news, but it’s great news! The prices will drop, and the awareness of customers towards Linux will increase considerably. Until now, there was a big myth that there is no consumer request for Linux distributions to ship with new computers, but apparently there is! Come on now, there still are people out there who think that the big rounded E logo from Internet Explorer is the INTERNET!
Digest more on this: Here, here and here!
Posted in Events, All Trends, Linux | 
February 21st, 2007 at 12:35 am
Nice story.
Little questions: Guys, how can I donate some cash to you?
February 21st, 2007 at 12:53 am
Maybe there is, but i don’t see a “normal” consumer to use linux. Even if windows is full of crap, we have to live with it. :)
Or maybe mac ? ;)
February 21st, 2007 at 2:33 am
Jim,
You’ve done more than enough just writing the comment! Enjoy WiF guilt-free! Thanks for reading…. and writing!
We will, however, make sure there’s a ‘Make a Donation’ via PayPal button on the blog in a couple of days, should you and other readers desire to help us financially!
February 21st, 2007 at 4:25 pm
It’s a great suggestion, but none of those links confirm that Dell is going to act on the proposal, they just link to people suggesting the idea.
February 21st, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Alex: If a user can use Windows, they can use a modern Linux distribution. We’re not talking about installing software, we’re talking USING. They’re not that difficult to use.
February 21st, 2007 at 4:49 pm
[…] Dell’s kunder vil simpelthen have retten til selv at vælge. De vil have computere uden påtvungent operativsystem og software, de vil have linux og de vil have fri og åben software… Se også: Dell gives desktop Linux its “full attention” og Dell powered by linux?. Tør man håbe på de vil lytte til kundeønskerne? […]
February 21st, 2007 at 4:56 pm
[…] This is great news for the Linux Community, and we see a great awareness increase between the people who still believe that the rounded E from Internet Explorer is the INTERNET… finally!read more | digg story […]
February 21st, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Don’t just rehash old news to steal traffic … give people the link to dells site to help them make this decision.
http://www.dellideastorm.com/popular
February 21st, 2007 at 5:09 pm
This will help to popularize linux in a great way. But for the gamers like me, it’s not a big news. Popular games yet to be ported in linux. So we’ve to live with the linux.
February 21st, 2007 at 5:18 pm
@ gankingcontentislame:
thank you for your comment! as you can see there’s no Adsense on this blog so your accusations are plain mean! More so, this article is our interpretation of the stories quoted. Please respect our view!
February 21st, 2007 at 5:25 pm
[…] [via Wirelessisfun] […]
February 21st, 2007 at 5:33 pm
#2, Alex: Why not? I have just installed Ubuntu in my father’s laptop and it recognised the Wifi card and everything perfectly.
He us now surfing the web and doing what he did on windows.
He agrees that it is even easier than windows.
February 21st, 2007 at 5:35 pm
This article has been invented. It is not true.
February 21st, 2007 at 6:22 pm
2 customers out of 3 asked for linux… yeah, right.
February 21st, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Prices won’t drop to anything significant. Dell has ALREADY sold FreeDOS PCs in the past with very little difference in price (roughly $30).
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/06/dell_open_pc/
February 21st, 2007 at 6:28 pm
All you gamers: true, Linux is struggling there. But it will continue to struggle until there’s an installed base! Once developers see a base, the gaming situtation will improve. Esp. since it’s now very possible to develop apps on a parallel track between Mac OS 10.3x+ and Linux - both have an X11 core and converting apps from one to the other isn’t that big a deal. So if the Linux/Mac market share can grow to somewhere close to Window$, gaming on both will improve a lot.
February 21st, 2007 at 6:57 pm
http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/nseries?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&redirect=1
February 21st, 2007 at 8:20 pm
there you go Jim, we’ve added a Make a Donation button! There’s nothing stopping you now! :)
Thanx again for the support!
February 21st, 2007 at 9:43 pm
wait till you call support and they tell you go to this website and join this forum and good luck. I can see ppl bitchin about it already (the novice users)
February 21st, 2007 at 9:49 pm
@Alex
The way this can benefit even a “normal” customer is in the price of the overall PC, if customer has a choice some will choose Linux alternative for $100 bucks less or so.
I think it all depands how the sales person explains the difference between Windows and Linux. :)
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 am
[…] This is great news for the Linux Community, and we see a great awareness increase between the people who still believe that the rounded E from Internet Explorer is the INTERNET… finally!read more | digg story […]
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:54 pm
[…] Se pare ca a avut si wirelessisfun.com cela 15 minte de glorie bine meritate. Ne-am trezit pe prima pagina de la digg.com ieri, si nu stiam de ce incepe sa creasca numarul de vizitatori Pana la urma, dupa ce a trecut macelul si si-a revenit un pic serverul, ne-am dat seama ca mai vrem… Cateva statistici dupa “eveniment” peste 9.000 de vizitatori unici, peste 10.000 de page loads si peste 1.100 diggs. Yay! […]
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:48 pm
This is great news in terms of choice. But seriously folks, windows is not the windows 3.1 of yesterday and it will resign on desktops for a very long time.
Linux has a way to go before being a full direct desktop competitior to windows or OSX on the desktop for the avergae joe.
February 27th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
[…] WiF Organizational Revisitedc*free USA Threatened by the Record Industry? How Could This Be?!WiF Podcast #1: Fonero Gets WhisherGoogle Apps Standard and PremierApple and Cisco agreed on iPhone trademark3rd Signal for Fon Router Hack Boosts WhisherSkype to Become World’s Largest MVNO?Dell powered by Linux?Joost Shakes Hands with ViacomWiFi to Emerge in India […]
April 16th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
[…] Ahhhh, the sound of precious electronics crashing onto the expensive natur pavement of Bill Gate’s cubicle… The horror!! The horror!! Linux strikes back (thanks Intel *grin*) in an Mac-esque incarnation for the UMPC. Looks like Intel is shedding the Origami gorilla (read: Microsoft) as they prep a Linux-based platform to compete with Vista and XP-based UMPCs. Intel will unveil their new MID (Mobile Internet Device) platform at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing later this week. says Endgadget. […]
April 18th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
[…] I missed Michael Dell’s bio on the corporate website but I didn’t miss the big story on Dell going with Linux and the note that Michael Dell’s OS of choice is Ubuntu. Entrepreneur Martin V., Dell’s friend, bloggs about a recent email in which this story was confirmed. […]
May 18th, 2007 at 11:33 am
[…] Is Linux eco-friendly? Let’s see. Most of Asia has switched, as least in part, to Open Source Software (OSS); some countries, such as Indonesia, also think that Linux changes scofflaws into legit users. Cuba has reported a 500 percent increase in Linux installation in two years; of course, they can’t really get Windows due to export restrictions. Big Blue is giving a specific tutorial to switch from Windows to Linux, and two out of three Dell customers are now demanding that the bird be pre-installed. None of these really answer the question though - it the bird green? […]
June 5th, 2007 at 10:51 am
much better in paypal to less effort
June 8th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
great article thank you
June 17th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
This is a great development. Although it should lead to a fall in prices, knowing Dell, I doubt that will happen
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:38 am
That sounds good to me, I’m all for making the market an open one and I reckon Dell has the clout to do it. It’s about time of the big companies took a stance and a chance by bringing a trusted and well liked platform such as Linux - Bring it on Dell!
September 26th, 2007 at 7:48 am
id also like to say , great article!, and yes paypal is so much easier.. i love paypal :D
October 24th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 8th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
October 24th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Linux is awesome Windows is the worst operating system (they dont have the right to have a mouse on a computer because mac invented it) Mac is Pretty much the same is Linux only its not free i want dell to no longer deal with microsoft.