After collecting some 1,800 new product and service ideas from IT users and customers using an online "suggestion box," Dell Inc. has announced that it's taking the user suggestions seriously and will soon debut and sell a new line of certified, user-ready Linux-loaded desktop and laptop computers. The Dell IdeaStorm Web site, where customers and other IT enthusiasts can offer recommendations about future Dell products and configurations that they'd want to buy, was started on Feb. 16 by CEO Michael Dell, who is looking for ways to re-energize the company's sales and financial performance after several disappointing quarters.
One post that got a lot of interest was the idea that Dell bring back a reasonably priced laptop computer that runs Linux. Just a week after debuting the IdeaStorm site, the company said Friday night that the Linux-loaded desktops and laptops will be the first user-generated suggestions that it will follow. "It's exciting to see the IdeaStorm community's interest in open-source solutions like Linux and OpenOffice," the company said in a post on the Web site. "Your feedback has been all about flexibility and we have seen a consistent request to provide platforms that allow people to install their operating system of choice. We are listening, and as a result, we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations. This is another step towards ensuring that our customers have a good experience with Linux on our systems."
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News source: ComputerWorld
One post that got a lot of interest was the idea that Dell bring back a reasonably priced laptop computer that runs Linux. Just a week after debuting the IdeaStorm site, the company said Friday night that the Linux-loaded desktops and laptops will be the first user-generated suggestions that it will follow. "It's exciting to see the IdeaStorm community's interest in open-source solutions like Linux and OpenOffice," the company said in a post on the Web site. "Your feedback has been all about flexibility and we have seen a consistent request to provide platforms that allow people to install their operating system of choice. We are listening, and as a result, we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations. This is another step towards ensuring that our customers have a good experience with Linux on our systems."
View: The full story News source: ComputerWorld
100% agree, the bigger choice consumer have, the better is... And this should be nice hit to Microsoft. Let's see... Now their new XML based document format may not become a standard, and open-source could win and now this...
The great thing about this is that if Linux makes a slight little dent in MS's numbers then hardware manufatcturers will have to start providing Linux drivers with their products. It also ensures a working install with all hardware supported out of the box.
"we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux"
This means we will not screw you with a windows license for ~100$.............. but we WILL screw you with a ~150$ Novell/Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 1-Device 3-Year Subscription
The price component that goes on the chosen Linux OS and support should be pretty minimal as long as Dell sign up for a decent number of units. OSS companies know how to play the game too, y'know
Linux sales will only pick up the day when people can get their favourite app like Photoshop Elements and friends on Linux. No applications, no sales. No sales, very short lived experimentation with Linux.
Linux sales will only pick up the day when people can get their favourite app like Photoshop Elements and friends on Linux. No applications, no sales. No sales, very short lived experimentation with Linux.
Gimp is as good or better in some ways that Photoshop, there are a few Linux IM clients that can handle all the major IM services, Open Office is as good or better than MS Office, just need people to step out of their comfort zones and try something similar to what they are used to and Linux will proper, think the only thing Linux lacks is a legit way of playing DVDs and better.
Installing anything on Linux is always a pain I know some will argue oh its easy you just run apt-get, yes but how many dependency's will the program need? you can just put software onto a cd and click install. And though linux strongest point for some is the shell for most users this will be its downfall.
Thats just my 2cent
oh name me ONE way that Gimp is actually better than photoshop. and I'll find 10 ways where Gimp is unusable compared to PS. Gimp is usable, but it's nowhere ENAR as good as photoshop. not even PSP, if you go back to version 6 or 7 anyway...
there may be IM clients that can handle all the major ones, if by handle you don't include video, audio voiceclips, games full support for status and perosnal messages, Certainly no support to sync skins(backgrounds) with the other person your talkign too.
Open Office is for a "lite" user of Office who only use office every now and then to write a letter or memo, "as good" for the job, but compared to 2007 it isn't even that as the new GUI is such a massive improvement to the general package. For anyone who actually USES office, Open Office is lagging behind by several years, and isn't even as powerfull as Office 2000 in most ways yet. Again it's usable, and right now what I use, but it's Nowhere near as good as you say, and certainly not better than MS Office. If you think that, you need to take off the open source fanboi glasses.
oh name me ONE way that Gimp is actually better than photoshop. and I'll find 10 ways where Gimp is unusable compared to PS. Gimp is usable, but it's nowhere ENAR as good as photoshop. not even PSP, if you go back to version 6 or 7 anyway...
there may be IM clients that can handle all the major ones, if by handle you don't include video, audio voiceclips, games full support for status and perosnal messages, Certainly no support to sync skins(backgrounds) with the other person your talkign too.
Open Office is for a "lite" user of Office who only use office every now and then to write a letter or memo, "as good" for the job, but compared to 2007 it isn't even that as the new GUI is such a massive improvement to the general package. For anyone who actually USES office, Open Office is lagging behind by several years, and isn't even as powerfull as Office 2000 in most ways yet. Again it's usable, and right now what I use, but it's Nowhere near as good as you say, and certainly not better than MS Office. If you think that, you need to take off the open source fanboi glasses.
But we can agree anyway that both Gimp and OOo and ok for most users.
BTW, what are those 10 ways in which gimp is unusable?
I'll tell you one advantage I see over photoshop: being able of taking advance of several screens thanks to the splitted UI design.
That greatly depends on the MS Office used... OpenOffice can compete nicely to Office 2003, but it doesn't even have the most remote chance against Office 2007.
That greatly depends on the MS Office used... OpenOffice can compete nicely to Office 2003, but it doesn't even have the most remote chance against Office 2007.
It greatly depends on what you use Office for, and the fact is most users wouldn't even use all the OOo features.
If you follow the links on that page you can find some desktop systems (the N-series I think they call 'em) with only a FreeDOS disk, no preinstalled OS.
now if only apple would start selling macs with windows pre-installed... yeah, right!
obviously sales recently have been really bad
Their support lines will have hell on earth now, having to explain Linux to morons who can't even use Windows properly
obviously sales recently have been really bad
Their support lines will have hell on earth now, having to explain Linux to morons who can't even use Windows properly
They have to hope to GOD that the people that take advantage of this offer will NOT be your typical MS user.
Pointless.
Who cares? That isn't the point. Dell is just trying to appeal to as many people as possible, and this is definately a good step.
Of course they want to make money too, and I expect they will.
Isn't that an oxymoron??
Last edited by JonathanMarston on 26 Feb 2007 - 16:42
Everytime there is a Dell comment, I hear it. It was catchy the first the second the third the forth....but after 9999999999 times it dies. Let it go.
Well I for one am glad that Dell is selling PCs with different operating systems now. Shows that they want to attract new customers.
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