Angus Kidman14 March 2007, 7:19 AM
Dell is planning to expand its range of PCs with Linux pre-installed, in a move that's likely to set the open source community ablaze with excitement whilst potentially putting Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer into an apoplectic rage.
Dell is planning to expand its range of PCs with Linux pre-installed, in a move that's likely to set the open source community ablaze with excitement whilst potentially putting Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer into an apoplectic rage. But how long will we have to wait for a Dell Ubuntu notebook?
In a posting on its Direct2Dell site, the PC giant announced that it wanted to gather consumer feedback via an online survey before launching more Linux-based machines. Under the plans, both consumer and business desktops and notebooks could be available with Linux as an option (we're not holding our breath for it to be the default option, except perhaps on the occasional super-discounted machine).
While it already offers pre-install options for Red Hat and SUSE on some business machines, Dell is apparently considering casting its OS net further afield. As well as those two, other possibilities raised in the survey include Ubuntu, Fedora and OpenSUSE. Support models suggested in the survey include fee-based phone support, specific Dell Linux support forums, and using existing Linux support communities, but with Dell contributing additional resources.
Many of the comments on the original blog post suggest that it doesn't matter which (if any) Linux installations Dell prioritises or what support options it has. The key issue for open source enthusiasts is that the company chooses hardware which is already supported by the Linux community and doesn't, for example, mess around with software-based modems, a perennial source of complaint in the Linux-using arena.
Dell has already been soliciting feedback for new product ideas via its IdeaStorm site, where suggestions enthusiasts have ranged from the predictable (making Firefox the default browser on all machines) to the frankly bizarre (Dell setting up a rival service to PayPal).
Initial response to the survey, which will run until March 23, has been so enthusiastic that Dell has already posted a follow-up apology on the blog entry about server availability. (Most of Dell's own sites run on Windows Server 2003, though some of its forums are on Linux servers.) Release dates for actual products haven't been announced.
Although it's not clear whether the hyperactive response levels would be matched by massive Linux machine sales in reality, Dell could certainly use something to boost its numbers. Recently reinstated CEO Michael Dell is facing pressure to increase sales, especially as notebook PCs overtake desktops in most developed markets.
"What matters is our future plan of action," he commented in a statement when the company's Q4 results were announced earlier this month. Right now, that future plan seems to be firmly emblazoned with a penguin logo.