Dell Linux Survey: Please Vote

[dsio]

http://www.dell.com/linuxsurvey

Dell actually seams to be interested in supporting Linux in the not too distant future, and has opened a survey to get an idea of what people want in a Dell Linux system.

The post on Dell's blog is here: http://direct2dell.com/one2one/default.aspx

This... actually seams genuine on Dell's behalf, and I must say, if we can support this, and show them the demand for it as an alternative, this could be of massive benefit in the super-cheap end of the market, not to mention the power user segment.

[Daniel ~]

Done deal, hey if we don't tell them, how will they know?

[funnyperson1]

I filled it out, said they should focus on Business machines and cheap machines. I also chose Ubuntu. I wouldn't buy a Dell laptop with Linux on it personally (I still need Windows, and don't feel like paying full price for it), but it would be really nice to get laptop model specific support from Dell, or the large Dell community.

[Toro]

Dell is already supporting Linux. Red hat is available if you buy a power edge server

looks/sounds good. There was quite a buzz for a while, but seems to have gone a little quieter

[robbie]

Done, done and done.... I want my linux OS son!

[Rondog]

Pre-loaded with Linux, thats a laptop I would want to buy. Everyday at work I think to myself, "If I needed a laptop, would I buy this one?" Everytime the answer is yes with a big but, which is my conscious screaming "If you buy this, format it and load a propper OS, not a bogged down and bloated one"

Not to bad mouth some of my colleagues, but as a Dell Service Tech, the great majority of them, do not have detailed knowledge of Windows and networking, let alone a 2nd or 3rd OS. Dell would need to supply training to technicians to guarantee they get quality onsite service.

For the record, I do not actually work for Dell, i'm a representitive of a 3rd party company who handles Dell's onsite work.

[dsio]

See the cool thing is that if a large vendor like Dell does it, it will force others to. Along with Linux, Dell will have to introduce other Open Source software, such as OpenOffice.org to go with it, and if they support OOo under linux, they will most likely support it under Windows as well.

If we pressure Dell, HP, and a few other high volume manufacturers into this, it can only have a positive impact on M$ prices as well. The biggest deal by far about AMD signing on with Dell wasn't that they had a better product, but rather that intel had competition at a lower price point.

If Dell is selling ~$400 cheap computers, and $100 of that is the Vista tax we all get hit with, an Ubuntu distro could reduce the cost of a system by 25%+. The MSOffice/Vista package that is really the minimum if you want usability given the shoddy state of MSWorks is almost the same price as Dell's cheapest machines.

Who needs it?

And if this means I can get a Dell M1210 laptop, without vista hitchhiking along in the deal, then great!

[Toro]

Dell don't support software other than in the first 30days or if you have a special arrangement

[benighted]

I'd buy a Dell if it had Linux preloaded. I voted for Ubuntu