Dell sells linux systems as alternate to crappy Vista

[roid]

makes me a bit happy in my pants

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6610901.stm

[FunkyStickman]

Indeed. Up until now, you could only get Linux on a server product, if you were lucky. I'm not a huge fan of Ubuntu, but it works, it's Linux, and more importantly, you can play Descent on it!

[The Lion]

Yeah, I wonder if this might really be the end of M$'s monopoly on the desktop.
People ended up taking all the crap when XP was launched, but I guess that was
because they didn't see any other choice. Now, with Dell providing an alternative,
and other vendors hopefully following suit, they might switch over instead.

[JMEaT]

MS is always going to reign supreme as long as developers code for Windows only.

Once some popular software begins being coded for Mac/PC/Linux I see Windows losing a bit of steam, especially if OEMs begin offering it as an option and it makes the PC cheaper.

When you think about what the average Joe/Jane uses the PC for, its emailing relatives or surfing the web. You don't need a huge powerful PC with a huge expensive OS and fancy DRM restrictions to do that.

MS will always be around, but I am a big fan of competition. It will be interesting to see what the next few years hold for OSs.

[The Lion]

MS is always going to reign supreme as long as developers code for Windows only.

Once some popular software begins being coded for Mac/PC/Linux I see Windows losing a bit of steam, especially if OEMs begin offering it as an option and it makes the PC cheaper.

Yeah, but they don't code for OSX and GNU/Linux because few people use it..
it's a chicken and egg problem. If Dell can turn a sufficiently large potion of the
market over to GNU/Linux, devs will have little choice but to start supporting it.

[Tankie2]

Here's my 2¢. Dell has laid the egg, it wont be long till something hatches. IMO Developers will see an opportunity to cash in on the new niche that opens up. After all, there is less competition in that software market. I think it would be ideal target market for a start-up software company for example.

[Testiculese]

And it won't be that hard to get software ported for Linux as there are plenty of C programmers around.

[Mikael]

I really don't think this will make Linux take off in the home/desktop market. Linux is simply too immature for the general public. Sure, geeks everywhere think it's fun to fiddle around to get everything to work, but your average user doesn't. If people have trouble with Windows, I can't imagine what would happen if everyone got something like Ubuntu instead...

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Linux exists and continues to be developed. But, it's still way too hard to manage the system for a non-geek. I'm a huge geek myself, but even I have trouble using Linux.

[Topher]

And it won't be that hard to get software ported for Linux as there are plenty of C programmers around.

Ha! You've never touched a piece of code ever have you?

[Tankie2]

Two or three years ago I experimented with a line version called \"Lindows\" and it had an auto update feature, as well as a library of free software that you simply clicked on the link to install, as easily as a Mozilla plug-in or extension, you also had an option of subscribing for unlimited downloads of other programs and updates and of per download purchases. I thought it was awesome and Xkali worked fine. I had no problems installing anything. I even managed to get Descent running too, after a bit of trial and error, with a manual install. I attempted to make a dual boot with win98 because I'm just to damn addicted to Kali2, it's eye candy and my chat art and macros. However I failed miserably trying to make dual boot install work and lost everything on the hard drive. About 6 years worth of ascii and text art and all my descent archives was lost. I was so devestated by that I just stuck with windows afterward..
If it came down to an off the shelf PC purchase I'd definately get it with Linux preloaded and save myself for having to pay a Windows Corporate Tax for the questionable priviledge of operating my new PC with a hobbled OEM version of Vista, and all the gauranteed hassles that are provided with another new Windows realease.

One thing I really want to avoid is having to delay evem using the damn thing in order to download the couple of gigabytes of security updates and software updates, driver updates and update update when I furst turn it on and connect to the internet. If I didn't have broadband that could several hours, if not a day or two.

If I really wasn't satisfied with the Linix version provided I could try another, of if I want to go back to window, I've got a fairly decent version of Windows XP I can install.