I do hope Dell make these premium Linux-equipped systems available over here in Australia. If I could buy a Dell/Linux laptop straight off the shelf, I would almost certainly do so straight away.

As for which distro, I have had excellent results with SUSE 10.x on several laptops & desktops, although Distrowatch.com stats suggest that Ubuntu is now the more popular and still on the rise.

But I would not be picky. Given the choice of ANY recent Linux distro to ANY recent Windows version, I'd take the Linux almost every time.

This is not to say that the Micro$oft Vista range does not also have a place. It does, and that place, as far as I'm concerned is the garbage bin.

Not only would I not buy Vista; I would not want to use it even if it was free, or even if they paid me!

"The WOW starts now, eh?" Great, I'll bear that in mind.

Anyone that's read this far in my mini-rant deserves a change of pace - check out this cool ad that Novell have produced to promote Linux:
http://www.youtube.com/w...mode=related&search=

Dell's commitment to Linux is to be encouraged & applauded.

If Dell wants to ship Linux computers, who am I to say they're wrong. I would think they would have to be either Redhat or SUSE. Dell is not about tipping points or validation. If this isn't profitable, it goes away.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is called the tipping point. Dell's acceptance validates the platform on the desktop and at the consumer level and will immediately draw support from other hardware and software vendors. Whether or not you use Linux, choice is good for everyone.

And I quote... "It's like one of those ideas that thousands of people think would be great but no one will really take advantage of it when it becomes available."

hmmm.. i think there could more optimism;-) it's really wanted did u see the feedback on the IdeaStorm?

Don't just sell it to the Linux enthusiast. Go for a high end Multimedia machine aimed at the average user who wants to edit his digital camera photos upload videos, play dvds etc.

Pick a version with a GUI installer. Why not buy a base Linux system and customise it yourself. Dell Linux !!

Actually, although I'm a heavy Linux user, the LAST thing I would use it for (or recommend it for) is managing a photo collection - the catalogers and editors (e.g, GIMP) are not even close to what is available on the PC or Mac platform (Photoshop, Aperture, ACDSee, etc), both in terms of features and (much more importantly for a mass market) usability.

Anyone who has used a recent distro from Fedora or Ubuntu knows that for standard tasks such as web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, email + many others will simply say "Wow" - Linux is now very easy to use and delivers an incredibly broad range of software - absolutely free.

Yes - Linux is the real wow.

But when you need to install additional applications, that's when things get a bit ugly.

I'm not really against Linux or anything. It's a great OS. But it's still not for the "average computer users" to tinker around with.

You haven't tried a recent distro then.

Start Synaptic from the menu bar
Search for a keyword
Select the app you wish to install
Apply
Continue working and the application will download and install automatically for free

Agreed. I've tried several distros and I still can't imagine your non-PC type working on it. Some of the auto-update mechanisms are nightmares!! (Makes you appreciate patch-Tuesdays and Windows Updated from MS)

A good thing about Linux is also a bad thing in the eye of the average user: There are too many choices. Which GUI do I use? If I select Gnome will all my docs/programs work in KDE? Etc...

"Which GUI do I use?"

The one that comes installed with the distro?

Ubuntu has add/remove at the bottom of the applications menu, pick a program from the list and apply.

It is actually easier than synaptic

Again, have you used any of the new distros lately?

Mint 2.1 (and above?)
Ubuntu 6.06 (and above?)

Obviously you haven't. With this DST2007 patch by Microsoft, their "Patch Tuesdays" have wreaked havoc on my network beyond repair. Not only are patches not fully tested, they release them to consumers (and business) using their Auto Updates.

Not only is Ubuntu auto updates easier, they don't break your system because they actually tested them rigorously before sending out the patch to users.

Ubuntu even tells you (if you want) what patches are being applied and exactly what it is for. Heck you can even check the source code of the patch if you wanted to.

And as you mentioned about choice.....there is no difference between Windows and Linux on choice. With windows you actually have more "choices" because you can go out and download 5000 different bot-net malware apps and MILLIONS over other applications. In ubuntu you have around 18,000 of tried, tested, and certified applications within 3 clicks of a button.

OMG ITS REVOLUTIONARY! ...not

I hope there is a lot of savings from shipping a FREE os.

You'd be surprised that the savings aren't that significant.
1. Dell has special OEM deal with MS for Windows.
2. Computer manufacturers normally make some money by installing crap wares into their default Windows installation. Most of these crap wares only run on Windows.

> 1. Dell has special OEM deal with MS for Windows.

The special deal runs something like:

Dell has to license X amount of Windows licenses per LINE.

Dell has to agree to sell X amount of licenses per PERIOD (P) per LINE.

If X is less than P then the price goes up.

If X is more than P then there is a discount.

If during the PERIOD the Retail Price Index goes up then the price is automatically incrementated.

If Dell fails to reach X then the agreement is renegotiated.

Dell takes full responcibility for end user support.

Dell pays the 'Authorized Replicator' for duplicating the disks.

So there isn't a lot of incentive for the OEMs to sell non Windows computers is there.

and *NIX isn't necessarily free either.
especially if you want Redhat, I bet Dell has to pay quite a bit...

If any company can make this fly it's Dell. I hope this idea turns out to be a successful one. Linux may not be as dumbed down as Windows but people forget that Windows hasn't always been so idiot proof. Also as simplistic as windows has become we always have a way of making a better idiot.

You remind me of a saying I once heard:
"Foolproof, meet Idiot v2.0."

It's about ****ing time.

Linux is damn good and people need to use it.

Yeah, like when I install an application and there's no shortcut created for it on the desktop or menu. I have to run it using command line!

> there's no shortcut created for it on the desktop or menu ..

Rightclick on the desktop and select Create shortcut to application.

Rightclick on the KDE 'start' icon on the bottom left of the screen and select configure ..

If you don't know the location of the application, type $locate name.of.app ..

But don't go knocking the command line. With a few scripts I can resize all the images in the current directory (maintaining aspect ratio, don't make smaller that a given size, convert to png), create thumbnails and make a HTML gallery with captions, in about twenty seconds. Now try and do that from your click and select from submenu interface.

I disagree. I use fedora and installing software is a breeze with yum. All dependencies are taken care of, so there is no need to look around for needed libraries or anything.

And since the software repositories are created by fedora themselves (or compatible with fedora) all software is almost guaranteed to install right and create all needed shortcuts. Only for development software, which the average user does not use, you have to resort to special configurations.

Obviously you haven't used a recent distro...

templar, start using a newer, and "better" distribution then what your trying.

It seems in every post your having problems. Try getting away from gentoo (a pc savy type of distro) and move to Mint 2.2 or Ubuntu 6.10 (or 7.04 in April 2007)

And if you say your using Ubuntu 6.06 or newer, then your not looking in the "start" menu because I have never had a problem with a computer-illiterate users and "newer" Linux's.

You'd be surprised how many people will buy a cheap Dell with Linux on it. Sure, the whole point of running Linux is to customize it, but all they have to do is toss in a "rebuild" disk to reset the desktop to the original, shipped state, and they're done. Besides, compared to the [actual] hardware requirements of Vista, Linux brings a lot of power, not to mention solid game support. This will at least get a lot of people started, and unlike Microsoft, Dell did something few companies ever do: listen to their customers.

It's like one of those ideas that thousands of people think would be great but no one will really take advantage of it when it becomes available.

Sadly, I agree 100%. If it won't run Office and most PC games out-of-the-box (or via a simple free download) its a waste of time.

> if it won't run Office and most PC games out-of-the-box (or via a simple free download) its a waste of time.

If MS hadn't standardised on the 'Office Open' format instead of the OpenDoc format that wouldn't be a problem.

There is CrossOver from Codeweavers that runs more that 30 Windows apps under Linux. I believe it comes as standard on Xandros and the SuSE desktop.

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxoffice/

Maybe if there is a large enough market in Linux desktops the games makers will start making cross platform versions.

This refers to a Linux version of Quake.
http://zerowing.idsoftware.com/linux/quake4/

I Agree too.

Well, I can see one of the MAIN issues with this would be MS Office and the Office Open format. All the other developers are trying to push out a good product that would be compatible with reading office documents but MS keeps trying to push their propriatary format.

You guys are right, if it doesn't run office (I don't really care for games) then that hurts a lot of people's choice on choosing a OS that is flexible for them. But the main program that people use is Word and most freeware officesuites are compatible with word documents. Good thing I enrolled with ePUP through MS and got Mac and PC versions of office for $20 :).

boy iam glad iam not on their help desk

Amen to that lol.

This will never catch on. The average consumer will not be able to figure out how to work Linux.

A few years ago, I would have agreed with you.
But it depends which distro they plan to offer. For many people who simply need email and web browsing and very basic word processing (and this is a LARGE group of people), a decent distro with Firefox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice will take you a long way.

And then what happens when Joe Blows teenage kid buys a PC game and tries to install/play it? I too have doubts this will really kick off well.

Who's really the target customer for these?

If you haven't looked at a game box in the past ten years they all list the basic system requirements. Customers who try to run a windows game on linux either already know how to, or will have to learn, or eat the cost of opening a game they can't return and get pissed for using an OS they don't know anything about in the first place.

Target markets?

Businesses - (Small, Medium, and Enterprise) will be the biggest customers from a cost/support standpoint.

Enthusiasts - People like BetaNews readers who can customize and already know how to install windows games using WINE.

Home Users - People looking to cut the $200 Windows off their system. These people are most likely younger users, college students.

And "ME!" - I know that if I buy one of these machines I can use my old Windows license and save some bucks. Or of course Dual-boot.

Dell will take a while to get this done due to manufacturing/logistics/support and contracts. You'll still be in the hole some money because any OS they choose will most likely be the commercial version with a support package included from the vendor. Overall, this is a much needed development.

When was the last time you tried using Linux? For those new to computers, it's actually more intuitive than Windows, IMHO. Not quite as simple as a Mac, but it isn't hard to learn at all. And Windows users will find plenty of similarities.

Linux isn't as hard to use like it once was.

I really welcome this. In my job I manage about 200 Linux workstations. About 150 of these are Dells and 100 of them are laptops. No matter which Linux distribution Dell chooses to support will probably make my life easier.

> what happens when Joe Blows teenage kid.. tries to install/play it? ..

Tell him to buy a Playstation ..

> Who's really the target customer for these?

People with money who want to buy a Linux box preinstalled and who don't want to spend all their time fending off viruses/spam/phising attacks and installing 'service packs' ..

> For many people who simply need email and web browsing .. a decent distro with Firefox ..

No, they should go for a high end Multimedia machine. Bigger machine = more money ..

> The average consumer will not be able to figure out how to work Linux.

I have sat the average user down in front of this OpenSuSE box and they can't tell the difference.

> boy iam glad i am not on their help desk

As a former technical support operative I know about helpdesks. There is only one thing more futile than calling a help desk that is working in one. Once 'dave' in India has talked you through the crip sheet he invariably tells you to reinstall from the restore disk.

As long as they don't log in as root then they can't do anything stupid like dragging and dropping the Windows folder into the trashcan (to save disk space). Or forcing two CDs into the slot because you never told them to take out the first one.

Dell should take a leaf from Lenovo and provide a one button restore from a hidden partition.

Yeah, cuz WoW plays so well on the PS3.

And I know I spend all my time fending off viruses, spyware, and the like. In fact, I spend so much time doing that, that I have no time to do other things like post here. Oh, wait...

We've converted most of our machines to Ubuntu. If Dell was to include Ubuntu 7.04 as an option then I would consider buying Dell for our standard PC's vice building them myself. (which I build all of our workstations and servers because it is actually cheaper...including the man hours)