Will Dell help Linux cut Windows dominance?
Windows has about 92 percent share of the desktop OS market, with the Mac OS second at about 4.1 percent, and Linux third at 3.8 percent. With the official launch of Dell’s first three consumer PCs running the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux OS, one tough question needs to be answered. Will Dell help Linux reduce Windows’ domination of the OS market?
Neil Hand, Vice President of Consumer Product Group, Dell, said, “The interest and enthusiasm from customers who challenged us to deliver a consumer Linux solution has been met with by a team of dedicated professionals within Dell and Canonical, Ubuntu’s sponsor, who’ve made this happen in a phenomenally short period of time.”
The three PCs – the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook – running the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux OS use Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessors. The desktop models come with monitors. The E520n package will include a 17-inch flat-panel display, while the XPS 410n includes a 19-inch flat-panel display. The two desktops contain 1G byte of RAM and 250G bytes of hard disk space, while the laptop includes 512M bytes of RAM and an 80G byte hard disk drive.
The laptop starts at US$599, while the two desktops, the Dimension E520 and XPS 410n, start from $599 and $849 each, respectively. A comparable XPS 410 with Windows Vista Premium costs $899.
The release of these Ubuntu-powered systems is the direct result of the outpouring of customer demand at Dell’s IdeaStorm site, the company’s Web site for fielding customers’ suggestions to improve products, services and operations.
Altogether, about 30,000 IdeaStorm community members suggested that Dell offer systems with pre-installed Linux. In a follow-up survey, more than 100,000 participated to help determine customer preferences, including which Linux distribution Dell should offer initially. Ubuntu, the popular community Linux, was the clear choice, according to sources within Dell.
Dell says it will supply hardware support through normal Dell channels, along with basic software support on a variety of dedicated websites and Linux forums. Service upgrades can also be obtained from Canonical, a private company founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Upgrades include the 30-day Get Started, One-year Basic and One-Year Standard packages.
Dell will also offer hardware options on each system that have the most mature and stable Linux driver support as tested and certified by Canonical. Dell says it is working with vendors to improve the maturity and stability of their associated Linux drivers, and expects to have a broader range of hardware support with Linux over time.
Dell actions by way of offering desktop and notebook PCs preloaded with Ubuntu 7.04 could mean a giant leap forward for the viability of desktop Linux. If Dell succeeds in its Linux push, Microsoft may see a threat to its dominance of the operating system market.
Related Posts:
