DesktopLinux
Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  Blogs  |  Videos  |  ITLink

Keywords: Match:
What Dell's desktop Linux move means
May 01, 2007

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. In 2007, Dell, a top computer manufacturer, is introducing pre-installed Ubuntu Linux on its main PC lines. The worlds of baseball and the desktop will never be the same.

In both cases, people worked long and hard to reach the top. In Linux's case, the top is the recognition that it is not just a hobby operating system, and that it is not an operating system that's only for servers. With its arrival on Dell's desktops, Linux has proven that it can compete in the same league with Mac OS and Windows.

This is only the start. I have reason to believe that Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Toshiba will soon be joining Dell in making Linux easily available for desktop users.

Some of you may be thinking, "Why is this such a big deal?" Linspire has been successful in getting smaller OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to offer Linux on the desktop for years. Some small OEMs, such as All Around Geeks and System76, offer their own house-brand Linux desktops. Other companies, such as EmperorLinux, have long sold brand-name computers from Lenovo, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, and even Dell after they installed Linux on them.

It's a big deal because for the first time, without hemming and hawing about it the way Lenovo did with its Linux-powered ThinkPad and Dell with its no-operating-system computers in the past, a top-of-the-line company is saying to the world, "Yes, desktop Linux is real."

Dell also is saying something else that's equally important about the desktop world. It's saying, for the first time in more than a decade, that standard x86 PC users have a choice. For the first time since OS/2 mattered, users have a choice again. No more are users stuck with Windows. No more are they forced to pay the Microsoft tax.

Even users who never intend on using Linux should be glad to see Microsoft's iron hand finally lifted, albeit just an inch. Just as the arrival of Firefox forced Microsoft to improve Internet Explorer, the arrival of Linux on a mainstream desktop will force Microsoft to make significant, rather than cosmetic, improvements to its own operating systems.

This isn't just a big day for desktop Linux users. This is a red-letter day for all PC users.


-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols



Do you have comments on this story?


Talkback here

NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!




Related stories:


(Click here for further information)


Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

 



Got a HOT tip?   please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories:
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges
• Linux gains action RPG
• World's cheapest Linux-based laptop?
• WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops
• BeOS-like distro focused on content creation
• Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers
• Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango
• Hats off to Fedora 9
• Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept.

All-time Classics:
• Choosing a desktop Linux distro
• Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes
• The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better
• Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu
• Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives
• A simple Linux backup method
• The well-tempered Debian desktop
• What's the best Linux for beginners?
• VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of
• Getting to know Puppy Linux
• Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users


Desktop Linux books

Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums:
•  Moving to Linux
•  Linux/Windows debate!
•  Linux Q&A
. . . and more


BREAKING NEWS

• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Debian distro named for little green man
• Google spins web browser
• Summit debuts for Linux end users
• "UbuntuLite" reviewed
• Linux in the SME
• Linux: not yet photo-friendly
• Linux to gain anti-virus software
• Linux gains backup utility
• Testing Lenny
• HP offers Linux on low-end mini-notes
• Dell shipping five Hardy Heron systems
• IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops
• Unified communications groupware comes to Linux
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges


Linux-Watch headlines:
• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Linux -- not yet photo-friendly
• Microsoft buys additional Linux support
• SFLC publishes GPL compliance guide
• Linux switch vendor sued over GPL
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?


Visit the...


news feed

Home  |  News  |  Articles  |  Forum  |  Polls  |  About  |  Contact
 

Ziff Davis Enterprise Home | Contact Us | Advertise | Link to Us | Reprints | Magazine Subscriptions | Newsletters
Tech RSS Feeds | White Papers | ROI Calculators | Tech Podcasts | Tech Video | VARs | Channel News

Baseline | Careers | Channel Insider | CIO Insight | DesktopLinux | DeviceForge | DevSource | eSeminars |
eWEEK | Enterprise Network Security | LinuxDevices | Linux Watch | Microsoft Watch | Mid-market | Networking | PDF Zone |
Publish | Security IT Hub | Strategic Partner | Web Buyer's Guide | Windows for Devices

Developer Shed | Dev Shed | ASP Free | Dev Articles | Dev Hardware | SEO Chat | Tutorialized | Scripts |
Code Walkers | Web Hosters | Dev Mechanic | Dev Archives | igrep

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.