Waiting on the HP Linux desktop

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Mar. 19, 2008

Opinion -- I would have liked to have been able to tell you in great detail exactly what desktops and laptops will soon be coming from Hewlett-Packard equipped with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10.

I'd like to tell you, but HP is still holding its Linux desktop cards close to its chest and not revealing any details. This is very annoying.

On March 17, Novell announced that HP will soon be launching SLED-powered desktops and laptops. This news came as absolutely no surprise to those of who follow the Linux desktop.

I've known for years--let me repeat myself, years--that HP has been working on consumer- and business-grade laptops and desktops with Linux installed. I predicted, based on my conversations with HP insiders, that HP would release Linux desktops last year.

I was wrong. HP, somewhat like IBM, isn't so much a single monolithic company as it is multiple businesses with multiple leaders at its head. I guess HP, feeling burned by its last leader with a capital "L," Carly Fiorina, has decided that it likes leadership by committee.

The results, from where I sit, are while some divisions of HP have been more than ready to sit down and play in the desktop operating system market by releasing Linux, other divisions are still unwilling to buck Microsoft.

Honestly, I don't know, what's behind their reasoning. After chasing executives at HP most of the day, I finally ended up with what we in my business call a non-statement statement.

"HP continues to build on its dedication to the use of open-source software while executing a worldwide multi-operating system (OS) strategy in order to address customer needs and preferences. While we have no specific product plans to share at this time, we continue to explore opportunities to expand OS support with leading vendors in the industry. We have an ongoing relationship with Novell to explore options and will make announcements as appropriate."

Wow, HP uses open source and multiple operating systems. Who knew?

Come on HP. Dell and Lenovo are both selling Linux PCs, and they're doing just fine. Companies like Asus and Everex, up and comers in the PC vending business, are doing great. Why not HP?

Do you want them to get ahead of you? Well, it's too late. They already are in the lead. Don't you want to catch up with your competitors? In case, you haven't noticed, Vista, SP1 and all, isn't doing well. That's not me talking. That's the business desktop operating system market speaking.

Now really, you already sell Linux workstations. Last year, you started selling one Linux-powered desktop, the low-end HP Compaq dx2250 business PC, in Australia.

We know you've got the machines. We know they're running SLED. Why not finally let your customers decide if they want Linux-powered desktops and laptops? Would it really be that hard?

--Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

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