Linux Becoming Mainstream?
Posted on May 9, 2008
Filed Under Business Computing, Internet, Open Source/Freeware, Software |
Pre-installed Linux has been available on servers for some time now but for the first time ever, a major manufacturer will be offering Linux pre-installed on consumer products. Dell announced late in March that it would be offering Ubuntu Linux 7.04, codenamed ‘Feisty Fawn’, on selected desktops and notebooks.
You can love or hate Dell but there’s little denying that it is a major player in the PC market. Dell shipped 8.7 million PCs in the first quarter of this year, a 7.8% decrease from 2006, and it is only overshadowed by HP who saw a 28% increase in the number of PCs shipped. Acer saw an incredible 46% increase in PCs shipped and there’s no doubt some of that gain was at Dell’s expense.
Dell has been getting beaten up and this move is seen by analysts as a way for Dell to demonstrate that it is still an innovator.
For an innovative standpoint, Dell is the only major manufacturer to sell directly to consumers, bypassing the reseller channel altogether. Dell was founded on the model and continues to sway toward direct sales. Dell does sell some products for resale but I can tell as a reseller that they don’t make it particularly painless or lucrative to be a Dell reseller.
In addition to the move to provide Linux on consumer products, Dell also appears to be rethinking the direct to market sales approach. Dell founder Michael Dell said in a memo April 27th that “direct model is not a religion” and that Dell is pursuing “new manufacturing and distribution models to address the unique needs of customers in all our markets.”
If Dell’s plans are successful, Linux may just be poised to help a hardware giant regain market share and on the flipside, Dell may just help Linux finally become more mainstream.
Ubuntu Linux has only been around for 3 years but in that short time, it has generated a great deal of buzz. Like many other Linux distributions, Ubuntu is a free operating system that competes with Microsoft Windows. Linux has traditionally been seen as complex and difficult to use and has never really been able to make a dent in the Windows market. With a bit of a push from Dell, that may change if even only a little.
Ubuntu is derived from Debian Linux and has shined in the desktop operating system foray. There is a server version of Ubuntu but what has really made it stand out is the clean desktop it offers and the relative ease of use it provides. Out of the box it supplies Office.org for word processing and spreadsheets etc, Firefox for web browsing, and Evolution, an email client that competes well with Microsoft Outlook.
Linux has long suffered from the stigma of being ridiculously complex when it comes to installing and managing software. Debian is known for its software management capabilities with its APT program, and Ubuntu too makes installing and managing software easy with a simple click and install tool.
Dell stands to gain from an underdog operating system and Ubuntu stands to gain recognition and to get in front of a wider audience. It will be fascinating to watch this relationship unfold!
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