[LINK] Dell and Linux

[Eleanor Lister]

Martin Barry wrote:
> $quoted_author = "sylvano" ;
>   
>> Or flip it around, perhaps, and view it as Dell specifying the range of 
>> hardare spec's for the linux bundling they will supply and letting the 
>> different distro communities and organisations choosing to support the 
>> hardware configs.  "I'll have the Dell number 4, with the Red Hat sauce 
>> please..."
>>     
>
> you've hit the nail on the head. the aims should be:
>
> a) work with component suppliers on Linux driver availability
> b) build systems with only components with Linux drivers available
> c) let the customer add the OS
>
> cheers
> marty

sure, but which Linux?

don't be surprised if all that happens is that instead of just having to
buy DELL+Winders you can then choose either DELL+WInders -OR- DELL+SuSE.

after all M$ did just buy out, oops start a joint venture with, Novell
to supply SuSE Linux.

that way, no matter which choice of OS you pick with your new DELL you
have to pay the M$ tax.

... on a related matter, i'm getting interested in this XBox and XBox360
saga.  Neither has made as much as 1c  for M$, who has continued to
attempt to buy market share.

i can only see this as an attempt to create a vertical monopoly, so that
M$ ends up selling their own boxes that are fabulous gaming devices that
will run M$ Office and Outlook, report back home daily, and are locked
down source -  GPL?  don't make me laugh!  M$ will just hack its SuSE
source into "the new 64bit Winders, with Vista under Winux"

they're even moving away from supporting Intel to PPC chips, just as
Apple moves in the reverse direction, and DELL may also find itself out
in the cold longer term, when M$ announces that the new desktop system
is the BillyGoat v1, with nothing more than an import path for the
existing data from old systems.

i believe M$ is trying to get customer lock-in as an alternative to
winning on quality or value, neither of which they have much of a record
for.

just a rave,
    EL

------------
Eleanor Ashley Lister
South Sydney Greens
http://ssg.nsw.greens.org.au
webmistress at ssg.nsw.greens.org.au