Dell will soon begin offering Linux on select desktop and laptop PCs. 2007-03-30
Dell says the people have spoken, and they want their Linux. The personal computer giant announced on its Web site this week that it will soon begin offering Linux on select desktop and laptop PCs.
The decision comes after a month-long Dell online survey in which more than 70 percent of the respondents said they would use a Dell system with the Linux OS for both home and office use.
Although Dell already offers the Linux open-source operating system (OS) for servers and its Precision workstation line, Linux is not offered as an option for the majority of its PCs.
The company said it will indicate in the coming weeks which Linux distributions or versions will be available, which systems will be offered, and what the details will be for testing and certification. In launching the survey about Linux, Dell said that it can't offer all options, but that it would focus on higher-priority ones.
100,000 Responses
The Round Rock, Texas-based company said that it received more than 100,000 responses in the survey, which ended March 23. The survey was conducted on the Dell IdeaStorm site, which launched in mid-February so that customers could respond to and suggest ideas for the computer maker.
Results from the online research indicated that improved hardware support for Linux would be as important as the Linux versions offered. Most respondents said that community-based forums would meet their technical support needs for a "tested and validated" Linux operating system, and that they wanted a selection of desktops and notebooks.
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