Dell embraces Ubuntu for Linux PCs

Less than two weeks after bringing Windows XP Operating System back to home PCs on customers’ overwhelming demand, Dell Inc. confirmed Tuesday it will start offering “select” consumer desktop and notebook computers in a preinstalled Ubuntu Linux configuration, this time again bowing to huge demands from consumers.

The decision came after Dell's IdeaStorm site, where users post their suggestions and vote for the best ones, was flooded with calls for the installation of Linux on desktops and notebooks.

For the purpose, Dell on Tuesday announced a partnership with Ubuntu Linux developer Canonical, along with whom Dell would offer the recently released Ubuntu 7.04, also known as "Feisty Fawn," on select consumer desktop and notebook products.

"The relationship with Canonical came about as part of our ongoing evaluation of distributions that customers asked for in our Linux survey," said Dell spokesman Jeremy Bolen.

Dell moved quickly to offer the Linux-based hardware because of customer interest, the company said in postings on its IdeaStorm and Dell2Dell Web sites. The astonishing feedback from customers clearly states that they want an alternative to Microsoft Windows.

"The reason we're going with Ubuntu is because by far and away Ubuntu was the most requested distribution" by customers who registered their preferences on the IdeaStorm site, said Bolen. "It was overwhelming, the response we got to the survey."

The move also comes as part of company’s overall effort to update the Linux program. Dell has been offering its PowerEdge servers with Red Hat Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux since 1999 and with Suse Linux since 2005. Dell has also offered Precision workstations with Red Hat and Optiplex desktops with Novell SLED 10.

Until now, Linux distributions have not been embraced by leading PC manufacturers due to concerns over ease-of-use. Updated distributions, such as Ubuntu 7.04, have become much more easy to use, with features such as automatic updates and software installation.

Dell did not give details about the models on which it will be offering Ubuntu Linux. It also not provided any details about the configurations and the pricing structure of the Ubuntu-loaded hardware. However, it indicated that the Ubuntu-based computers would be available in the next few weeks, from Dell USA only for the time being.

Dell, which is currently the second-largest PC seller in the world and has a 15.2% share of the overall PC market, late last month decided to bring Windows XP Operating System back to home PCs, apparently reversing a policy begun in January that meant Windows Vista was the only operating system available on almost all new home machines.
On its IdeaStorm Web site, the Round Rock, Texas-based Dell had announced that due to overwhelming demand, Windows XP Home and Professional will be available once again on at least some consumer machines.

Perfect for laptops, desktops and servers, Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that contains all the desired applications, including a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.

Ubuntu, which will always be free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates, comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world. It promises the best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer.