Dell to users: What do you want in a Linux desktop or laptop?
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Dell Inc. is asking users what kind of Linux OS and hardware configuration they'd want on laptops and desktops if the company opts to offer hardware running Linux.
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Consumers buy Dell products directly from the company rather than through retail stores. That has allowed Dell to gobble market share for PCs, laptops and servers and become the No.
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By Michelle Kessler  SAN FRANCISCO -- Business computer-maker Dell today plans to start aggressively courting consumers -- in part with new laptops colored flamingo pink.    The No. 2 PC maker has always offered some consumer computers.
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Dell officials are considering a request from users for laptops running the Linux operating system instead of Windows.
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Ziff Davis - Opinion: If the Linux desktop is ever to be more than a niche player, it needs a hand from PC vendors, including real support from the ones that already claim to back it.
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Wal-Mart's $498 Linspire Linux Laptop  I've recently been thinking about picking up a new laptop computer and handing off my Compaq (which has worked great over the past 3 years) to my wife for her excursion into the travel industry. In addition, I've also been thinking about switching over to Linux ...
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After announcing a $536 million cash infusion by Microsoft, Novell has unveiled its desktop operating system for businesses - based on Linux. Built atop SuSE Enterprise Server, Novell Desktop Linux 9 features leading open source applications such as OpenOffice.org and Firefox alongside enterprise features.
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Listens to the masses Dell users may soon have the choice of having Linux pre-installed on their machines, according to a statement on the technology company's website.â¦
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Dell has released the new Inspiron 9200 that replaces the Inspiron 9100 as Dell&#39;s desktop replacment style notebook. The 9200 features a 17&quot; UltraSharp Wide Screen with either an XGA or UXGA resolution display.
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M6300 wants to kiss your desktop goodbye Dell is adding more power to its high-end line of mobile workstations with the debut of the Precision M6300, a 17" notebook geared at engineers, developers, video editors and others who need to tote around some serious silicon.â¦
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The Dell Axim X50 and X50v are the first Pocket PCs from Dell with 3.7-inch VGA LCD screens. These devices out-power some computers still in use here at home, it will be available in 412, 516 or 620 MHz Intel XScale processors.
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Ziff Davis - Longhorn's woes may open a door for Linux&#151;a very tiny door&#151;but Linux just isn't a good choice for desktops. Instead, desktop Linux proponents should wake up and switch to the Mac OS.
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Open source software for an extra Â£20 Pssst, pass it onâ¦ Dell is selling Linux-based home PCs and laptops to its UK customers, but youâll need a very good eye and probably a magnifying glass to find the systems on the direct seller's website.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - The new team of leaders at Dell is weighing a request to give customers the option to purchase PCs with the Linux OS, instead of the default Windows, after thousands of users voted for that idea on a company blog. The idea appeared Friday on a company-hosted blog called Dell Idea Storm. CEO Michael Dell unveiled the blog Feb. 16 as part of hisÂ effort to reinvigorate the struggling company. Dell said he hoped to use the blog to collect users' feedback and improve customer service. Since then, company executives and department heads have been monitoring the site, paying closest attention to the ideas winning the most votes, Dell spokeswoman Caroline Dietz said on Wednesday. The most popular threads on Wednesday included demands for Linux-based laptops, consumer PCs that are not pre-loaded with unsolicited applications and requests for Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice applications instead of Microsoft's Office suite. Popular requests also included a preference for Mozilla's Firefox Web browser instead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and pleas for Dell to stop routing service calls to operators in overseas countries such as India. Dell leaders have heard those ideas "loud and clear," and plan to post a statement on the blog this week explaining how they will react, Dietz said. But she warned that the company would judge ideas on more than just their popularity. "Just because an idea is number one or number two doesn't necessarily mean Dell will do it, but it does mean it will receive the highest level of attention," she said. Dell has already changed the blog rules to make the voting more accurate, after the site was flooded over the weekend by certain users clicking multiple times on their favorite links, Dietz said. Beginning Wednesday, Dell required users to register, ensuring that each person can vote just once for each posting. Another misleading aspect of popular threads is that each vote awards postings 10 "points," meaning that the Linux thread has about six thousand supporters, not the posted number of 67,703. The second-most popular thread -- the request for OpenOffice -- has 40,572 points, and a plea to avoid unwanted software applications has 27,476 points. Most other ideas on the 95-page blog have won only a handful of votes. Despite the blog's problems, Dell will someday decide to sell Linux-based PCs in their consumer market, experts say. "Look, they already have a strong partnership with Red Hat and Oracle to move Linux into the enterprise server space. I think what they're waiting for is some more compelling applications to show up on Linux for personal use. Think about what you use your laptop for -- it's usually office, games, music and Internet access. When all of these things come together in a consumer-friendly, seamless way there will be a case for Dell to adopt Linux on portables to sell to the masses," said Joe Clabby, president of Clabby Analytics. "My 84 year-old father-in-law only needs his PC for light word processing and for AOL access. He can get plenty of Linux word processors -- but where's AOL Linux? When the right applications show up, and when they are integrated, it will all come together," Clabby said. Fixing Dell's finances could call for such a bold move. Once a Wall Street darling thanks to its innovative "direct sales" business model, Dell has struggled in recent months with falling profits, anÂ accounting investigationÂ by federal stock regulators, a lawsuit by disgruntled investors, aÂ notebook battery recallÂ and finally the resignation on Jan. 31 of Dell's hand-picked successor as CEO, Kevin Rollins. SinceÂ resuming his job as CEOÂ of the company he founded in 1984, Dell has moved quickly to restore investors' confidence by ousting several long-time executives and replacing them with leaders from outside technology companies including Motorola and Selectron. Â
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Dell on Tuesday added a completely new lineup to both its desktop and notebook offerings, which is aimed at small businesses with between 1 and 25 employees. Called Vostro, the systems include software designed for easing IT management tasks.
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The drumbeat says Dell may be considering retail. Plus: Tell us about your favorite hackable Xbox 360 HD DVD player. In Gadget Lab.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell will officially launch its first three consumer PCs running the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux OS on Thursday, two desktops and an Inspiron E1505n notebook PC. The new modelsÂ give buyers a third choiceÂ when shopping for a PC at Dell: a machine with Windows installed, a machine with no OS, on which they can install one of their choice, and now a machine with Ubuntu Linux already installed. Other PC makers, including Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo Group,Â  also sell PCs that run Linux, but mainly on customized machines, because retail demand for the open-source OS is tiny compared to that for Windows. The PCs will be available in the U.S. after 4 p.m. Central Time fromÂ Dell's Web site. The laptop starts at $599, while the two desktops, the Dimension E520 and XPS 410n, start from $599 and $849 each, respectively. A comparable XPS 410 with Windows Vista Premium costs $899. Dell announcedÂ what flavor of Linux it would use in the PCs, Ubuntu 7.04, earlier this month. It's the same OS Michael Dell, the chairman and CEO of the company, uses on his Dell Precision M90 laptop at home. Dell is targeting the Linux enthusiast market with the PCs, and said the choice of systems is a response to customer feedback collected atÂ a Web siteÂ set up to solicit customer suggestions. Over 100,000 people participated in surveys about the systems and what kind of Linux to install in the machines, Dell said in a statement. The three PCs all use Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessors. The two desktops contain 1GB of RAM and 250GB of hard disk space, while the laptop includes 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard disk drive. Users will be able to choose from several hardware options on their Ubuntu PCs from Dell. The options offered contain the most mature and stable Linux driver support, and Dell plans to work with vendors to ensure more devices include Linux driver support in the future, it said. Dell is offering hardware support for the PCs through its existing channels, with basic software help from several dedicated Web sites and Linux forums. Canonical is offering software service upgrades from theÂ Ubuntu Web site. The company also created theÂ Dell Linux ForumÂ for users to find resources, troubleshoot, discuss issues, and share experiences about the new PCs. Â