Slightly OT: Must Linux buy its way onto the desktop?

[Toralf Lund]

Temlakos wrote:

> Mike McCarty wrote:
>
>> taharka wrote:
>>
>>> Feb. 08, 2006
>>>
>>> As you may know, Google is close to making a deal with Dell in which 
>>> the
>>> search giant will get to preinstall its software package on Dell PCs.
>>> What you may not know is that Google may be spending a billion dollars
>>> over three years for the privilege.
>>
>>
>>
>> Why should I care? (This is a serious question, not irony.)
>>
>>> Full story at; http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2572482759.html
>>>
>>
>>
>> [QUOTE MODE ON]
>>
>> What does that have to do with Linux? Everything.
>>
>> Microsoft may say that what ends up on the desktop is all about 
>> having the best products, but that's hooey. I don't say that as a 
>> Linux supporter, I say that as someone who knows how the desktop 
>> market works. Most users, I'd say 80 percent, stick with what comes 
>> on their desktop. Period.
>>
>> I know this. Microsoft knows this. Everyone in the desktop business 
>> knows this, even though we may disagree on the exact numbers.
>>
>> So, the real way to win the desktop, as I've long said, is to get 
>> Linux on it before a user ever sees it.
>>
>> [QUOTE MODE OFF]
>>
>>
>> Is "winning the desktop" (whatever that may be) a goal? For me?
>>
>> I guess I just don't understand the big picture or sth. This just
>> looks like more "I hate MicroSoft" propaganda than anything worthwhile.
>>
>> Could someone explain why this is important?
>>
>> Mike
>
>
> I'll try to explain.
>
> If we ever expect to quit having our local CIO's roll their eyes at us 
> when we say that we want /Linux/ desktops and /Linux/ client machines, 
> because we know that Linux will cost the company much less overall 
> than buying a bunch of Windows boxes, then we'll need some more 
> attractive options than:
>
> 1.    Buying a bunch of machines having Windows pre-installed on them.
>
> 2.    Nuking the hard drives.
>
> 3.    Installing Linux on them.
>
> Either that, or:
>
> 1.    Buying a bunch of machines /without/ hard drives.
>
> 2.    Buying hard drives /separately/.
>
> 3.    Installing the hard drives.
>
> 4.    Installing Linux on these systems.

It's a bit funny that you should imply that these are the only two 
options, when the vendor mentioned above is Dell, and Dell are quite 
happy to sell you a PC with Linux preinstalled. (Now, I'm not entirely 
happy with their Linux *user support*, or lack thereof, but I guess they 
don't offer a lot of software support to Windows users, either...)

- T