Dell To Ship PCs Preinstalled with Linux

For the first time in History, Dell will ship PCs preinstalled with Linux rather than Microsoft Windows. This move from Dell comes after several users requested it on their newly IdeaStorm Suggestion site which was earlier launched on 16th February.

Dell expects to considerably boost their sales by preinstalling Linux in Notebooks and Desktop PC. Dell claims that their users suggested various Linux distributions; they will search for possible certification with other Linux Distros.

From the consumer point of view, I think this is a smart thinking from Dell because geeky/adventurous users will anyway remove Windows and install Ubuntu or Linux, why pay for Windows when you don’t need it? Earlier, Dell had started shipping Naked PCs with no operating system installed in it. Let’s hope that other PC makers reciprocate Dell.

This post was published by on February 27, 2007

About the Author: Thilak Rao works as a Social Media Expert. He is one of the first professional bloggers from India, and he loves to write, travel and click photos. Follow him on Twitter @thilak

  • http://bryansrants.com/ Bryan

    Regardless you are going to pay out the nose for this. From what I hear you are going to pay $50 more than a Windows system to have the luxury of Linux. So talking about why pay for Windows if you don’t need it is actually incorrect. Windows would be cheaper.

  • http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/02/27/linux-on-dell-desktops-too-little-too-late/ Enterprise Linux Log » Linux on Dell desktops: Too little, too late?

    [...] Reacting to the announcement that Dell will probably pre-load Linux on PCs, blogger Thilak asks a question Linux users have asked for over a decade: “Why pay for Windows when you don’t need it?” [...]

  • http://tech-buzz.net Thilak

    Bryan: Its hard to belie that they are charging more for Linux based systems. I see no reason to do so, maybe they did it intentionally to boost Vista sales and make Linux users happy at the sametime.

  • http://www.tips-og-tricks.com/blog/brugerne-vandt-nu-vil-dell-s%c3%a6lge-pcer-med-linux-i-stedet-for-windows/ Britt Malkas edb-blog » Blog Archive » Brugerne vandt – nu vil Dell sælge pc’er med Linux i stedet for Windows
  • http://www.project-sos.org The 5th Horseman of The Apocalypse

    The only reason I can think of for linux being more expensive is Dell may have to use different parts to ensure it works correctly. This could result in a lot of money spent on market research costs, not to mention technical expertise. Sure, the Linux OS itself costs far less than a windows OEM, but you’d be paying for the assurance it works properly. I myself have toyed with a variety of linux distros on a variety of machines, and it is irritatingly rare that I get every piece of hardware working. The machine I’m sitting at runs Ubuntu and Mandrake fine, but it seems to be an exception rather than the rule.

  • http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk Everton

    If I was Dell I wouldn’t have bothered to be honest as it’s a market their PCs aren’t aimed at.

  • Edward Gantt

    Will Dell sell PCs with no preinstalled OS that enable
    a user to install an OS of his or her choosing albeit
    be it a legacy Windows application or a particular
    Linux distribution or both (dual-boot) configuration?