Dell Linux?
Dell Computers new blog is tabulating votes for the most popular changes to Dell products. The leader? Put Linux operating systems on Dell machines instead of Windows. The management of Dell is seriously considering that as well as several other suggestions.
The idea appeared Friday on a company-hosted blog called Dell Idea Storm. CEO Michael Dell unveiled the blog Feb. 16 as part of his 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.
Most Popular
The most popular threads yesterday 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.
I can say from personal experience that the only computer in my house that runs Linux with no driver issues is a Dell laptop. So Dell computers must be a popular choice for users to retrofit with Linux. In the article, an analyst points out that there still are not enough seamless applications for Linux yet. But more seem to be popping up every day. It will be interesting to see how Dell reacts to the instant feedback of the blogosphere, too.
(Incidentally, my Dell laptop has OpenOffice installed. I actually have come to prefer it over Microsoft Office at this point. I also have Firefox on the system but usually use IE anyway - more habit than anything else.)
Geek Stuff | Gaius Friday, 23 February , 2007
By ajacksonian, Friday, 23 February , 2007 @ 12:02 pm
OpenOffice does it for me, too… I do enjoy a lot of OSS and freeware and try to make sure I kick a little back. Ditto with Firefox, although it is used in the auxiliary role for various reasons.
For Linux to succeed it must be: easy to use & maintain, compatible at an application level with suitable replacements to current s/w and invisible to the end-user. I have looked at Linux before, but the necessary dredging up of my UNIX skills is not worth the time or effort… or at least it wasn’t four or five years ago. If the WINE project can get my apps to compatibility then I would seriously look at it with the previous provisos on ease of use.