Posted on 02/25/2006 7:09:32 PM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing
Is Dell is on its way to becoming the first tier-one PC vendor to offer a mainstream business Linux desktop to US customers? It's starting to look that way.
In the recent past, Dell has toyed with shipping a Linux-powered PC to the US market. But, when push came to shove, the results -- a Dimension E510n PC shipped with an empty hard drive, a copy of the obscure, open-source FreeDOS operating system and no support if you did install Linux -- were less then impressive.
It's a different story for so-called workstations priced nearly as cheaply as desktops. Dell has started advertising a trio of affordable workstations with RHEL WS 4 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux workstation 4) preinstalled.
That used to be true, but as of Windows 2000, Windows was able to do very well with Photoshop. This was especially true for high end applications around 2000-2002 where Windows had the architectural advantage over the Mac for multiprocessor and high memory usage applications (remember OS 9's horrible memory architecture and lack of SMP). It was true again when the G4 processor was far behind the x86 processors, and Photoshop on Windows XP could run circles around a G4 with an early release of OS X. Remember, OS X wasn't stable until 10.1 (late 2001) and only really usable at 10.2 (2002) with the addition of Quartz Extreme.
If Dell doesn't want to support Linux, who the hell cares? They are a company, they can do what they want. Let other OEMs service that market and make the money, Dell will come around if a Linux desktop market big enough to be worth it for them comes around.
For Dell it's not just about slapping a free Red Hat image on some drives and shipping them out. They need their whole support network behind it, basic troubleshooting guides and training for tier 1 help desk, etc. Right now they do it for the much smaller market of servers and workstations, but you pay a lot for it, and they pass a lot of support onto the Red Hat Enterprise License.
That differentiation made sense in 1998 but there is little difference between a desktop and a workstation. Lets look at the specs:
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630, 3.00GHz Memory: 512MB, 533MHz, DDR2 SDRAM Memory Hard Drive: 80GB SATA 3.0GB/s with NCQ and 8MB DataBurst Cache CD-ROM, DVD, and Read-Write Devices: 48X CD-ROM
This, with windows installed, would be a nice desktop..
Those are "workstations" not the lowest cost "desktops", quit trying to change the argument just so you can finally accuse others of being the liar.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DE51F2&s=dhs&fb=1
Desktop with the same processor, memory that can be moved up to 512 (same as the 'workstation'), Bigger Hard Drive, and other equivalent equipment. Why is this a desktop and the Linux box a 'workstation'? With the same internal components is the difference just the Operating system? Its sad to see you try to use semantics because you are caught lying if not in word, in spirit..
Go cry your little eyes out to Steve Vaughn-Nichols or accuse him of being the liar, he's the one that started all this and has since eaten his ankle. The bottom line is Dell still isn't offering Linux on their low end home desktop computers, nor is any of your whining about to change that. Just because you want to ram Linux down everyone's throats with lies doesn't mean we necessarily want anything to do with it, you'll just have to grow up and realize it, and finally speak the truth on these subjects which you and your ilk have so far been unable to do.
Which differers substantially with you're statement 'its damn near impossible to get a dell desktop preloaded with Linux', I never said Dell offered Linux on all its offerings just pointed out your (Ill be nice) exaggeration. You also ignore I have said Dell is under no obligation to one way or the other until they think its in their best interest which is pretty much their management position.
Just because you want to ram Linux down everyone's throats with lies doesn't mean we necessarily want anything to do with it
Sometimes they are not all out to get you, sometimes you're just paranoid. I have never try to ram Linux down anyones throat and infact have said good things about Windows and its place. I have also, on this very thread, said dell needs to do whats best for Dell and if that means windows I agree with tehir decision.
and finally speak the truth on these subjects which you and your ilk have so far been unable to do.
Son between 'literally hundreds of kernel developers', 'it's damn near impossible to get desktop computers from them with it (Linux) preinstalled at all!', 'Linux only has 10-15% of the market', and others you're nobody to lecture about the truth..
You're still wrong, obviously, of course, as typical. You still haven't linked a Dimension (desktop) model that can be preloaded from them with Linux. The rest is just you arm waving and huffing and puffing in a failed attempt to cover up your BS.
At least Vaughn-Nichols was man enough to post a follow up article that admitted his original BS was coming out his ears, you on the other hand are still clinging to his original article he himself has since admitted was BS. And THAT my friend, is you and you alone attempting to ram your already disproven BS about Linux down our throats, and trying to hide it now makes it all that much worse.
Your initial post did not mention the Dimension "'it's damn near impossible to get desktop computers from them with it (Linux) preinstalled at all!'" and to restrict the conversation to the brand name rather than the technical specs and price shows how pathetic your argument was. Unless you can bring something more to this I think we can leave it at:
between 'literally hundreds of kernel developers', 'it's damn near impossible to get desktop computers from them with it (Linux) preinstalled at all!', 'Linux only has 10-15% of the market', and others you're nobody to lecture about the truth..
We can add 'Apples decision to go with intel was about Linux'
You obviously don't know much about Dell, and what computers they will sell to whom. I'm not wasting any more time on the uneducatable, but trust Vaughn-Nichols that you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about, just like normal.
As for your constant lies, here's where others can start reading about them:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1584107/posts?page=122#122
and he pouts and takes his ball home...
Now that's an ironic typo...
Cool. That illustrates
a second "ground truth" about
Windows and Linux.
Irrespective of
Windows technical merits,
people perceive it
used by everyone --
big biz, small biz, science types,
average home bodies . . .
Therefore everyone
feels no social stigma from
their Windows machine.
Linux, regardless
of its technical merits,
is perceived at large
as a play thing of
clueless idiots whose heads
are so full of cheese
they would have to ask
Star Trek fans or Dungeons and
Dragons players how
to find the real world . . .
And folks are repelled by that.
So they don't use it.
Cool. That illustrates a second "ground truth"
again, nah. It just illustrates the fact that it is easier to hide behind absurd generalizations disguised as prose when you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about, but feel compelled to say something anyway.
Your original (and very ignorant) post didn't say anything about desktop or workstation, moron.
"Dell made it almost impossible for them to buy a Linux system from them. "
When everyone here soundly defeated that mindless statement, you claimed you were talking about something else, as usual. Moron.
Yes it did, what are you, blind? In post #115, I clearly said "it appears it's damn near impossible to get desktop computers from them with it preinstalled at all"
"Dell made it almost impossible for them to buy a Linux system from them. "
Those are not my words, those are words you made up, LMAO! My words clearly said desktop. Even antirepublic called you boys on your bs.
As for flamingdeath, what a puss! Making up other people's quotes, the lowest of the low.
ok fellas. i downloaded Mepis 3.4-3 and i'm using it right now
to make this post, this is my MAIN computer, not the laptop haven't tried the WIFI yet, how do you change the screen resolution in linux. its been so long since i have messed with this os.
Open Control Center > Peripherals > Display to change the resolutions.
This does have two drop down menus, one for example as a choice 1024x768 and the other menu has the 70, 75, 85 etc according to what your monitor can handle.
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