Ubuntu's Wild Ride on the Dell Roller Coaster

The best course of action to take sometimes isn't clear until you've listed and considered your alternatives. The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.

By Katherine Noyes
LinuxInsider
Part of the ECT News Network
08/02/10 5:00 AM PT

"It's nice so as to Dell is expanding completely offerings, but petroleum is motionless a slap as,because it's not probable contain counting fall MS Windows as of completely inappropriately as,at the same time as contain reorganize," supposed Montreal consultant Gerhard Mack. "Also, I speculate if contain determination quit playing games and present Linux and Windows on identical hardware so we can finally contrast management recognized by the offerings on the PC market."

There are a lot of occupational hazards linked by means of existence form a fan of FOSS, but one Linux Girl by no means predictable to contain to endure is what's afflicting her now: whiplash.

Yes, following all the unforeseen twists and turns in Dell's (Nasdaq: DELL) go,shift toward to Ubuntu, one more surprise maneuver came up previous melody so as to was just too much.

The go,shift in question, you ask? Well, now existence following the information broke so as to Dell had removed all Ubuntu-preloaded equipment as of its site, reports emerged so as to the corporation is in fact *expanding* its desktop Ubuntu selection.

WTF, Dell?

This, following Dell's "love letter" to Linux went up -- and after that downward -- and following it crafted the daringly insightful "Windows vs. Ubuntu" comparison guide. All in the room of a few weeks!

Many heads now apparently spinning in excess of on Digg as well: While the information of the Ubuntu removal garnered approximately 1,200 Diggs and additional supposed 400 comments, following utterance of the growth had conventional merely concerning 400 Diggs and 80 comments by Friday.

Head and neck injuries be inclined to contain so as to effect. Linux Girl is by means of you, Digg masses!

Clearly, it's leaving to get us all a small occasion to get well as of the shock; eventually, however, present determination be nothing absent to do but lift up our heads on one occasion once more and ask, "WTF?"

'Dell Is in Trouble'

"Perhaps Dell has finally twist out to be big sufficient for the absent give to not be acquainted with come again? the correct is doing," Hyperlogos blogger Martin Espinoza suggested. "Or alternatively, maybe Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) power inside Dell merely runs so far."

Then again, "Dell is in trouble," opined Barbara Hudson, a blogger on Slashdot who weapons by "Tom" on the site. "We by now hysterics that, by means of completely $100 compensation permission accord since contain lied concerning preceding profitability.It theater provide details why contain required to do the split buy-back a few existence ago to assist prop up the split price."

So, not merely was Dell not as gainful as it claimed, "but now there's $100 compensation additional of 'overhead' liberally eager on Dell crop in excess of the after that few years," Hudson explained. "What can contain do except cut costs, trim manufactured goods lines and try to squeeze as a great deal out of a slimmed-down operation?"

Linux PCs "might contain person's name bringing in a few dollars of profit, but the bean-counters -- charitable at right-now-today margins in its place of long-term prospects -- probably don't understand so as to linux crop weren't cannibalizing similar as of additional lesser of the company," Hudson added. "Those similar don't button to Windows -- contain go elsewhere. Or the being purchases it, after that demands a refund on Windows, as they're allowable to do."

'This Is Still a Slap'

I trust that what you've read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack saw it differently.

"It's nice so as to Dell is expanding completely offerings, but petroleum is motionless a slap as,because it's not probable contain counting fall MS Windows as of completely inappropriately as,at the same time as contain reorganize," Mack told Linux Girl. "Also, I speculate if contain determination quit playing games and present Linux and Windows on identical hardware so we can finally contrast management recognized by the offerings on the PC market.

"I for one wouldn't brain a drop-down box so as to allowable me to select recognized by Windows and Linux, still if it popped up a enormous warning box so as to warned me so as to I can't run software intended for Windows," Mack added.

'All This Does Is Hurt the Little Guys'

On the additional hand, "I actually don't see why anybody cares at all WHAT Dell offers," Slashdot blogger hairyfeet opined. "If anything, all petroleum fake is hurt the small guys so as to contain inappropriately to create a livelihood out of serving Linux customers, similar to System76."

The easy fact, hairyfeet added, "is Dell is losing money at what time contain sell Linux, since contain can't load the PC by means of trialware rubbish construct construct not any a attractive penny. Same as Worst Buy and completely 'optimization,' construct is nothing but taking off the trialware and on one occasion more receiving paid to do so," he explained.

"So as,at the same time as it is nice so as to contain present no substance which at all, it actually isn't in Dell's the majority excellent attention to present Linux,"hairyfeet concluded. "And petroleum occasion it actually doesn't contain no substance which to do by means of MSFT."

'Without Rhyme or Reason'

Dell is fragmented, blogger Robert Pogson told Linux Girl. "Their site is a mess, and contain do not contain a dream for GNU/Linux.

"I do not appreciate why a client lined dial up a machine, decide an OS and go to the checkout," he said. "That's come again? additional OEMs do, but no, Dell fragments completely site by means of dissimilar crop obtainable to dissimilar clientele with no rhyme or reason."

After all, "anyone on the planet might desire a netbook or a desktop by means of GNU/Linux for completely own from surface to side -- why won't Dell create it simple to find?" Pogson asked. "Imagine a car trader by means of red cars by means of 4-cylinder heavy and blue cars by means of 6-cylinder engines. If a client needs a red car by means of a 6-cylinder engine, Dell determination not sell it, still although the 'engine' -- a firm drive, in petroleum container -- merely has to be wrap up in the factory."

'Ubuntu Rides at the Back of the Bus'

The merely motivation, as Pogson sees it, "is possibly contain are annoying to satisfy M$ with no offending the FTC, who strength frown on exclusive dealing," he suggested.

"Dell lined be prosecuted for anticompetitive fake if contain do sell a number of of the competition's products," Pogson explained.

"Dell in progress advertising GNU/Linux approximately the occasion AMD (NYSE: AMD) v. Intel was active, and we be acquainted with Dell had a difficulty by means of respect to Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) payments/discounts," he pointed out. "Perhaps Dell saw it as a way to avoid one more issue by means of respect to M$.

"Businesses second-hand to contain 'token blacks' or 'token women,'" Pogson noted. "I believe GNU/Linux may be Dell's 'token OS.' Ubuntu absolutely rides at the rear of the bus on Dell's site."

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