Dell to sell at Wal-Mart ... and Ubuntu Linux makes its debut on Dell.com
Today's debut of Dell PCs with Linux preinstalled threatened to be eclipsed by another Dell bombshell -- the Round Rock, Texas, PC giant will supplement it's direct-to-you sales method with a heaping helping of Middle American retail through Wal-Mart.
Dell told the Associated Press that June 10 will mark the debut of two Dimension E521 desktop models at 3,000 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
The deal "represents our first step" into global retail, Dell spokesman Dwayne Cox said, according to the AP report.
No prices were announced, but the cheapest Dimension E521 goes out the door for $359 at Dell.com.
It doesn't look like Dell will offer Linux on its Wal-Mart boxes, and a check of Wal-Mart's Web site shows that the company -- today anyway -- no longer offers the Linspire-based Linux desktops it had been quietly selling for some time.
Hmmmm ... maybe it's Dell and Wal-Mart's way of giving Microsoft an open-mouthed kiss with extra tongue.
But back to Dell's Linux offerings -- prices for a single laptop and two desktops preloaded with Ubuntu 7.04 begin at $599 and are slightly lower than when equipped with Windows Vista. Oh ... and Dell's Ubuntu won't be able to play .mp3's, DVDs, Flash and a whole bunch of other stuff without the user going through the usual hoops, a kiss of death for the Dell-Ubuntu experiment, according to Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet's Hardware 2.0 blog.
And finding Dell's Linux-equipped PCs at Dell.com isn't easy. What's more apparent is Dell begging its customers to stay with come-ons for Windows XP, which they really, really want you to know they're still selling.
There are no links on the Dell home page, and the first thing you see is the ubiquitous "Dell recommends Windows Vista Home Premium." Of course it does.
But in the dropdown menus for Desktops and Notebooks, there are links for "Open-Source PCs." The headline is "Ubuntu has arrived by popular demand." And there's a handy link, right there in the middle, for Windows users who somehow navigated to the page as if by evil sorcery:
The main thing to note is that when you choose open source you don’t get a Windows® operating system. If you’re here by mistake and you are looking for a Dell PC with Windows, please use the following link.
But for those who do want an open-source box, you can get one from Dell with Ubuntu ... or FreeDOS. Yep, nobody mentioned in this whole Ubuntu-Dell lovefest that the Texas computer giant will ship you a box with FreeDOS on it. What the hell? I'm sure there's a reason for it ...
Here's how Ubuntu describes its FreeDOS offerings:
FreeDOS is a completely stripped down PC operating system for experts and people interested in working in a DOS environment. The main things that set FreeDOS apart from Windows and Ubuntu is that it doesn’t have a graphical interface (i.e., it’s typing only, no mouse) and it only supports DOS applications, such as classic DOS games, business software written for DOS and embedded DOS systems, such as retail cash registers. Generally, users who want FreeDOS know what it is and what they want to do with it. Other users should look to our Ubuntu and Windows platforms.
Embedded DOS systems? If they're out there, I guess it makes sense ... but again, what the hell?
Anyway, when you click through on the Ubuntu link, here's what you get: A mid-level desktop, low- to -mid-level laptop and then a more upscale desktop
Not bad at all. As an exercise for this entry, I "built" a primo XPS 410 system with as many upgrades as made sense (i.e. nothing stupid), no extra warranties or support, and it came in at a hefty $1,964 with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6700 (4MB L2 Cache,2.66GHz,1066 FSB), 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™, Dual Drives: 48x Combo + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable, 19 inch Ultrasharp™ SP1908FP Digital Flat Panel, 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE TurboCache, Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer, Dell USB Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard and 13 in 1 Media Card Reader.
So you CAN spend a ton on a Linux box at Dell.
But here's the kicker for Canonical. Although this disclaimer appears --" Dell provides hardware support only. Software support is available through Canonical and Linux Community" -- there are options available with each system for "Starter Support" ($65), "Basic Support" ($125) or "Standard Support" ($275). That's above and beyond any extra money you want to give Dell for "In-Home Service, Parts and Labor."
Who's providing this non-free support? Certainly the "Linux Community" means Ubuntuforums.org ... but the others must be Canonical, which I hope is ready for what could be an onslaught. It's an experiment, all right, in more ways than three, and it will be very exciting (and I hope not disheartening) to see how it plays out in the months ahead.
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Steven Rosenberg aims to learn what he does not know. He writes about it here.
Steven Rosenberg aims to learn what he does not know. He writes about it here.
Some companiers are still running legacy DOS programs. Why not if it works? My firm was until a year ago (albeit under windows 98). A Retailer near me still runs a DOS system.
There is still a niche requirement for DOS systems. As the ad said 'Generally, users who want FreeDOS know what it is and what they want to do with it.'
Dell are not altruistic, they are a business & would soon drop this if it didn't suit them.
Supposedly Dell wanted to sell OS-less computers but their agreement with Microsoft prevented it (Microsoft arguing that such computers would be ripe for installation of bootleg copies of Windows), so shipping FreeDOS is sort of a loophole.. I think Dell expects users to install Linux on these.
Also I think Dell wanted to distance itself from any responsibility for software support for Linux, and FreeDOS helps them avoid that.
If Dell are launching full support for Linux campaign, and at the same time launching a no-Linux store campaign, then they've completely missed the point, or just don't really care, which I suspect is the real case. Dell may want to sell Linux, but only in the niche where it's already wanted. If you ask me, anyone selling Windows to the average home user is opening themselves up to all sorts of lawsuits, since the system is obviously not secure enough for the average user's online browsing (including credit card use), etc.
I think Dell is being very smart here. First, they're going with the nation's largest retailer, and they'll make up a lot in volume (plus not needing to customize every system). And while Wal-Mart may be high on the evil scale in most ways, the company remains one of the more Linux-friendly behemoths in America. First of all, I believe they use a lot of Linux in their business, and they're one of the only retailers to actually sell a Linux-equipped PC (although they're not doing so at the moment, which is a bit suspicious).
As for Dell's Ubuntu deal, I'd call it a baby step. There's nothing wrong with proceeding cautiously with a small offering designed in large part for the Linux fanboy base that voted in the Idea Storm poll. They've got to see how these boxes do in the channel before going farther. And Dell already offers servers with both SUSE and Red Hat, so they've already got an established Linux business on that side of things.
As some have said, selling a plain Ubuntu box at this point will not get Linux the widespread distribution and acceptance that will really rock Microsoft's boat. For that the system needs to be marketed as an all-in-one solution, making sure people know that they'll get an Office-compatible suite FOR FREE; and the systems MUST support all the popular audio and video media, even though it's against the ideals of open source. MP3 and Flash must work OUT OF THE BOX -- and it would be nice if there was an iTunes port to Linux (or, at least, one working under Wine). That, my friends, would give Linux the chance to fight on Microsoft's playing field for the hearts and minds of average consumers and really upset the technology apple cart (pun intended). At this point, Ubuntu has the best community support, but only with Automatix (did I spell that right?) will Ubuntu do what the majority of non-Linux-savvy users need and want in a home PC.