Confirmed: Ubuntu coming to Dell consumer PCs

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 02 May 2007 05:25

IT Industry - Strategy

Dell has confirmed it will offer Ubuntu Linux preinstalled on "select consumer desktop and notebook products."

The program will begin with Ubuntu 7.04 'Feisty Fawn', but there's no indication yet of which models will be available with the open-source operating system preinstalled. The company's web site reveals that one of chairman and CEO Michael Dell's home computers is a Precision M90 notebook running Ubuntu 7.04.

According to Dell officials, Ubuntu was the distribution most requested by customers.

Dell will provide hardware support as usual, and customers will have the option to purchase support from Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu.

According to company officials, the move comes in response to "overwhelming feedback" from customers through its IdeaStorm web site, which was set up to solicit customers' ideas for new products and services.

Dell already offers Red Hat Linux on its Precision PCs.