Dell and Ubuntu: deal or no deal?

Sam Varghese
Friday, 27 April 2007 05:41

Opinion and Analysis

Back to the present. After Shuttleworth wrote that piece, he was quoted in an interview as saying that the time for mass consumer sales of Linux on the desktop had not yet come - in other words, again endorsing Dell's reaction to its customer feedback. (I'd like to invite him to try out a rival distribution, Xandros, and then comment on the desktop readiness or otherwise of Linux.)

Following this, we suddenly had the appearance on the net of the fact that Michael Dell runs Ubuntu. It looked to be nicely stage-managed and a process that was working in instalments towards an announcement that Dell would install and sell Ubuntu on its hardware.I asked Shuttleworth if he was aware at the time of writing his piece in defence of Dell that Michael Dell was using Ubuntu on his laptop? His reply: "No! I was apparently the last to know, since I wasn't watching Slashdot closely enough."

I asked whether the recent emergence of that fact was  some kind of coincidence. He replied: "I wouldn't read too much into it. I'm thrilled with the news, but it may just be a statement from Dell that 'we're cool and down with the smart kids' rather than a long term commitment to Linux on the desktop."

Finally, I asked the big question: When can we expect the formal announcement from Dell that it will sell PCs with Ubuntu installed? Shuttleworth said: "Your crystal ball is likely as clear as mine on that front. In geological terms, quite soon I imagine - no more than 2 or 3 million years at the outside."

God has spoken so now I guesss everyone who wants a good desktop distribution should start looking at Xandros instead.