Tag Archive for 'Linux'

Ubuntu’s Endgame, Adding Insult to Injury

Published
by
admin
on May 25, 2007
in Dell, Linux and Ubuntu
. 15 Comments

It’s time for all the fans that rallied behind the idea of Dell providing Ubuntu, or any other Linux distribution, to follow through and purchase a system…

Scratch that, they have all disappeared!

Some choice quotes from the same exact fanbase-type “users” that posted to Dell’s IdeaStorm:

“I don’t know how I feel about the “for advanced users and tech enthusiasts” bit. Seems like it undermines my stance on what Linux is about. Dell will not be getting my business until they change.”

“Ubuntu is great, but until it can play all Windows games at near the same performance, I don’t believe it will ever be “better” for my uses.”

“I would definitely pay $50 for a Windows license and a better video card in the Dimension, even more!”

“I’m disappointed that they only offer shitty models and options.”

“I’ve NEVER liked or bought any DELL products, and NEVER will. Why would I want to save 40 bucks on something I would never buy…”

“I love Linux, Ubuntu, and the open-source/GPL movement, but I like to put my systems together personally.”

“If Ubuntu was anything BUT a technical nightmare to configure, what would be the reason to buy one of these? Yes, it installs really easily. Getting it to WORK is next to impossible.”

“You get a computer with an OS you can ***download for free*** pre-installed. Wow!”

“I’m not really interested in buying a PC with an OS, as much as buying a PC with no OS installed.”

How the tides have turned! Not that I, or anyone else, should be surprised. This was to be expected. After all, our fanboys are our biggest hindrance… They talk the talk, but never walk the walk.

Something to consider: once you price the exact same XPS 410 [Vista Home Premium] and 410n [Ubuntu] system, take into account that Dell is offering free shipping on the Vista system, while the Ubuntu system will cost $30 to ship — you are saving only $10!

[I've taken the comments from digg and slashdot, and have slightly edited them for better readability]

Ubuntu’s Death Rattle

Published
by
admin
on May 24, 2007
in Dell, Linux and Ubuntu
. 129 Comments

Having just posted my thoughts on the Dell/Linux sham, it hit me… This must be the sound of Ubuntu’s death rattle.

Having failed to turn a profit year after year, Canonical/Ubuntu has put all of its remaining energy into this deal: from the website re-design with the focus on Dell, to the recent video/talk marketing efforts made by Mr. Shuttleworth.

I _would_ say that all the eggs have been placed into the same basket, but if you look at the past, you quickly realize the rest of the eggs have already been broken and this is a last effort attempt to save a sinking ship.

Since the beginning, Canonical/Ubuntu has been burning millions per year, without seeing any returns — even with a userbase of 2-6 million, and a deployment on 4-16 million systems. And this Dell move is supposed to turn things around?…

Do the numbers:

Dell’s expected sales are at 20,000 systems per year. Who and how many are going to shell out $65 for 30-days worth of support? Zero. Maybe, at best, less than 1%. Same logic applies to the more expensive, yearly, support contracts.

This Dell deal is a joke that’s going sell a handful of systems and net Canonical a few more contracts, relatively worth pennies. Pushing Linux on the average Joe [who is just going to ship the system back] will also backfire. I mean, who else is going to buy these systems? The fanboys that started this mess in the first place? Don’t make me laugh!

And for Ubuntu, after Dell, where is there to go from here but down?

It almost sounds as if this deal was set up to fail from the beginning. If Microsoft is behind this move, they have done a good job of pulling the strings. It’s a sad day today.

Dell’s Linux Offer, still too early to tell

Published
by
admin
on May 24, 2007
in Dell, Linux and Ubuntu
. 2 Comments

When Dell first announced that Linux was going to be offered as a choice on their home systems, many Linux fans rejoiced on the news. GNU/Linux was finally going to make headway in the desktop market, with Dell being the catalyst to displace the Microsoft Windows monopoly. And while everyone was quite happy about this event, I took an alternative view to the situation…

Some of you might have read my negative view-point on Dell’s Linux offer: that it will never work, or worse off, that it might be a set up move by Microsoft to further tarnish Linux. I made my statement, and have been patiently waiting to see the actual Dell offer before saying anything more.

Dell Offers Three Consumer Systems With Ubuntu 7.04

It’s finally here. Later today, Dell will offer U.S customers three different systems with Ubuntu 7.04 installed: the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook. These systems will be available at www.dell.com/open by 4pm CST today. Starting price for the E520n desktop and the E1505n notebook is $599; the XPS 410n starts at $849.

Hardware support will come from Dell. Beyond that, users can turn to the Linux section of the Dell Community Forum. Users also have fee-based options for operating system support through Canonical, including 30-day Get Started, One-year Basic and One-year Standard.

I’ve prices two same systems…
XPS 410: Windows Vista Home — $889
XPS 410 N: Ubuntu Linux, no support from Dell or Canonical — $849

The support for the Linux system only comes from Dell’s Community Forums and can be purchased from Canonical at…

  • 30 days Starter Support: $65
  • 1 year of Basic Support: $125
  • 1 year of Std Support: $275

This offer is targeted “for advanced users and tech enthusiasts” and “we expect these systems to be less than 1 percent of our OS mix for the entire year which is ~20,000 systems annually.”

All in all, I am still a bit disappointed. Yes, you do [at this time, with no offers] get a system for a few dollars less than one with Vista, but what’s going to happen when the average Joe gets in on this great deal and finds out he can’t install iTunes, MS Office, nor his games, and nothing works as it should? Answer: Curse Linux and send the system back! And when Dell figures out that this model is either not profitable, or too small volume, what’s going to happen then? Answer: Blame Linux!

“Is Linux on Dell a Pipe Dream?” Article

Published
by
admin
on March 23, 2007
in Dell, Linux and Ubuntu
. 0 Comments

Is Linux on Dell a Pipe Dream?

I have put another article on the site that discusses the real cost of delivering Desktop Linux to the average Dell home-user.

All about crapware profits, the Microsoft Tax, Support Issues, and Dell’s IdeaStorm.

If you enjoyed the “Is Ubuntu Linux Slowly Dying?” article, you are really going to hate this one [of course that would depend on your definition of "enjoyed"].

“Is Ubuntu slowly dying?” Article

Published
by
admin
on March 7, 2007
in Linux and Ubuntu
. 2 Comments

I have put another article on the main site…
Is Ubuntu slowly dying?

2007, The Year That Linux Takes Over the Desktop — since 2001

Published
by
admin
on January 16, 2007
in Linux
. 0 Comments

As far as I’m concerned, Linux has one single problem. This problem is a major one, and is almost unsolvable. It has kept the above statement from coming true every year that it has been made. Those that understand, keep quite. Those that don’t, work on the next great featureset to bring Linux to the desktop. What is that problem? Device driver support.

Windows is the path of least resistance for the end-user. It is the primary platform for hardware vendors. Everything is supported.

On the Linux side, things are a bit more difficult. Drivers have to be open-source, or distributed as binaries and installed by the user. That is, if they even exist in the first place. And if they do, they might not work too well.

Now this in of itself is not the problem, but rather what needs to happen to solve this issue and bring Linux to the desktop, without serious ideological compromises…

The majority of vendors will never release drivers under an open-source, GPL like, license. There are too many IP issues.

A driver is rarely written by, or contains the IP [Intellectual Property] of, only one company. Many parties are involved in the process, recursively. Contracts are signed.

A company simply cannot open-source a driver without getting sued. Even if all the contract and IP issues are resolved, a company knows that someone else might find that code, or method used, to be very similar to something proprietary… Paving the way for major lawsuits.

Microsoft knows this, and will do anything and everything to prevent the solution to the Linux driver issue. Not that they really need to, as we live in a capitalist society and patents and IP will not be going away anytime soon. And it’s too late for a unified, non-proprietary hardware initiative. It would never catch up with current offerings.

In my opinion, while Linux will gain ground every year, it will never [as in the next 7-10 years] catch up to the market share of Windows. Without a solid driver base, Linux is only good for specific tasks — none of which involve the average end-user. And if you look at what some of the top Linux people have said, you might see they realize the truth and are moving forward, while others are stuck in place.