Desktop sales played a big role in Hewlett-Packard’s recent news-making profit gains. In the future, Linux will figure prominently in HP desktops, says Christine Martino, vice president of HP’s Open Source and Linux Organization. She’s not predicting an overthrow of Windows desktops anytime soon, though.
When a prominent IHV (independent hardware vendor) such as Hewlett Packard embraces and ships Linux desktops, this will be the “Year of the Linux Desktop”.
With the newer incarnations of gnome or kde, I honestly think Linux is reaching that point where a majority of hardware just works.
As proven here, HP has experience with Debian:
http://h20219.www2.hp.com/services/cache/76817-0-0-225-121.html
They also go on to say they have no intentions of creating their own distribution. Maybe Ubuntu will fit the bill as the debian based distribution they go for on the desktops.
As much as it would be nice, maybe you forget that Dell did this several years ago, then quietly stopped about a year and a half later, if memory serves.
Linux may be at the point where it is ready for some people’s desktops (it was for mine about 3 years ago). the percent may be 1%, 10% or even 50%, who really knows. One thing is certain, Dell, HP and the other PC retailers all have nice deals on Windows discounts – and if they start offering Linux desktops to the masses (and remove their “[insert vendor name here] recommends Windows” banners) then they lose part of their discount – making them less competetive versus the other retailers.
Selling PCs is all about making money for these people.
Sure, they could even offer OpenOffice.org for free with every PC sold, but why do that when they make a profit on every MS Office they bundle?
Selling PCs is all about making money for these people.
In other words we should can the GNU/Linux Desktop efforts, because the hardware vendors only care for MS dollars. They won’t give GNU/Linux the light of day, since it’s not lucrative enough.
Sorry folks, it seems you are stuck with Windows for eternity.
In other words we should can the GNU/Linux Desktop efforts, because the hardware vendors only care for MS dollars. They won’t give GNU/Linux the light of day, since it’s not lucrative enough.
Oh, please, now! That is one HECK of a leap from my statement to a call to dismantle F/LOSS efforts.
I love my Linux box, and am an Open Source advocate. I just don’t expect any support from these systems houses until Linux has already come up underneath them.
The Dells and HPs ride the trends to make money. They have no other drive – that is my message.
The Dells and HPs ride the trends to make money. They have no other drive – that is my message.
Can’t speak to Dell, but as someone who spent five years doing OS research at HP labs, and who still has many friends at HP, can say that “make money” is still not the only motivation at that company.
Making money is a necessary part of the deal, but a lot of people care about how they make money, and many of them are still at HP and still passionate.
One thing is certain, Dell, HP and the other PC retailers all have nice deals on Windows discounts – and if they start offering Linux desktops to the masses (and remove their “[insert vendor name here] recommends Windows” banners) then they lose part of their discount – making them less competetive versus the other retailers.
I’m not sure this would be a good idea for MS at this time, when it is trying to avoid further anti-trust lawsuits.
Maybe they can keep the “HP recommends Windows” banner, all while offering Linux pre-installed (hopefully Ubuntu/Kubuntu).
Right, we could let HP recommend any OS they want and we knowledgable users will keep buying their products with linux preinstalled.
One of the big “complaints” (I use that word advisedly) of GNU/Linux is the (so-called) difficulty of installation. But most people don’t install Windows; it comes pre-installed on whatever computer they buy. If GNU/Linux came pre-installed, that would jump a huge hurdle in ease of use. And if HP/Compaq, who sells tons of computers to businesses & government, started selling GNU/Linux computers, that would be a huge boost to GNU/Linux.
I guess it was a good idea to buy my nx61xx last year. Especially since it runs Linux just fine. (Well, using ndiswrapper for the infamous BCM43xx wireless) And If memory serves there’s some countries where this model is sold with linux preinstalled.
Promising Linux and opensource seems to be a political “bait and switch” trick.
Then they SPAM you with Microsoft products.
Talk is cheap.
HP needs to produce.
Here are some companies selling Linunx and no-OS.
http://www.emperorlinux.com/
http://www.ibexpc.com/
http://www.koobox.com/
http://www.linare.com/
http://www.linspire.com/
http://www.linuxcertified.com/
http://www.linuxsyscorp.com/
http://www.microcenter.com/
http://www.microtelpc.com/
http://www.outpost.com/
http://www.seascape.us/
http://shoprcubed.com/
http://www.sub300.com/
http://www.systemax.com/divisions.htm
http://www.walmart.com/
http://tuxmobil.org/reseller.html
http://www.us.debian.org/distrib/pre-installed
http://www.linux.org/vendor/system/index.html
http://tuxmobil.org/ (general information)
No OS
(Sabio made by Quanta, like Dell-latitudes)
http://www.avadirect.com/
http://www.asimobile.com/
http://www.powernotebooks.com/
Well, in favor of HP’s case…
They do have a history of contributing code to the OSS comunity, they are members of OSDL and support Linux in their hardware. They even have linux models in some places. (third party distributors, i assume)
So I think that if they decide to do this, I think they’ll do it properly.
> They even have linux models in some places.
Indeed, even laptops (with SuSE preinstalled):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5831949/
Also – in Europe – have they shiped Mandrivia (formerly Mandrake) on thier e-PC models since (atleast) 2000 stock… Recently they added an option for RedHat or Novell/SuSE:
http://h10018.www1.hp.com/wwsolutions/linux/products/clients/client…
> (third party distributors, i assume)
Sure, if your installed base is like Debian or Slackware based, and you want new hardware…
Yes, MS has a stranglehold on the deskto PC market, largely due to it’s deep discount deals with the large OEMs (Dell, HP).
If Dell or HP start making major Linux offerings, and really promote them, they run the risk of losing their MS discounts. It’s a clear violation of anti-trust laws, but it’s reality.
However, Dell and HP are the big boys of their markets, and if they both make major Linux offerings at the same time, what is MS going to do? Are they going to be stupid enough to bite the hands that feed them (i.e. their major Windows revenue streams)?
And it would be very advantatgeous for Dell and HP to both do their Linux thing at the same time. It would put them in the postion of calling the shots over MS, instead of the other way around.
Also, Dell, HP, and other PC OEMs, are most certainly quite ticked off about Vista missing the upcoming Christmas season.
Maybe they really will considere major Linux desktop strategies. The tipping point is edging closer and closer.
The only thing working against it is the fact that Windows is deliberately bloated (official minimum memory for Vista is 512megs, for full featured it’s a Gig). Bloated OS and software is good for PC OEMs, providing the need for consumers to upgrade their hardware.
But consumers won’t like having to upgrade hardware for absolutely no benefit – just look at all the stripped out features in Vista – it’s down to now being XP with extra eye candy, essentially. People are going to think they have to fork out and extra 7,8,9 hundred dollars (or even much mored), just to run something adds no benefit. F&%$ that.
So, this is the sliver of opportunity for Linux.
Is an excellent situation in which Linux can work – where a major vendor can lock down what hardware goes into the system – likely bundling it with preconfigured “extra’s” like cameras, printers, etc.
Of course, it could also be a nightmare for their support department the first time grandma tries to add the $40 Lexmark she got at Wally World… BUT, if they make a hard push behind it and REALLY do support it, we could finally see some of the more annoying and convoluted aspects of linux (by way of it’s *nix legacy) FINALLY be addressed seriously – I just hope they realize what they are lining themselves up for in terms of support needs.
Oh, they know. HP has been keenly aware of support costs in PC land for at least fifteen years.
They’ve also been contributors, as someone else mentioned, in open source land, since before the phrase was fashionable. (While I was there, among other things, we funded part of the University of Utah’s work on Mach.)
It’s fashionable to say that the only thing that motivates a corporation is profits, but the company that Mr Hewlett and Mr Packard founded is full of employees, even at this late date, who care about how the profits are made, and some of them are passionate open source advocates.
It’s fashionable to say that the only thing that motivates a corporation is profits
It is not “fashionable”. It’s true.