__/ [ Paul Bramscher ] on Thursday 01 March 2007 05:01 \__
John Bailo wrote:
peterwn wrote:
I suspect that Dell is even too scared stiff to say that the Windows
loaded computers it sells are Linux compatible (the dialup modem and
the video chipset being the main determing factors).
The answer is: we just shouldn't care about what the Big Dinosaurs are
doing. Yes, it's icing on the cake...but not really needed.
There are plenty of outlets for preinstalled Suse linux desktops and
notebooks.
The hard job of advocacy is getting the word to people about these places.
A top down solution of big mega deals is not what linux is about.
Yes, but advocating for OS-blind machines should be fair game. It's one
thing to demand that Dell pre-installs a supported corporate linux
distro (like SuSE), it's another to simply advocate for the sale of
laptops which have been hardware-tested as per the normal procedures --
but leave the assembly line in some sweatshop with no OS on them at all.
Joe and Jane would never bother with a FreeDOS machine. Even a simple
installation stage would discourage exploration. Dell PCs are not only
expensive when preloaded with FreeDOS (more expensive than having Windows
preloaded, which becomes a deterrent to Tom, Dick and Harry), but they also
leave the user with a chore, which is unnecessary.