| Dell thinks there are too darned many Linuxes, too |
Sep. 30, 2005
This is annoying.
No sooner, no sooner I tell you, do I write a column about there being too darn many Linux distributions, then Michael Dell of Dell says, in a NYC press conference, to Jacqueline Emigh of Linux Today, that, in looking into offering pre-installed Linux, there are "literally hundreds of distributions" of Linux -- and, that these distributions were "alienated" from each other.
I'm not sure exactly what he meant by alienated. But, I am sure that it's not good.
"Instead, we have the n Series," Michael Dell told Linux Today.
There are actually a lot of boxes in the n Series line, but what he was talking about was the same line of Dell Precision Workstations that Dell has offered for years.
These systems are, like the name says, workstations. They are powerful, they are fast, and they are not cheap.
In short, they're the same old kind of high-end engineering/CAD workstations that Linux and Unix have long lived on.
Curiously enough, they all come with Red Hat Enterprise Workstation as their operating system.
Dell has personally invested almost $100 million into Red Hat.
But when push comes to shove, he still thinks there are too many, conflicting Linuxes out there for his company to invest in Linux.
Argh!
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad Dell's n Series is there.
But, boy, would it kill a first-tier PC vendor to offer an affordable Linux system? A Linux for everyone?
Yes, I know you can get Linspire systems. The company goes to a lot of trouble to certify hardware for its distribution.
Still, at the end of the day, there are no first-tier, and darn few second-tier, vendors that offer Linspire or any other kind of Linux pre-installed on their PCs.
Thanks to Michael Dell, we now know that I wasn't just yakking to hear myself talk. The big computer vendors, and one presumes their customers, still think there's too much "alienation" in Linux for them to invest in it for personal desktops.
And this, mind you, from a man with a personal stake in Red Hat and who already ships Red Hat Linux on his company's high-end boxes!
Clearly, we, as Linux supporters, still have a lot to do to get the word out there that mainline desktop Linux is here to stay and it works great. The job is not yet done.
Oh, and could we please, please focus on working on the mainstream Linux distributions instead of "My Very Own Linux Distribution Inc."?
Thank you.
--Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Do you have comments on this story?
talkback here
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed