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Re: Woohooo! Dell + Linux



Seth Goodman wrote:

> Most people could not complete a Linux install without a phone call to
> tech support.  I suspect that's one part of the reason there are so
> few no-OS boxes.  When the install doesn't turn out right, their first
> call is to the people who sold them the hardware, even though that's
> the least likely place to have a problem.  Technically sophisticated
> users do not tend to do this, but that's a pretty small market.
> 

But surely the people most likely to buy no-OS boxes are also most likely to be clued up when it comes to installation?
Someone new to Linux (or computing in general) isn't likely to buy a box without an OS on it, just as a newly qualified
driver isn't likely to buy a car without an engine in it (unless they happen to be an auto-mechanic, of course).

Whether or not this all comes to fruition, it shows that Linux *is* getting "talked about".   I would have thought
(perhaps naively) that producing a system with Linux pre-installed, or with no OS, would cost less per unit than one
with Vista or XP (do manufacturers have to pay M$ to allow them to pre-install Windows?).  Then again, why is it that
wholemeal bread "with nowt taken out" (thus presumably requiring less in the production process) costs more than white
bread? :S

-- 
Paul Walsh



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