Print
Storm Sessions
IdeaStorm Storm Sessions
Storm Sessions View Idea
119230
Closed
Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office By dhart,  Feb 17, 2007


Provide OpenOffice.org for free pre-installation alongside Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is more capable than Microsoft Works, and a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, at a fraction of the cost (it's free!)

OpenOffice.org can open, create, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.

Provide as OPTIONS for pre-installation many other high-quality free software programs such as:

- Firefox: web browser with popup and privacy controls; say goodbye to Internet Explorer infections!

- Thunderbird: email program with free anti-spam and privacy controls

- Pidgin: instant messaging all-in-one program for popup-free MSN, Yahoo, AOL and others
&nsbp;[ed: GAIM was renamed Pidgin in April 2007 to settle the issue with AOL's trademark on AIM]

- PDFCreator: creates Adobe PDF files from any program

- Scribus, Inkscape & GIMP: desktop publishing, freehand drawing & powerful image editing

- Audacity & VLC: multi-track audio editing & universal all-in-one media/video/movie/DVD player
- Stellarium & Celestia: planetarium viewer & outer-space mapping, like Google Earth, but for our Solar System

Pre-installed quality free and open source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs, and helps prevent software piracy. Cast your vote for Linux and other free software. Cast your vote for the Universal Education PC [ed: article removed/merged by dell_admin] utilizing free software.

CHOICE is what consumers want on their new PCs, not annoying surprise circus-ware (the typical smattering of confusing 3rd party popup-infested software found on most new Dell PCs). Quality free and open source software is well behaved, and may be legally pre-installed on PCs, and legally shared with friends and family, sharing is encouraged! Cast your vote for consumer CHOICE and public transparency at Dell


DELL/ Status Update

Dell is constantly reviewing options to offer to customers. As this is available for free today, we do not currently plan on offering this as an option to factory install.
dhart119230.0
  Sun Feb 18 00:47:16 GMT 2007
Comments: 657
Categories: Desktops and Laptops  Software  
Status:Archived


MERGED IDEAS

Please make a Dell version of open office, with development guided by a monetary Idea Storm
By arclight, 20 Feb 2007 2:03 PM Tue Feb 20 22:03:38 GMT 2007
Comments: 0
Dell version of Open Office
By arclight, 23 Feb 2007 8:47 PM Sat Feb 24 04:47:57 GMT 2007
Comments: 1
OpenOffice.org as an Option on Vista Systems
By badblood, 14 Jun 2007 1:26 PM Thu Jun 14 20:26:47 GMT 2007
Comments: 29
Offer an option of this new $0 Office Suite from Microsoft along with an option of OpenOffice to see which people like better
By jmxz, 2 Aug 2007 3:51 PM Thu Aug 02 22:51:22 GMT 2007
Comments: 12
put open office in options such as office
By siger, 19 Sep 2007 4:23 AM Wed Sep 19 11:23:07 GMT 2007
Comments: 6
Pre-installing open office on Dell computers
By mferner, 2 Feb 2009 10:05 AM Mon Feb 02 18:05:53 GMT 2009
Comments: 1
Openoffice.writer
By W Shaw, 2 Feb 2009 7:02 PM Tue Feb 03 03:02:55 GMT 2009
Comments: 0
Make OpenOffice.org an option for pre-installation on Dell Computers
By cbabie, 17 Jul 2010 7:58 AM Sat Jul 17 14:58:21 GMT 2010
Comments: 0
OpenOffice
By Boldlove, 1 Aug 2011 8:27 PM Tue Aug 02 03:27:27 GMT 2011
Comments: 0
10
By waynepatrick, 8 Oct 2011 3:09 PM Sat Oct 08 22:09:49 GMT 2011
Comments: 1

Comments

Sort Comments By

By chanquest  Feb 17, 2007
Comment Link   
dude that is one lame idea. Why would you want to buy a Dell with freeware? Plus I think the Open Source License policy prohibits software to be pre-installed and sold within a PC. I think MS Office is more capable than Open Office. Have you even seen Open Office? The spreadsheet in Open Office pales in comparison to Excel. Powerpoint blows away the Presentation software. Photoshop is a lot better and easier to use than GIMP. Windows Media Player will beat out VLC. I do like Firefox though. What's with the link to Wikipedia? Am I suppose to search each line item within Wikipedia?
By kyliemanders  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
This open source stuff gives me the creeps - sorry bad idea...
By theblackcat  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
I am also unclear on the advantage of bundling software that can be downloaded for free. Especially since this prevents you from picking and choosing which components you wish to install, something I like to do with every piece of software I install. I could see perhaps having a folder with installers for a variety of open-source software saved in the Documents folder when the computer arrives and letting people just go through and install what they wish when they first start it up. Have a shortcut for the folder on the desktop and perhaps a readme with a brief description of each program. Then they can just delete that folder when they have installed what they want and not have to worry about it again.
By exzen  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
You're right about one thing, it doesn't make a lot of sense when you can download for free. I'd like to see something like that if you could save money, because M$ software blows in general. And I disagree, GIMP is just as powerful as photoshop (also easy to use) and is FREE to boot, VLC destroys WMP in format compatibility and stability and overall simplicity and ease of use, and there are more great free programs out there better than their costly alternatives. Amarok is a good one (audio player). What I'd really love to see is the option of ditching windows altogether (I'd rather my computer not be just a glorified DRM platform, thanks) and maybe shave $20 off the price. I'm just sick of dealing with M$'s crap is all.
By chanquest  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
exzen dude, Microsoft Windows is here to stay. Linux failed to make a dent in their market share and there is nothing that comes close to Windows for ease of use and appearance. There is that fine line difference between GIMP and Photoshop that makes the pros choose Photoshop. GIMP is good but Photoshop is the best. That's why these guys are not sweating over freeware.
By rtillery  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
The idea here is to have OPTIONS available... especially options that could provide the same or better functionality as the Microsoft stuff. While Linux (and open-source stuff in general sometimes) isn't as user-friendly for less experienced folks in some areas (hardware configuration, for one), the fact remains that a significant number of people out there prefer the flexibility and options that Linux affords. If you happen to be one of those Linux people, it seems a little stupid to have to pay more than you have to for a system because it comes pre-equipped with a Windows OS that you don't want and don't use. Nobody's suggesting that Dell ONLY offer Linux distros and open source alternative software..... just that it might be a nice option and lower the cost of Dell's products that are packaged with free software. That's all. OPTIONS, and LOWER COST. How is that a bad idea?
By exzen  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
Exactly, I'm not saying abandon windows, just offer an alternative. As far as attractive goes, KDE 3.5+Beryl makes Vista blush. As far as ease of use goes, I'd argue that Ubuntu is quickly catching up, and given a few years I think it will rival the windows user experience. Vista is just a glorified DRM platform, I like to have control over my system.
By theblackcat  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
You are not going to get much control over your system with anything that is preinstalled. One of the advantages of Linux is being able to tailor the installation to suit your needs, tweaking your options, installed components, kernel modules and such. Having it preinstalled defeats the whole purpose in my opinion. And cost is not necessarily going to be lower with linux. First of all, as preinstalled software Dell would be required to offer customer support for it. It is a lot easier to cause serious damage to Linux than to Windows, and would require training tech support on one or more entirely new operating systems (especially when you factor in multiple completely different GUI's like KDE and GNOME and the various compatibility problems between them). Second, installing drivers on windows is much, much simpler, often completely automatic. That is not the case with many Linux distributions. It may even require Dell compiling their own drivers in some cases. There would also be a lot of work making sure all the systems have the most up-to-date drivers and that drivers are even available for all of their hardware. So in terms of cost of the actual software it may be free, but there are other costs that could make it more expensive overall.
By exzen  Feb 18, 2007
Comment Link   
You make a good point. Dell would be forced to ship officially supported versions of the distros like SUSE, Red Hat Enterprise etc. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'd just be satisfied to get a laptop without windows on it, and save a little cash. It doesn't seem unreasonable, would cost Dell almost nothing to implement (its not like the majority of their consumer base to going to start buying laptops w/o windows anyways) and stands a chance of saving the end user a buck.
By kyliemanders  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
Looking at who has promoted this idea - looks like 3 people in the United States, and the rest in Eurpoe... Does Dell even sell computers there?
By elehenaff  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
you're totally right, kylie !
In fact, DELL doesn't sell ONE computer in Europe. That's because we don't have any road for them to deliver their hardware ! And what would we do with it, we don't have no electricity !

i think basic users should have the choice to have free softwares preloaded. let's promote choice.
By jrosenfeld  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
This is an impractal suggestion, even if Dell were to overcome copyright restrictions and problems related to customer service for preinstalled software. We all have our own list of favorite freeware, what makes your list so special? I might want a completely different set. It's all downloadable from the net, so why expect a PC vendor to assemble some arbitrary motley collection for you?
By gregh  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
I think this idea rocks, Ubuntu with 3D desktops effect is easily better than vistas poor attempt at OSX, dont beleive me? check videos on you tube, or better still go try it yourself ! Maybe some of you should actually look at open source products before you spout the old MS lines. I *can* comments on both as I use both, don't troll until you know what you are talking about. I am all for choice, not MS version of choice but REAL choice.
By zeekay  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
I would love to see Dell start offering pre-installed linux as an option. That sort of backing would help promote software development and hardware support for linux, and that, I would be willing to pay for. I enjoy building my own pc's but I would gladly start buying dell pc's to help promote linux. I'm sure other linux enthusiasts would too. I've never owned a dell, but if they started to offer ANY linux distro pre-installed, I promise you, the next computer I buy, will be a dell. As far as the increased cost of technical support, I imagine they could leverage the fact it will cost them less to manufacture computers loaded with free software and work out any issues there. Also, I would be willing to bet that the average fellow who would buy one of your pc's pre-loaded with linux would be technically savvy enough to get by without blowing up the 1-800 numbers.
By dwomble  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
We end up paying a tax because we have to buy XP with PCs. We then erase it and put Linux on instead. Being able to buy with Linux pre-installed would save us both time & money.
By kahping  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
I don't use MS Works and I'd much rather not have MS Office. Having the option of pre-installing OpenOffice.org would be nice. First thing I did with my Dell was uninstall Works & install OpenOffice anyway.
By maco  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
So, anyone who is calling it "freeware" needs to stop because you can't modify the source on freeware. It's still proprietary. This is Free (with a capital F) Software. Second, Chanquest, that's FUD. It is perfectly legal to pre-install OOo. It even has a listing on their site of who does it and where you can get cds for OOo.
By sid1950  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
Dell Inspiron 1300 + Suse 10.1 + Linksys WRT55AG + Blueyonder broadband + one 84 year old mother = very happy mother! No Windo$e, no viruses, no hassle! Where do we usually get our Windows OS? As a pre-install. The advantage of a pre-installed Linux is that if you support it the user doesn't need to know anything. Most computer users don't know anything anyway. Since I did the install and can provide tech support for my Mum, she has a "pre-installed" Dell. End of story.

I'm going to do the same for my youngest brother who is an experienced user, but has broken his laptop by trying to re-install XP himself. He tried my Mum's, which has Firefox, Thunderbird (with the Lightning calendar extension) and OpenOffice. I then showed him GIMP & Inkscape. He is an experienced Adobe user, but has now committed to making the switch to Linux. I will have to support him as well, but thats what I had to do anyway when he was using Windows. My other brother and my sister are both long term Mac users, so we can be an M$ free family at last.
By effwithaj  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
I think this is a fantastic idea, and would work very well with Dell introducing pre-installations of Linux as an OS option. Probably the biggest obstacle to getting Dell to actually start offering these software packages however will not be customers, but their other retail software partners. None of them want to compete with Free Software. There's also the issue that if Dell shipped systems with these software packages, they'd have to start supporting them, which might actually be a bigger issue for Dell directly, when you consider how costly their tech support infrastructure already is. Either way, Dell should, at the VERY LEAST offer boxes with no software pre-installed at a discounted price, if they're unwilling to support Free Software solutions.
By conservative_tech_guy  Feb 19, 2007
Comment Link   
Thumbs up on Open Office pre-installs. We've bought PCs that just came with MS Works and it was insufficient for school boy usage. The solution was installing OpenOffice, which was free. Works just great, and with all the bells and whistles

Similar email solution was Thunderbird, which addressed all household needs. Firefox versus IE is a matter of personal preference, except IE is required in some corporate environments where business applications have been built around IE.

We've got 4 desktops and 3 laptops running in our household: OpenOffice and Firefox are the only software common to them all. And OpenOffice and Firefox really are as good as the other brand in daily use (some say better; some would never consider anything but MS, preferences vary person to person)...

< Previous12345...33Next > Page 1 of 33

POST A COMMENT

Please log in to post a comment.

Login to IdeaStorm

Don't have an IdeaStorm account?
Register Now.


Username:
Password:

Forgot Password?

Your Ideas in Action

Dell Idea Partners:

David_V 
“I began working for Dell in 2007 as a Pricing Analyst for the European division of Alienware. I recently transitioned to their Product Planning group and work closely with the team to launch the latest Alienware tech. “

Justin_B 
I am with the Mobility Solutions & Services team and am currently working on social media marketing campaigns to increase awareness of Dell’s mobility solutions initiative. I also manage our customer-facing Mobility Solutions Demo Center in Round Rock 1.  I am excited to see where this road takes me and am ready for the challenge. Let’s talk Mobility!
The Dell Community has:
  • Contributed  16,719 ideas
  • Promoted  736,634 times
  • Posted  94,677 comments

Dell has:
  • Implemented  481 ideas
Follow us on Twitter
About IdeaStorm
Filter by Category
Top Idea Makers