kdean06

Become the open source OEM

Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by ntaylor0909 02/17/07 **REVIEWED**

I read the same question on Linux forums, all the time: What is the best brand of computer/laptop to purchase for Linux. I know that there is the n series of computers and notebooks, but it could go a step further. Accept the recent offer of free Linux driver development from the Linux Kernel Community so that DELLs "just work" with Linux. Maybe look at some ideas like LinuxBIOS and/or OpenBIOS. Become the OEM that everyone recommends. There is a growing market for Open Source friendly computers and DELL could own that market.


In the past year, we've made a lot of progress on getting Linux to work well on all of our products. Our goal is to become the hardware vendor of choice for Linux users. Click here to learn more from john_h.





45 Comments »

Respect of the EULA terms (refund of OS)

Operating Systems submitted by grosguillaume 02/19/07

On every EULA from Windows OS, it's clearly write that a consumer who disagree with the term of the EULA contract can be refunded, but it's not possible with Dell's computer. 19 Comments »

coreboot (formerly LinuxBIOS) instead of proprietary BIOS

Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by yesmathew 02/20/07

coreboot (formerly known as LinuxBIOS) is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS (firmware) you can find in most of today's computers.
- Fast boot times 3 sec.
- Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
- Can boot Windows too...

External links:
- http://www.coreboot.org/Welcome_to_coreboot
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linuxbios<

An Example:
- http://wiki.laptop.org/go/LinuxBIOS 92 Comments »

Official support for Debian on servers

Servers and Storage, Service and Support submitted by maulkin 02/21/07

As recently reported, HP now offer official support for the Debian distribution on their ProLiant server range. I believe it would be a big boost for Dell to offer similar support.
This would generate good will within a notoriously loyal community, leading to a) greater sales for Dell, and b) a happier userbase where the system just works :)

This would also enable Debian based distributions to offer good compliance.

(disclaimer, I'm a Debian Developer, so have a vested interest in this :P)

Edit: as a aside, this comprises/extends various other ideas in this section. I believe that offering support for a specific system would also solve those other options.

Edit2: It looks like it may also make excellent financial sense to support Debian:
"HP is making $25 million by supporting the free Debian GNU/Linux distribution. ... In fiscal 2006, $25 million in hardware sales in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) were directly related to HP's Debian support." http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3661481 1 Comment »

Provide complete specs for hardware

Sales Strategies submitted by benasselstine 02/21/07

The subject says it all. If the NIC is onboard, then it should SAY that somewhere in the quote. The price quote should include all pertinent information -- just not the purchasable options. 4 Comments »

Pre-install gNewSense on laptops and desktops

Software, Desktops and Laptops submitted by libervisco 02/21/07

gNewSense, from http://gnewsense.org/ , is a pure 100% Free Software Ubuntu based GNU/Linux distribution sponsored by the Free Software Foundation, an organization which started the Free Software movement from which the latter Open Source Initiative sprung up. It is the organization behind the GNU General Public License.

gNewSense is special in that it does not contain any code under proprietary licenses at all, and is yet quite usable even for the average user. This means that it is easy to guarantee that all software within gNewSense is completely legally distributable.

The idea is to offer a line of laptops and desktop PCs whose hardware perfectly fits what this GNU/Linux distribution supports (and it doesn't support only a few hardware devices, notably some wifi chips and some Nvidia and ATI cards). It should be quite possible to build a system that doesn't contain any such unsupported parts.

The benefits of doing this is offering a choice for those who wish to have a completely legally free operating system working out of the box on Dell computers. There is a great number of people within the Free Software community who would appreciate having such a choice and would buy it for themselves and recommend it to their relatives and friends.

It would also certainly attract attention of the Free Software Foundation which would publicly commend Dell for offering this choice, which is very good for bettering Dell's reputation within the whole of Free Software and Open Source movements.

If Dell decides to do this, they should brand these boxes by the correct terminology, calling the operating system they are offering as "GNU/Linux" because the GNU Project, sponsored by the Free Software Foundation, started what we today know as GNU/Linux, a popular free operating system that rivals Microsoft Windows. Many of the core and essential components of the OS come from the GNU project. 23 Comments »