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Hey Linux Fans: Certification Isn't Pre-Installation

By Edward F. Moltzen, CRN February 26, 2007
This item at Slashdot is certainly attention-grabbing:

Pre-Installed Linux On Dells Coming

The post refers to remarks by Dell executives, who have been monitoring the company's new online suggestion box and the tens of thousands of requests for the PC maker to offer pre-installed Linux on notebooks and desktops.

Dell responded with this statement:

We are listening, and as a result, we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations. This is another step towards ensuring that our customers have a good experience with Linux on our systems.

Dell says, ". . . we have seen a consistent request to provide platforms that allow people to install their operating system of choice." (Emphasis added.)

Certification means, essentially, that Dell would say Linux will work with its hardware. It doesn't necessarily mean that Dell will offer SKUs of notebooks and desktops pre-loaded with Ubuntu, SLED 10 or any other Linux distribution.

"Certification" doesn't mean pre-installation. "Support" doesn't mean pre-installation. "Pre-installation" means pre-installation.

If Dell certifies Linux on its clients, it will join the party already featuring Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and scores of white box companies.


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