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story
Zed writes
"Showing a distancing of itself from Microsoft, Dell now offers businesses a chance to purchase computers without a Windows operating system. The N-Series computers start at $319 from Dell's website and ship with a FreeDOS CD in the box."
Is this new? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes but... (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:FreeDOS? (Score:4, Insightful)
What is the point? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:So... (Score:5, Insightful)
It feels wrong. (Score:1, Insightful)
Why not Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Uh (Score:4, Insightful)
Then it occured to me that obviously Dell is still just as scared of Microsoft as it was two years ago when they attempted to ship Linux. Microsoft doesn't care if Dell ships with an OS that isn't a threat really. They just don't want Linux in the mainstream.
Shame on you Dell!
Re:Yes but... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Yes but... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not much, but it doesn't really matter. Dell is sending a message to Redmond, wait a couple weeks until they get a new deal with M$ ... everyone is doing this very same little trick these days, and I guess freedos is easier to support than linux for Dell while the negotiations take place ...
Avoids double dipping (Score:5, Insightful)
Many businesses already have licenses for all the software that they run--either a seat for every user or a site-wide license. For such businesses, a PC that comes with Windows is just wasted money. It would make sense to try to wrestle a discount from Microsoft when such a situation occurs, but monopolies are not often sympathetic to such things.
Re:What is the point? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why not Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
In one word, "Support"
It's a lot easier (i.e. cheaper) to support FreeDOS than linux. You are still free to wipe the drive and install your OS of choice.
Re:FreeDOS? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you sell a computer with a software you need to support both, and supporting FreeDOS is much easier than Linux
Re:Avoids double dipping (Score:4, Insightful)
off topic, but the 2 minute rule sucks.
Re:What is the point? (Score:1, Insightful)
What's it gonna take to get a Knoppix CD included? (Score:3, Insightful)
Nothing for grandma to get messed up with either. Tech support is dead simple.."hello, Mrs. Smigh? Does the computer boot from the CD?...you're OK"
This wouldn't even require formatting the drive....
FreeDOS is a cop-out...... If it's a "cost" issue on Dell's part...I could burn CD's at my house! I'm in for a stack a week.
Let's put together a special Dell CD distro. and ask Dell to distribute it with their OS-less systems. It could show real "good faith" towards a heartless company. It could also suck them into the SCO fun!
Re:Yes but... (Score:4, Insightful)
but litigation proof, should the FUD of SCO prevail
if I buy the system with a linux cd in the box and wind up owing licensing fees to SCO, I can complain to dell..
if I buy the box with freedos, and load linux, then dell has 'clean hands'
I bet a large number of buyers will run MS on them (Score:5, Insightful)
My guess is that a decent number of these will be bought by companies, schools, or other organizations that already have some sort of Microsoft site license. They will still pay microsoft, but won't have to pay for a machine with an OS, then pay more to install something over it.
The college I work at has an MS site license through a college consortium. We would buy PC's with one version of Windows then overwrite them with images of another, usually because we weren't ready to deploy whatever the latest and greatest OS yet. I'm sure a lot of businesses have site licenses for NT or 2k and aren't ready yet to deploy XP, and don't want to have to pay for XP licenses when XP would be wiped off 5 minutes after opening the box.
Re:FreeDOS (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Is this new? (Score:5, Insightful)
This benefits students (Score:2, Insightful)
Seems like anything to save a couple bucks will be good for some students.
Re:You guys that question the OS keep forgetting (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, I'd bet that a lot of companies want to purchase all of their licenses through their MS licensing program - I believe my company specifically requires that new computers not ship with Office so that they can use a site-license which "simplifies license management and reduces TCO" or something like that. If they site-license Windows, they buy a (cheap?) license and get upgrades for the life of the license (I think... I stopped keeping up with the MS licenses a while ago)
The only reason FreeDOS is on there is because they can't ship hardware without an OS.
Re:FreeDOS? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Now how about... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:IMO, This is great (Score:5, Insightful)
N-series PCs will cost the same as PCs that ship with Windows, a Dell representative said.
Which means they are technically charging you MORE for the computer, since they do not incur the cost of the Microsoft license. Or you can look at is as: "We charge you the same for FreeDOS as we do for Windows", which is kinda expensive for FreeDOS (I have installed it, its a mediocre DOS 3.3 clone by their own admission).
This does mean bigger profits for Dell, but it doesn't represent a better value for customers.
Re:Inquiring minds want to know (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Price difference (Score:4, Insightful)
If you take into consideration the rebate, and the fact that dell charges tax on the 2400N (because it can only be purchased at dell business versus dell home for the 2400), you are actually paying the exact same price for the 2 configurations.
Don't be mistaken, you are still paying the Microsoft tax.
Re:Is this new? (Score:5, Insightful)
I personally think that only HP, IBM and Sun are any of the big boys PC makers that offer real non-MS products. We just got in some multi-million dollar SANS from HP and they threw in a bunch of dual Xeon 3.2 GHz w/HT, 2GB, 136GB U320 Raid 5 Linux servers. HP has Open Source drivers for the Gig cards and even drivers/software for thier HP Lights Out management app for the Linux servers. With Dell you don't get any of that.
Re:Price difference (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Is this new? (Score:3, Insightful)