Why Push Dell for Linux and OpenOffice?
The IdeaStorm site at Dell is collecting suggestions from customers and he most widely sought changes center around the pre-installed Linux and OpenOffice. Why is there this push to Linux and OpenOffice? Here are some possibilities.
1. The voting population is mostly Linux and open source enthusiasts. The Microsoft users already have what they want so they aren't bothering to vote.
2. The voters are both Linux enthusiasts and Windows users tired of paying hundreds of dollars for the equivalent of open source software.
3. Microsoft Windows does not meet everyone's needs and the the age of customization according to customer preferences is finally coming to software.
4. Some voters are concerned about security and feel Linux, OpenOffice and Firefox (another popular request) will lessen their system management burdens.
All of these probably contribute to the overwhelming support for open source software, speculating, I'd guess reasons are listed in order of relative importance to users.
I'm glad to see the ground swell of support for Linux. I think some distros are close to being good candidates for a desktop OS. Rather than push to make Linux more Windows like, let's be done with the bloated desktop application model and move to Web applications. We're on the road to this goal with the likes of Google Docs & Spreadsheets and ThinkFree's Web Office Suite. Let's not fight the last war all over again; I'm use Linux and Firefox but I'm moving away from MS Office to Web based apps (admittedly slowly) so I'll pass on the OpenOffice.
One more thing, we have a assembled all articles published at this site for the last six months into a single, easily downloaded PDF file. The Messaging and Web Security Essential Series provides useful information on a range of topics, from email compliance and combating spam to vulnerability scanning and Web application testing. We hope you find it useful.
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Comments
Web-based apps still have many of the drawbacks of proprietary apps--mainly less flexibility and more dependence on external factors. Users with Linux as their operating system (assuming it is a conscientious decision) would also rather use OpenOffice than web-based apps for the same reasons.
If an organization has limited bandwidth (not that web-based apps are that bandwidth intensive) or has regular connectivity problems, having the app on the user workstation would be a definite advantage. (All of the above are true in my organization.)
Posted by: Rob Byrd | March 8, 2007 1:43 PM