Choice is always a good thing. Although it can be a little overwhelming to have too many options, I’d rather be in that scenario than being in a scenario where there is only one choice. It used to be that if you were in the market to buy a new computer, there were two possible operating systems that you could get from the big box retailers. You could either buy an Apple MacBook (or iMac or Mac Mini) and use Mac OS X, or you could opt for a different manufacturer and end up with a computer than ran on Windows Vista. Thankfully, Dell is opening the door to more options.
Following in the same line of thought that lets you custom configure your computer machine, upgrading the hard drive, RAM, display and so on to fit your needs, Dell will soon be giving you a choice when it comes to operating system. Apparently following a backlash of negative comments from current customers who were displeased with Windows Vista Home Premium, the world’s largest computer maker is now offering several of their mainstream systems with the tried and true Windows XP. You won’t be able to plop Mac OS X on a Dell, but it’s good to have a choice between two Microsoft operating systems.
But wait. There’s more.
Word on the street has it that Dell will soon be giving you the option to have a computer pre-installed with Ubuntu, the most user-friendly build of Linux currently available. Because Linux is free, this may lower prices on equivalently-equipped machines. Choice is good.
It is definitely a good move on the part of dell..because choice is good. When i bought my dell computer last year, it would have been nice to have had the choice then !!
Yes choice can be a good thing, but it can be extremely overwhelming for some.
I know plenty of people that could have got themselves a great deal if they purchased through Dell but went elsewhere simply because they didn’t have a clue what to do or choose from the Dell website.
– Martin Reed
Yeah I heard this a while back and Dell was forced to bring the XP option back.
Well Dell is always good at dealing with customers…They also have got excellent customer care and warranty too
Choice is good, and if it leads to lower prices then it’s even better.
Well, on new hardware, Vista is a good choice. I do like they they offer Linux now too though.
I am in tech support/customer relations for one of Dell’s main competitors. I can tell you that our bulk purchase price for Windows is very low, I believe around $10. How can it be so low? The biggest cost is support, and as an OEM we agree to be Windows support instead of Microsoft when you are using the version you purchased from us.
My point being, if you go to Ubuntu’s site, you will see that while the O/S if free; if you want support, that is a charged service. I therefore don’t think there will be much of a price decrease should you purchase a Dell with Ubuntu, as it will likely come with O/S support.
We have offered versions of Linux on our products in the past, and there was really not a noticeable price difference. I did, however, have to handle people that contacted the CEO demanding to know why we weren’t releasing updated Linux drivers for those products once a week like they were used to having from the Linux community. I think that was a factor in us no longer offering it.
Putting an obsolete Operating System on brand new computers is a bad idea. Sure, it’ll look familiar to customers, but XP is old and was never intended to be doing what current technology is doing.
In the world of technology, change is good…