HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com) [LWN.net]

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 30, 2007 19:54 UTC (Thu) by lutchann (subscriber, #8872) [Link]

Because it comes with support? Because Red Hat gave them the licenses for free? I'm just speculating here, but there are a million possible business reasons that could have influenced the selection process. I wouldn't expect that technical merits were even much part of the discussion.

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 30, 2007 20:25 UTC (Thu) by epa (subscriber, #39769) [Link]

Red Hat clearly imagine someone would want it, since they produce and sell it. Remember this is RHEL Desktop, not quite the same as the distribution they make for servers.

I use Fedora and it's pretty good although the six-month release cycle and short support period mean you have to upgrade machines regularly. For those who like a quiet life, a stabilized Fedora with longer support (and perhaps the official seal of approval from $EXPENSIVE_PROPRIETARY_APPLICATION_VENDOR) could be worth buying.

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 30, 2007 21:15 UTC (Thu) by einstein (subscriber, #2052) [Link]

Well.. If you don't mind a costly desktop OS that can't play an mp3, I suppose it will do. Maybe for locked down business kiosks, where the management wants to ensure that there is no possibility of time wasting fun.

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 30, 2007 21:26 UTC (Thu) by AJWM (subscriber, #15888) [Link]

Hmph. I don't know about RH 5 Desktop, but RH 4 AS still comes with far too many games and other desktop silliness in its default install for my liking. It's a server edition, for crying out loud, why does it have *anything* that runs on a desktop? (Okay, maybe as an optional extra, but not be default install.)

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 31, 2007 17:26 UTC (Fri) by malex (subscriber, #15692) [Link]

Because the other alternative would be to buy that PC with Windows? I for one was happy that Dell offered Precision workstations with RHAT WS 3 when I started at my current job because i would rather pay to RHAT then to MSFT, which is exactly what I did. I removed RHAT and put Debian on that machine within 2 days of getting it, but that's beside the point.

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 31, 2007 20:12 UTC (Fri) by einstein (subscriber, #2052) [Link]

That's fine, I'd do something similar, but I'm just curious about the cost of the redhat tax.

HP to preload Linux on SMB desktop PCs in Australia (Techlogg.com)

Posted Aug 31, 2007 21:09 UTC (Fri) by malex (subscriber, #15692) [Link]

In 2006, when sent me a renewal notice, it was in the ballpark of $120-150 if I remember correctly.

Why Redhat?

Posted Sep 1, 2007 14:55 UTC (Sat) by pr1268 (subscriber, #24648) [Link]

Why Redhat? Because

It's a stable, reliable distribution of Linux that has a "professional" look-and-feel about it,
It's supported by an team of paid developers (I'm assuming RH employs a bunch of those who support its [and Fedora's] community), and
(Most importantly) It's not Microsoft Windows!

Any PC manufacturer who is debating whether to roll out products pre-loaded with Linux is going to have to decide how much OS support they'll get when they do so... Right now I can think of five distributions who'd be willing to provide such support at a corporate level: RH, Novell, Ubuntu, and possibly Debian and Oracle.

This is not the first time I've defended RH/Fedora on LWN, but I still can't stand either distribution! (Not since I discovered Slackware, but I'm starting to sound like a fanboy now.)