Dell computers
*Did you know that dell computers is now promoting a choice of operating systems with the purchase of one one their computers.
Check out this video on the dell page.
You can choose Linux or windows.
****http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml****
*Check out the Linux 101 video.

*This is not necessarily saying that dell computers is the best kind of computer system to buy or anything. Just saying that they at least offer a choice of operating systems with your purchase instead of forcing a particular windows OS on you.

Yes, pre-installed Linux by major suppliers is having a come back! (This was tried years ago a quietly shelved - not this time!) Other major PC suppliers are following Dell's lead, plus ASUS and, um... Evertek (?) have released custom preloaded linux systems within the last week.

Check out the US$200 gOS based desktop PC carried at walmart, and the (sigh) US$400 ASUS EEE subnote.

I hear the gOS is short for "Green OS", because it is designed for low power systems and is energy efficient, but it also is preconfigured to use google apps, so some people think it means Google OS. I believe (?) you can download the linux/ubuntu/elive based gOS to use on your current hardware.

Thanks to low powered Linux boxes like the ASUS EEE, we even get to see new boxes preloaded with XP (this winter). Yay consumer choice! MS would love to abandon XP, but with being threatened by efficient Linux OS options, now MS is forced to continue encouraging XP.

Nice that they offer the choice...but gamers will always choose windows...damn Microsoft and their monopoly.

Yes I love Linux, but Windows does still have the true gamers market. If it wasn't for that, then I wouldn't even take a second look at windows. Thankfully Linux is finely coming around with apps that will play even the newer games, like doom 4, and need for speed.

I agree. I hate Windows and it's vulnerabilities. I think as an OS it's fine, I prefer it to any of the Mac OS's. Linux is fine too, but it just slows down the hardware, or the hardware isn't built for it (however you want to phrase it).

Yes I guess that it is according to what kind of system that you have built. But my Linux Ubuntu with beryl, has alot more eye candy in their gui than windows vista aero even thought about. And it runs smooth as silk on older hardware with out having to upgrade. Soo, what does that say about windows. Most people have to upgrade just to run vista. You can probably run Ubuntu on your system right now with out the upgrade and have an interface better than Vistas. Of course computer upgrades are always better. But why be 'forced' to upgrade just to run the latest cool stuff?

Bah, Dell have stopped shipping computers with Linux in the UK.

NM, Dell sucks anyways.

Ta,

~C

Lol. I know that dell sucks, but at least they are offering a choice. If I go and buy an overpriced PCbox, I would like to be able to decide what OS that I want. It wouldn't be worth it to me to go and buy a new pc, because as soon as I got it I would have to reformat the hard drive and install linux. That's why I build my own computers.

No choice in the UK...

Apparently UK people don't run Linux, infact the BBC thought that was the case (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/linuxbbc/).

I wouldn't surprise me if per-capita the UK has more Linux users than the states.

Beryl is lovely, but my Linux boxes are all servers and have no GUI. I use OSX for GUI based stuff, its pretty, quick, reliable and has Unix under pinnings... That and I am in love with my text editor (Textmate from Macromates - have a look!).

Have you tried Kiba Dock you netuserlia?

Ta

~C.

P.S. I think this post has just halved my chances of getting laid.

No I haven't "C". I really do love linux though, and the beryl is the most awesome desktop experience. It is great with my Gnome desktop GUI. I think that more people run Linux than they really want to say also. They just don't want people to run Linux. They want people to run windows, so they can have more control over the people and what they can and can't do with their computer. It is sad that many people think that they can do anything with windows, they don't even realize their limitations. Microsoft hides their 'horns' well under their 'halo'.***** LOL.

P.S. Chrish, Linux Ubuntu will run on older systems, and has a great server edition with a Gnome GUI interface. Server plus GUI = awesome. You probably know this already though.

I use a mixture of Debian and OpenBSD for my servers, Ubuntu is a Debian based distro, so don't worry, I'm well aware of the 'magic' of Apt, the well orginised file structure and brilliant file structure.

I haven't tried Ubuntu server yet, but fully intend too, I fail to see how much different from Debian is can be though.

When I do, I'll start a thread so you can read about my progress.

Ta,

~C.

I know that ubuntu is debain based. Your suggestion will be a nice addition I am sure.
The biggest difference that I can see, what you discussed, is in the GUI itself. It can be nice to have a 'workstation/server' all rolled in one package for convince. It helps with multitasking. Especially when administrating a networked computer.(perhaps from root/prompt/command line/ ect.)

Ahhhh, I administer my *nix boxes with my Mac, I use iTerm and have lovely tabbed terminals (although I believe Leopards term has this too).

For development I use my Mac, with Mamp Pro (lovely piece of software). I can't image developing on a Windows Box, that would really really suck!

I would like to move my Mac to Ubuntu, but can't find the time, or deal with the hassle. As much as I hate closed systems (Apple providing one of the most closed systems around) it does 'just work (tm)'.

I don't like wasting precious cycles with a GUI when I don't have too. We try to keep most machine at 65% capacity, and would probably have had to add at least another one by now if we were.

Yea developing on a Windows Box, that would really really suck!
Open software like linux does not limit you below the clouds in the sky!