[mdlug] Dell survey for Linux

[Robert Adkins]

Ingles, Raymond wrote:
>> From: Robert Adkins
>>     
>
>   
>> PREDICTION: The Survey will be filled with a majority of requests for 
>> the current Darling Distro of the greater Linux community as a 
>> pre-installation OS. Within a few years, when that Darling 
>> Distro is no longer the Darling Distro and something else is will be
>> more interesting and the Linux community will be hopping all over
>> Dell to make the switch to that Darling Distro.
>>     
>
>  I'd have to agree with that. However, the time it takes to switch
> 'Darling Distros' is approximately the same as the time between
> Windows releases, so Dell wouldn't be any worse off with Linux in
> that respect.
>
>   
    The cynical part of me is strongly suggesting that the current 
Darling Distro isn't well suited for all tasks, from Desktops to 
Corporate Data Center servers and that shortcoming could be a reason for 
Dell to proclaim in the trade press that Linux simply isn't ready for 
prime time. When the real problem is that the current Darling Distro 
isn't really geared to be everything for all purposes.

    I believe that Dell would be best served to pick up a "Middling 
Distro", in terms of having decent support for all levels and types of 
computing and then the Darling Distro people can spend their time 
tweaking their distro to work out of the box with the 100% Linux 
Compatible hardware that Dell would need to use for that "Middling Distro".

    Unfortunately, the majority of the Darling Distro supporters would 
end up being mad and foaming at the mouth about how they are being 
"sidelined" or "maligned" when the truth is somewhere nearby, but not 
exactly at the "extreme" of where they are sitting. It's one of those 
you can't really win situations, IMHO.

    Of course, I do hope that I am totally wrong here.

    -Rob