Dell cheating the Linux Community

I received an email which startled me. Dell has been going about making a lot of noise about open source and Linux. They have started selling "Ubuntu PCs" sometime ago. I actually didn't bother to check their sincerely until I received this email below from a friend. I confirmed and this is true. Is is time to tell Dell to go to Hell!


As I assume you all are aware it is possible to buy Dell with Ubuntu preinstalled. It is also possible to buy some models totally OS-free.

However, the Swedish version of Computer World checked with Dell Sweden and found that it is more EXPENSIVE to  buy one of these without OS than with MS Windows preinstalled "due to agreements with Microsoft".

I wonder what kind of agreement that might be -  "you pay us for every pc you sell with no OS and we give you even cheaper OEM licenses" or what?

Also when I have checked in UK on Dell w Ubuntu the price is sometimes on par with Windows-installed and sometimes more expensive... which is why I for my own budgetary reasons have a Dell Vostro w Vista license (never used Vista however...).

In any other business this would have various authorities alerted and involved on restricting competition in a market economy.

This also shines some light on why Dell SA are not offering the Ubuntu packaged PCs, something I have been wondering since day 1 why they did not.

Sinclair


IMHO, I think the Linux community should start sending their complains to Dell using any media available. Such behavior is tantamount to being a trojan horse. Micro$oft will now have enough ammunition to take their FUD to another level. Soon, they will be launching another campaign claiming yet another TCO coup.

It actually dawned on me the PCs pre-installed with Linux can be used by M$ to incorrectly show that Linux is expensive after all. Could this be why M$ has been proposing love all over the place to Linux distributors?

...And were are the Anti-Competition watch dogs????