They have never sold Linux computers in their stores, only online.
This is very untrue. I have bought one directly off the shelf from my local Wallmart store. I'm sure if I dig through my old book keeping records I can scan off the receipt, but the receipt probably doesn't say Linux computer on it, so that wouldn't do either of us any good.
Maybe the Walmart stores around your area haven't sold them , and maybe referred you to the online store, but I know for a fact mine did, because I bought one. I've seen many things in other locations of Walmart stores that MY local Wallmart doesn't have on shelves, in fact about a 35 minute drive away is another Wallmart store that carries much more than the one in my local area.
. There are currently no Linux computers for sale online, and there weren't any when I checked several weeks ago. Nor do they say anything about having Linux computers in the future. Of course, I know nothing about Walmart's plans for the future or why they don't currently offer any Linux computers
I'm pretty sure I covered this already when I mentioned that Linspire is transitioning to the Ubuntu base, and the fact that Lycoris, another distro that once sold through Wallmart, is no longer in existence. Therefore, these two distros aren't producing any , one for the time being as they transition, the other permanently.
Walmart's Linux computers were never the major brands you mentioned, only the off-brand Microtel.
The one I bought was from Hewelet Packard, plainly says so in it's BIOS splash screen, nice blue background with big white HP text and logo. Again, the quote is just plain wrong, and misleading.
I've read the press releases and the explanations on Linspire's Web site and it's not a merger and Linspire will continue to develop distros under the Linspire name
I don't think I have made any claims that the two distros are "merging". However Linspire is moving to the Ubuntu base. You can read between the lines, and speculate about the funding power the two combined will have. These two are in the business, and well I don't need to explain business tactics, as that's a completely different subject.
HP doesn't sell any Linux computers to the home market. Their Linux computers are servers or business machines.
HP sells their hardware, and there have been a few of them sold with Linux Operating systems on them, such as the one I got from Wallmart
. They backed away because of some noise from MS. Archives of their decision to back away from Linux in that are can surely be found. And, just for the record:
http://mozillaquest.com/Linux_News03/HP-Mandrake-Linux-Desktop-PC_Story01.htmlMany people, including me, think Linux will never gain a larger market share among desktop users until it is available preinstalled on mass-market computers. Ideally, you could walk into BestBuy or Staples and see Linux computers right there with the Windows computers (and in some cases, the Macs). Only a very small minority of computer users install operating systems. They use what is installed on the computer they buy. They don't upgrade it, they don't change it.
You can walk into those same stores and buy HP/Compaq computers too, setting on the sames shelves as any Dell would be. Right now they're all normally preinstalled with some Windows version, of course. My point was that there's other OEMs out there, that can learn and rise from Dell's mistakes (if they should fail in this area). Dell isn't the ONLY OEM out there that can do what it's doing. It's currently one of the largest companies to do it, but as I've stated, HP is nearly just as big, why couldn't they do it if Dell fails at it?. Any other OEM that sits up there in the rankings, for that matter. The much "smaller" ones, will probably see that as an omen for them, but I doubt it should be for the other top dogs.
Secondly, I agree that certainly is a big step for Linux in general in getting it's foot further into the doorway of the home user. I just don't see a failure of it holding Linux back. Linux has been through a lot and still prevails to succeed, and I don't see that changing. Sure , Dell makes a success out of this, it's an easier walk from there, but if Dell fails in this, it's not a dead end.
I wonder if Dell will do any marketing of these systems. Has anybody seen any ads?
This is a good thought and question. I haven't seen anything other than the claims on internet media. But that doesn't mean they aren't working at it, maybe there's some things that need to be "gone over" between Dell and Ubuntu. There's many things that could be going on over that, without any insider information, we may never know until we actually see it, or until they tell us.
