Recently, the Linux community were rejoicing with the news that Dell were to ship systems with Ubuntu as its operating system.

On the face of it, this does appear to be a good move. For the first time we could see leaflets on our doormats of a morning offering us cut price Ubuntu systems. The ease of being able to order your PC over the phone or online. The “supposed” great level of post sale technical support. Most importantly, the low cost Dell can manage which could quite possibly be the factor that dictates the level of success this experiment brings Dell.

But looking back at how Dell dealt with Windows, is this a wise move? Most consumers would have never heard of Ubuntu, or Linux. Their first experience with Ubuntu will be from using a Dell machine. If history tell us anything about Dell, they don’t half know how to fill a machine with a bucket load of crappy software. Most of which goes unused. If they take Ubuntu down the same route, would the first impression of Ubuntu be a negative one?

Will consumers be bothered to learn a new system? I would guess not. Windows widespread adoption in businesses, schools and homes means users now exist in a Windows comfort zone which Linux will find difficult to erode.

Dell technical support, chances are they will need retraining. (I know, obvious joke :) ). If Dell allocate a small number to man the Ubuntu support center, how will they cope with the predicted number of calls from users who can’t get a web cam or a printer they purchased from a local store to work. Despite the split between number of shipped Ubuntu and Windows systems, the number of support calls could end up being equal.

Finally, the deciding factor… cost. If Dell decide to ship Ubuntu systems at the same price as its Windows systems, where is the incentive for a customer to want to choose a new system, one they have never heard of or used before over one that they have probably spent the last half decade using. Its a big ask.

If Ubuntu does take off and fly off the warehouse shelves (which I hope does happen), I long expect the local PC repair and support economy to boom, assuming they are prepared. ;)

Browsing through forums and filtering out posts from angry, potty mouthed teenagers led me to this article. It was from a guy called Jerry and his staggering lack of knowledge in regards to operating systems. The topic discussed if Linux could ever replace Windows. Read for yourself...