Im still trying to figure out why Dell is offering Linux on their factory pieces. No self respecting Linux fan would buy a factory rig, and no one who buys factory rigs knows shit about moving around in the Linux environment.
OH THE LOLZ
i don't think these machines are for your average consumers but moreso for special industry/application. i was chatting with a friend about this news an hour or so ago and he told me of a company he temped at that used Linux on their systems because it was easier to lock down and maintain. Their main app used Java and a web browser, so it was rather easy to implement it in Linux. Linux basically eliminates the threat of viruses, as well as the threat of employees trying to install crap on the machine.
Similarly, Dell's offering machines with FreeDOS on them, and the first thing that comes to mind is register/POS and inventory management software that has to be run under DOS, which you're not going to find these days. i honestly don't know how many of these packages are in use today, but typically businesses will stay with old tech as long as it works. Transitioning to a new system is expensive and time consuming.
In any case, i don't expect these systems to fly off the shelves, but the thing that Dell is offering that no other big PC manufacturer is is choice. Maybe HP or Acer or whomever is still selling machines with XP on them, but i'm pretty sure Dell's the only one selling machines with Linux and FreeDOS on them. They're filling a need that no other big name is.
i did expect the machines to cost much less with Ubuntu versus Vista (and i'd assume FreeDOS), but then again the people buying these (businesses) arent' going to worry about things like that.
