HP exec on navigating the open-source waters
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1861543635;fp;2;fpid;4
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| Question:
|
| HP sells PCs installed with Mandriva Linux in Latin America. When could
| we start seeing such Linux desktops elsewhere?
|
| HP exec:
|
| We could do that anytime. We do certify Novell on our desktops. We
| don't ship desktops with Linux now because the market is not big enough or
| cohesive enough from a worldwide perspective. We watch it closely, though,
| as does the Personal Systems Group [PSG]. Our regional groups have the
| freedom to work more locally if a customer wants it. So we do Mandriva
| in France and Brazil, and Ubuntu in South Africa. If there is big
| interest when SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 from Novell is released,
| the PSG can turn on a dime and offer it pretty quickly worldwide.
|
| I've heard, though, that OEMs are reluctant to install Linux because they
| get such great marketing dollars and softer incentives such as support
| from Microsoft when they install Windows. Also, Linux doesn't have a
| track record of adding new features and making the PC hardware obsolete
| every three years like Windows. So in the long run, supporting Linux is
| not smart for the PC vendors.
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So, it's a matter of _finance_, *NOT* the quality of Linux as an O/S.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1861543635;fp;2;fpid;4
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