> To be fair and to balance the rather prejudice view:
I have never claimed to be prejudiced. I am never prejudiced. I merely
think that Dell is el cheapo junk and Windoze is bloatware crap on top.
And they multiply each other's problems:)
> The vast majority of prospective users find the thought of installing
> an O/S rather daunting. Here you have Dell test all the hardware and
> maybe put a sticker on the machine to say "designed for Red Hat Linux".
The vast majority of Dell personnel don't find the thought of installing
an OS daunting at all since they will gladly tell you to reinstall the OS
up to five times for the same problem.
>
> Beyond this, you get *support* for Linux, which is a big pro and a reas-
> surance to any newbie. Sure, those Dell hotlines are often rather cold,
> but it is *something*. It's a start.
>
Those Dell hotlines go straight to the verbal equivilent of Babelfish. I
have nothing against techies in other countries but I don't speak or
understand pigin pseudo-techie English. (Question, do unfortunate French
or German Dell users have the same problem?) I don't even need to talk to
them except that until you run a full set of tests on the keyboard, or
monitor, or pencil sharpener, they will not send you a replacement hard
drive that clunked to a stop with a "replace hard drive" error message.
> Linux is becoming more and more mainstream
Definitely. About time.
> sell Linux, no other large vendor can ignore Linux and justify to self.
> HP have taken a similar route. Look at the adoption among governments
> and the 20% annual growth in terms of server sales. Linux is catching
> up quicker than it would take Ballmer to smash a chair.
>
Dell is trying to be the Walmart of the PC world. For those non-U.S.
readers who are not familiar with our hundred thousand square foot
imported junk shops, it means that cheap is considered to be far far
better than quality.
> Putting glitter aside, I don't see /any/ advances among the main
> competitor either:
> http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/0,1206,l=&s=26945&a=171997,00.asp
Now all that being said, I don't know of a high quality PC vendor
anywhere. Building your own is the only way to get decent quality and
know it. Unfortunately that is a problem for a business or school district
needing truckloads of machines and no staff to build them.
>
Vinella
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