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Linux lovers hit hard times as home users

Michael Singer CNET News.com

Published: 03 Nov 2005 18:20 GMT

...1 and 3 percent of the market, depending on which way you look at the data," IDC analyst Al Gillen said.

Gillen did offer a ray of light to Linux fans. "I would argue that at least the PC vendors are making an effort to meet demand to offer alternatives to Microsoft," he said.

Linux is not an impulse buy that consumers just stumble across and purchase, Gillen noted. Most buyers of PCs loaded with Linux or open source operating systems are technically savvy customers who have a very good idea of what they are looking for.

Nevertheless, finding an alternative to Windows from a mainstream vendor can be an arduous process.

After Dell's announcement earlier this month of its Dimension E510n — which ships without an operating system installed — ZDNet UK's sister site CNET News.com attempted to find out how difficult it would be for a consumer to find the PC.

Dell's Web site offers a wide array of Dimension PCs and XPS-branded computers running Windows, but no open source-powered PCs. A query in the Dell search bar for Linux resulted in a list of server support options, but still no consumer products.

A search for "open source" turned up Dell's "N-series" of desktops that the company has supported since 2003. The Dimension E510n comes with a blank hard drive and a copy of the FreeDOS operating system that can be installed by customers. The E510n PC retailed for $849 at the time of the original search. The company now sells a similarly configured 5150n for $559.

A quick call to a Dell service representative resulted in a similar situation. A simple question about a Linux or non-Windows operating system on a Dell PC resulted in a quick question to a supervisor and a return trip to the exact same site, found via an online search. Total time for both searches: 30 minutes.

Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden said the company continues to gauge its supply of open source-based PCs according to demand. The company is currently considering offering an open source version of its Latitude laptop computer in North America to match its overseas product lines.

Similar searches for open source PCs on the Gateway and Lenovo US Web sites proved fruitless. Calls to the companies' service departments revealed that neither company pre-installs anything but Windows on consumer desktop products. The Gateway service representative added that loading anything but Windows on a Gateway desktop would invalidate the warranty. The Lenovo agent directed callers to IBM's business group, to talk to someone about workstations.

HP was the only mainstream vendor other than Dell that would sell a PC with non-Windows operating systems. However, it did not have this as an option on its consumer-focused Pavilion computers. It did have an extensive selection of workstations, including a HP Compaq dx2000 micro tower shipping with Mandrake Linux version 9.2, priced at $462.

HP said it ships more than 100,000 Linux desktops per quarter worldwide and said it is doing better overseas, especially with small to medium-sized businesses.

"We are seeing increased interest in Linux clients from our customers, particularly in regions outside North America. For example, Linux in China has a 40 percent growth rate, and we are positioning HP to accommodate customer demand in those markets," company spokeswoman Ali Kops said.

In stock overseas
While American consumers are having a hard time finding Window-less PCs, their counterparts in Europe, Asia and Japan have a much easier path.

Outside the US, it's easier to buy a desktop with non-Microsoft operating systems pre-installed. HP's Web store in the Netherlands offered three HP Compaq computers with Windows XP, Suse Linux 9.3 or FreeDOS for the same price. These models retail starting at €669 (£455), excluding sales tax.

Dell announced it was selling a laptop with Mandriva Linux for €759 in September. Aimed at French students looking for a bargain, the Latitude 110L model is installed with Mandriva Linux Limited Edition 2005, which includes various open source applications, such as the productivity suite OpenOffice.org, image manipulation application GIMP and the Firefox browser.

Mandriva chief executive Francois Bancilhon said the PC makers are seeing more growth potential for open source computers in countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China as a result of cost and licensing concerns among customers.

"You have to understand that for a lot of these players, it starts with price," Bancilhon said. "There are a number of projects there that Mandriva is working on which the country helps to fund. We are also talking to several of the hardware vendors in other countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia."

Ultimately, PC makers are feeding into consumers' comfort levels, IDC's Gillen said. "From IDC's perspective, open source companies in the US are competing against a well-entrenched competitor in Microsoft with a locked-in base," he said.