Do we need Dell?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| Cathy_at_Za May 11, 2007 1:48 PM EDT |
D.C., great questions. What does Dell give us? Possibly better drivers. Great tech support? (um, right) What else? Notoriety? Legitimacy? There are easier ways to achieve that. I think that Dell can’t listen, no matter how hard it tries. Michael’s original “custom” model no longer applies -- a Dell system is nothing more than a mass-produced package that takes several weeks to get to your doorstep. We started a volunteer company, http://www.zareason.com that functions on the same principles as FOSS. People email us and ask crazy things like, “I want to plug a CellCard into the PCI / ExpressCard slot on your BigLap so my teenager can play WoW on our next roadtrip and maintain connectivity in the car. Can you do it?” We look into it; other people look into it; we make it work. It seems obvious that hardware for the FOSS market will be built best by the little guys. |
| tracyanne May 11, 2007 4:47 PM EDT |
I just checked out those prices and what you get, and Ii looks like I could pay retail for those laptops and still get them into Australia cheaper than I can buy a similarly speced machine retail here. |
| jdixon May 11, 2007 4:58 PM EDT |
> Do we need Dell? No. If the goal is to have Linux continue as it is (primarily a server operating system with token desktop penetration), then we've managed without them so far, and we can continue to do so. However, if the goal is to spread Linux to the masses, then the answer is yes, we need Dell. We also need HP, Leveno, Gateway, and everyone else we can get. > What else? Notoriety? Legitimacy? There are easier ways to achieve that. Then why haven't we? In spite of the communities best efforts, Linux is an unknown to most computer users. |
| jimf May 11, 2007 5:51 PM EDT |
I have to agree with Cathy. Hardware for the FOSS market 'should' be handled by the little guys.The problem is that the Corporate sharks have smelled the blood in the water, so we'll soon be getting a Dell 'Dude', whether we really need or want it at all. HP, Leveno, Gateway, and everyone else will soon follow. the goal is not really an option any more. |
| Cathy_at_Za May 11, 2007 6:22 PM EDT |
To tracyanne: We will be in Australia as soon as we get someone there who wants to link up with us and yes, the prices rock. That’s what you get when you have next-to-no overhead + access to Tier 1 suppliers. The markup that some retailers charge is unconscionable. |
| dcparris May 11, 2007 6:23 PM EDT |
>> What else? Notoriety? Legitimacy? There are easier ways to achieve that. > Then why haven't we? In spite of the communities best efforts, Linux is an unknown to most computer users. Legitimacy isn't a goal to me. It's a fact. Period. I don't need the OS I use exclusively to be legitimized. Recognition and pervasiveness are definitely worthwhile goals. We don't necessarily *need* Dell. I agree that going to the little guys is usually best for a number of reasons. Still, having Dell as a distributor of GNU/Linux systems is a Good Thing. And yes, I do wish they would do consumers a real favor and ditch Windows altogether. But that's another project. ;-) |
| Cathy_at_Za May 11, 2007 6:44 PM EDT |
To jdixon: >“Why haven’t we?” I suspect it’s because the Linux community was busy coding. I think that the Librarian installing Ubuntu video is just as effective at getting Linux into the public eye as Dell is with its army of well-trained and highly-paid marketing experts stepping as carefully as they can. The market is shifting, thankfully. |
| bigg May 11, 2007 7:39 PM EDT |
@jdixon: You are exactly correct. If the goal is to make Linux available to the masses, that is guaranteed not to happen unless we get Dell, HP, and a few other companies on board. You can argue till your blue in the face about how these small companies offer a better deal. The simple fact is that most people buy their computers from a handful of large companies. We have to ask the question, why would we not only try to sell someone on Linux, but also convince them that an XY Systems computer is better than a Dell? That seems like an extra burden that it doesn't make sense to bear. No matter what your opinion about their hardware, Dell probably outsells most of the vendors in the LXer database by a thousand to one. I'd rather spend my time selling the benefits of Linux than convincing them where to buy their hardware. In addition, the big companies sell low-priced hardware that the small companies can't match. You can go into a Circuit City and pick up a new HP Vista laptop for $430. There are two things there: going into Circuit City and paying $430, neither of which is possible with the small guys. I have nothing against any of these companies, but really we're kidding ourselves if we think we will ever break the 5% market share barrier without support from Dell, HP and the other big boys. You may not like Dell, but a lot of people do, and for the life of me I can't see why we should take a position on that. |
| Cathy_at_Za May 11, 2007 8:16 PM EDT |
bigg, Saying the little guy can't compete with the big guy is like saying that Linux can't compete with Microsoft. (BTW, the cheapest Circuit City laptop is currently $630, not $430, just fyi.) You made several good points in your post. |
| bigg May 11, 2007 8:51 PM EDT |
I'm not saying they can't compete, just that they haven't been very successful thus far. |
| tracyanne May 11, 2007 9:17 PM EDT |
Cathy I'd love to be the one to hook up with you. Unfortunately my last business venture failed (underfunded), and I'm back to working for a living to pay the bills. |
| Cathy_at_Za May 12, 2007 12:53 AM EDT |
bigg,
> they haven't been very successful thus far Tipping point (we hope). Thanks to Ubuntu (we hope). One of your previous points was that "small companies [can't] offer a better deal." That's where the market shift may come into play: 1. Tier 1 suppliers are more open than ever, 2. Overhead is more costly than ever, and 3. Customers are pickier than ever. I am hoping I'm right on that last point; I’m counting on it. Shuttleworth said it best in his pre-Dell post where he said he would not start his own hardware company because Linux people are picky. (What was the exact word he used? ...finicky? ...exacting?) I think it will take someone lean & fresh to create a fluid product creation process. Dell has smelled this, as you said, like blood in the water. They may do a great job, who knows. I hope they do because they are doing all the advertising that little companies like mine need. That said, I used to live in Dellionaire land and I just can’t imagine such a large machine building truly custom systems. As long as price is not an issue (and the market has shifted so that little guys can give Dell-ish prices too), then it’s a matter of customer confidence, habit, and at the end of the day, a philosophical choice. |
| jrm May 12, 2007 5:24 AM EDT |
Re: Shuttleworth said it best... when he said he would not start his own hardware company because Linux people are picky. Then Shuttleworth is making the same mistake as those who say that the linux market share doesn't justify dealing with us. That's a red herring. There are already plenty of existing hardware companies. They know we buy computers and the marginal cost to them of selling us computers is extremely low. So why don't they do it? jdixon said... Then why haven't we? Because the game is rigged. Closed source drivers, vendor lock-in, IP threats. (Whatever "IP" means this week. It's been a moving target over my lifetime.) |
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