Dell Sells Open Source Computers 341
Lo5 writes with the excellent news that Dell is selling desktop computers without Windows preinstalled. They are called "n Series"; you can choose from Dimension E520, E521, or C521 desktops. The hard drive comes unformatted.
The real question (Score:5, Interesting)
Good News? (Score:2, Interesting)
Demonstrates how screwed up the market is (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually IBM used to publish complete BIOS source (Score:5, Interesting)
When I used a genuine IBM PC back in the day, yes, IBM published the complete source code to BIOS. The listing was *the* API reference.
Try purchasing without the monitor -- cannot (Score:1, Interesting)
Not any cheaper (Score:0, Interesting)
you are paying the same and not getting the $100 value of xp or so
Trialware (Score:3, Interesting)
Some makers of commercial software with a free trial, such as Symantec with its Norton Antivirus, pay makers of Lenovo-compatible PCs running Windows OS to install their products. Some claim that the trialware bounties more than pay for the entire cost of a Windows license.
Acorn Atom came with schematics (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:This isn't "open source" computers... (Score:2, Interesting)
Yes, You pay more for it. (Score:3, Interesting)
um...that isn't the same computer at all, the one in the article had a dual amd64 3800 and that one you linked to had a celeron/pentium 4/pentium d ...very different computers.
ojustgiveitup, a nice name but no I won't.
The visible differences between the open source E520 on the left side of the "open source" page and the E520 on right hand side of the Windoze bargain page [dell.com] are:
Those differences could hardly come up to $230, so you are paying the Windoze tax and then some for the illusion of avoiding it. Same box, same stuff in it, the one with Windoze costs less. What a dissapointment.
If I could not find a cheaper Intel or AMD system or just had to buy the Dell, I'd get the one with Windoze and try to return it ... that's probably what this is designed to thwart ... and use the difference to buy a nice LCD. Given the apparent dishonesty, Dell is going to be the last place I look.
DELL IS TERMINAL.
Re:ok, and? (Score:3, Interesting)
Mind you, if I got a machine from Dell it would have windows on it, I like my linux machines to be headless monsters capable of running my experiments, or simple coding boxes with a basic Gcard.
windows machines == gaming boxen for me, not a place for serious work.
Re:This is not news. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:This is not news. (Score:2, Interesting)
I had huuuuge arguements with the poor Dell employee who answered my belligerent phone call, asking if could purchase XP Pro for the $58 extra it would have cost me in the first place. I didn't get the licenses.
Still, its not News. More Olds.
Has anyone actually tried this? (Score:2, Interesting)
Errors:
Windows® Vista does not support Optical Drive selected.
Warnings:
You have selected Vista Premium Operating System with a Basic system configuration. To fully realize Vista Premium's capabilities you need to select at least 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM Memory.
And no, I did not change the OS selection, I checked twice that it was still set to 'FreeDOS'.