Why Buy a PC Preloaded With Linux?

Shadow7789 writes "I have been in the market for a new computer for the past few weeks and I know that I want to run Linux on it. However, every time I look at (for example) Dell's computers that are preloaded with Linux, the question pops into my head: 'Why should I buy a PC preloaded with Linux?' They are more expensive, and it's not hard just to reformat the PC with Linux. I hate paying the Microsoft Tax as much as anybody else, but if paying that 'tax' allows companies to reduce my price by bundling with my PC products that I will never use, why wouldn't I just buy a Windows-loaded PC and reformat?"

Marketing works

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Windows 95 had a great theme song [youtube.com].

Maybe Linux could benefit by having a catchy theme song [youtube.com] too.

Re:Build your own PC

[teslar]

Just build it -- It will only take a couple hours at most and almost always save you money.

Ok, I don't know why but that sentence just reminded me of this [xkcd.com] :)

Re:Principle is seldom cheap.

[clickclickdrone]

>So, I should pay more now for "bleeding edge" in order to help someone else pay less tomorrow?
As that 'other' person in you're equation, I'd say yes, fairly emphatically.

Re:Well, for one thing..

[jellomizer]

Because people may browse places like slashdot and beleave the Linux is this wonder OS that can do anything the Windows can do but better. Support more hardware run faster, stabler, more secure then its bumbling Windows counterpart. And any flaws in Linux are undermined as stupid users or Evil Companies out to get them. So if they took the kool-aid they will go out and buy the top of the line PC and put Linux on it, being smug that they have the Best computer around. While their neighbor who has a MidRange Windows PC seems to get more done with his system because he still isn't trying to figure out how to get to the GUI just to run a graphical web browser.

Re:Well, for one thing..

[WK2]

and this is exactly why 1997 through to 2008 have all failed to become the year of Linux on the desktop.

2008 hasn't failed to become the year of Linux on the desktop yet.

Re:Well, for one thing..

[sammy baby]

So far so good, you were up $350 for your choice, which is a nice sum of money. Now, we need to look at the cost side of the choice. Let's value your time at $50 per hour and any distro would require a minimum of one hour's worth of time for the reformat, install and setup. So, up $300, which supports your point. As long as any problems took less that 6 hours, it was a net plus. Did the installation and setup go flawlessly?

Attempting to monetize every last aspect of your life may bring joy to some contractors, but it's not necessarily a great way to bring peace of mind. Besides, as a former contractor, I can think of precisely zero times when I've thought to myself, "Damn, I wish I'd gotten this software pre-installed on my home PC - now it's stopping me from billing hours on my day job!"

Re:Well, for one thing..

[Anonymous Coward]

This doesn't mean they'll run off and hold a shareholder's meeting about it, but next time one of them is in a meeting and hears "No one wants the Lx version" they'll know better.

Yes, but "That one, chubby, bearded guy did" hardly counts as a flood of interest.

Re:Well, for one thing..

[MikTheUser]

Yes; I went over to Best Buy the other day to get a meatspace look at an eee. I had no intention of leaving with one, of course. But I made sure to let the (unusually knowledgeable this time) personnel know that the XP edition was useless to me.

Whenever I visit our biggest local electronic supermarket for some reason, on at least one showcase laptop, I open the Windows Vista editorand type in font size 72; "use linux". Never got caught.

Obligatory...

[fluffman86]

http://xkcd.com/357/ [xkcd.com]

Re:Well, for one thing..

[xappax]

Citation needed.

Re:Well, for one thing..

[maj1k]

Wow. Can you imagine what they'd do if they actually caught you? You'd be in some serious shit! Or you'd just be laughed at as they closed the editor.