HP May Be Developing Its Own Version of Linux 303
vondiggity writes to tell us that HP is working on several different ways to make an end run around Vista. Among the plans is also a supposed rumor that certain factions within HP are developing their own flavor of Linux. Executives at HP deny that any meaningful amount of resources are being directed into plans for a mass-market operating system, stating their main goal is to innovate on top of Vista. "Still, the sources say employees in HP's PC division are exploring the possibility of building a mass-market operating system. HP's software would be based on Linux, the open-source operating system that is already widely available, but it would be simpler and easier for mainstream users, the sources say. The goal may be to make HP less dependent on Windows and to strengthen HP's hand against Apple (AAPL), which has gained market share in recent years by offering easy-to-use computers with its own operating system."
Server Division Uses Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
For their quick start CD, firmware update CD's etc. System Insight manager and their other management tools are full of GPL software.
It's not rocket science at this point and I'm sure they have enough market data at this point to see that it's a viable niche. After all, a low price is always a viable niche.
Year of the Linux Desktop (Score:4, Interesting)
If Linux is going to make it on the desktop this is the way it will happen. Now there is a concentrated effort of programmers (paid ones at that) with a large amount of financial support from a major player in the desktop market.
HP wins because they can now ship a desktop for less and they have more control over the quality of the product which they ship. Win-Win for them unless MS decides this won't do and threaten to increase prices. It will be a long time before a corporate provider of desktops/servers can say no to MS.
Nothing to see here. Move along. (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's my take: it's a press release to put the fear of Jebus in MS. That's all. There's nothing concrete. There's no explicit description of what exactly they're going to do - all HP would need to do is just ship with [insert your favorite distro here]. But instead they make this BIG announcement of how they're going to have their 'own Linux flavor' to 'replace' Windows.
Yawn. Negotiating strategy and they're bluffing.
Funny, they've had Unix for years with HP-UX... (Score:4, Interesting)
...and I've got it right next to me on an Intel machine. I guess they aren't having too hard a time 'getting around Vista.'
Re:Lest we get excited. (Score:5, Interesting)
'm willing to bet that if they make their own version it would be designed to be difficult to move to other systems
They have one already (sortof) - HP-UX [wikipedia.org]. Perhaps they're thinking of making their own Linux version to make it easier to move to other systems, like all the x86_64 boxes they currently ship with Windows on. If they stop producing HP-UX and port a lot of the code they have in it to Linux, they get the best of all worlds - fancy stuff for their fancy servers, and fancy stuff for their mass-market servers and workstations.
They can also slap the Linux brand on it, so everyone becomes more comfortable running it.
Re:Year of the Linux Desktop (Score:5, Interesting)
The real question is, does HP need Microsoft more than Microsoft needs HP?
The answer is not entirely obvious to me.
Easy to say that Microsoft could make HP very uncomfortable with abusive pricing, support terms, and general sabotage.
HP could, however, deprive Microsoft of easy revenue.
Or this could be the first step towards a serious anti-trust case, with Microsoft being charged with monopolistic practices, punishing hardware vendors for even tolerating competitive operating systems. Which they are pretty much avoiding right now, since Linux is such a small fraction of the OEM pre-installed market.
But let a HP-Linux get 10% of the home market, and maybe Microsoft decides it needs to spank HP and teach it a lesson? And HP has almost as many lawyers as Microsoft. I;m counting the DOJ. Though they aren't very motivated most of the time, if the DOJ gets fired up, they will win.
Interesting. Match this up with Ubuntu's new emphasis on being useable, and this could be pretty cool.
Market differentiation (Score:5, Interesting)
In the end I think that this is survival for HP because I think MS has jumped the shark.
Re:Ubuntu (Score:5, Interesting)
Simple enough.
repository.ubuntu.hp.com With all the required drivers for hardware along with setup scripts. Just aim HPuntu at HP's repository and it does the rest. They could even provoide the i386 and 64 binaries on a DVD for a apt-cd repo.
Dont repeat what Ubuntu does. Add to it.
Re:Lest we get excited. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Lest we get excited. (Score:1, Interesting)
Well, that's where the GPL trumps the BSD license.... :)
Apple doesn't contribute code back to BSD because it's not required. If they'd built OSX on top of Linux, it would be required, and Linux would have benefited. That's likely why Apple didn't use Linux. But HP cares less about locking down their shit, and more about moving boxes, so Linux would be a logical choice for them.
Re:Lest we get excited. (Score:5, Interesting)
Precisely. Users do not care. Windows/Linux/OSX/whatever...they do not care. As long as the UI is relatively easy, it makes no difference.
recently, I had my daughter and her roommate living with us. A couple of 20somethings. I gave them an older VAIO with Ubuntu on it to use. No instruction, no notification, nada. After a few weeks, I asked "how do you like that new operaing system? It's not Windows, ya know"
'Huh, what do you mean?'
They never knew, nor cared, what the underlying susbsystem was. All they saw was a different wallpaper, and slightly different menu location. They found everything they needed to do, and simply got on with it.
of course, without a geek (me) setting it up, they would have been lost. No printer, no network, etc.
Linux needs better 3rd party periph hardware integration (camera/WiFi/printer-scanner, etc), better 'applications', and games. Given that, and no one in userland will notice the difference.
IF they really wanted to compete with windows... (Score:5, Interesting)
They would work on developing WINE. Just another Linux distribution would only be another OS that cant compete with Windows because it cant do wht most people need to do, run windows apps. If HP really was interested in defeating Windows it would help develop Wine, so everyone would be able to compete in the OS marketplace on an even playing field. Microsoft only keeps its market share because apps and drivers which only run on Windows. Allow people to run Windows apps and drivers and then you have an OS that really can make headway against MS.
Re:Lest we get excited. (Score:5, Interesting)
HP has supported Linux on its laptops for a long time. I have a NC6400 laptop which came with SLED10 installed on it, even has a nice green and silver SUSE logo badge.
What we're seeing here isn't just one hardware maker toying Linux, there are dozens of them - Nokia was an early adopter with Maemo/OS200x, but Asus, Everex/Wallmart, Dell, etc, etc are all jumping on the bandwagon. Even Intel, Microsoft's long-term partner in crime, has it's own Linux plans [cbronline.com]. And the important point these early adopters have demonstrated is that it isn't hard.
Microsoft's monopoly has been an immense roadblock for computing progress for decades now, but Vista's failure means there are cracks appearing in their Windows, and both competitors and partners have a scent of the fresh air on the other side. That's why the commentators are all calling HP's efforts an end-run around MS.
It's not a fait accompli yet, but with Adobe reinventing Flash as an application platform, Google poising Chrome/Gears in a similar role and Linux being adopted by most major hardware makers, Microsoft is looking more and more like losing control of the computing world.
And not before time.
If HP is modifying Linux it needs to be for GAMES (Score:2, Interesting)
HP did buy VooDooPC to get into the gaming market - which is about building really fast machines. Linux is lighter weight than Vista so a high end gaming rig running Linux would blaze.
Apple isn't noted for strong gaming - so HP launching a tweaked version of Linux (probably Ubuntu as it's closest to offering mainstream user OS needs) or Wine so "all popular games" will run on it, turn on default eye-candy in the standard Ubuntu Desktop and HP will be there!
This should be an interesting next couple of years.
Re:That would be awesome! (Score:1, Interesting)
I've been waiting for a manufacturer to adapt it's own Linux distro to compete with Apple. I just always thought Sony would be the company to do it first.
Within the next ten years I can see all manufacturers having a branded OS distro that they either sponsor (i.e. RedHat/Fedora, Canonical Ubuntu) or outright own (i.e. APPPLE/OSX).
I can see them ultimately updating and maintaining the same distro core, but branding it to their own company image (Themes, Backgrounds, Boot Images). But in the end they are all compatible with each other because they all built off of the same distribution with identical package manager servers.
This is the where the market will ultimately go. FOSS is the future, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the FOSS of choice will be Linux...other companies will open up well before Linux ever gets past 10% market share on the desktop.