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Linux Business

HP Shipping Turbolinux HP in Asia 104

Posted by CmdrTaco from the just-an-ocean-away dept.
An anonymous reader noted that "Turbolinux just announced they will be distributing TurboLinux 10 Desktop with HP's Compaq business Desktop PCs in 12 Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. "
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HP Shipping Turbolinux HP in Asia More

HP Shipping Turbolinux HP in Asia

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  • Yeah, but (Score:3, Funny)

    by Can it run Linux ( 664464 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @08:55AM (#8577566)
    can it run Linux(TM)?

    • Re:Yeah, but (Score:2, Informative)

      by identity0 ( 77976 )
      No kidding! Just because it "ships" with linux does not nessecarily mean that all hardware on board will be supported as well as windows, or even at all.

      True story that happened to me in the late 90's - I was at Frys, looking for a new network card or two. At the time, I was running either Mandrake or RedHat, as I recall. Anyways, I hadn't brought along a printout of supported cards under linux, because I assumed that they would say on the box whether it was supported by linux. Unfortunately, none of them

  • Uh oh... (OT) (Score:1, Funny)

    by dubdays ( 410710 )
    ...looks like another target for SCO! I wish those suckers would try and sue HP, and get their brains beat out. That'd be funny. PS: I apologize for the SCO stuff again, but I just couldn't help it. They're kind of like crack, you know. Twitch...twitch.......

  • Linux in Thailand (Score:5, Interesting)

    by myownkidney ( 761203 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:03AM (#8577611) Homepage
    The uptake of Linux with Thai computer users is truely mindboggling. I think with the advent of LinuxTLE(Thai Language Edition), more and more computer users are moving away from Windows to Open source.

    Quite suprising considering used to be is easy to find illegal software in Thailand [mithuro.com].

    I think HP is making the right choice by taking advantage of the situation. And with the CEO-Prime Minister Thaksin tipped to win the next election, things will only get harder for pirate software vendors.

    • Re:Linux in Thailand (Score:5, Interesting)

      by adamofgreyskull ( 640712 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:22AM (#8577734)
      Did the stricter policing of pirated copies of Windows enable Linux to gain popularity?

      Or did the vendors realise that more people were buying LinuxTLE, and so the risk involved in pirating Windows outweighed the benefits...?

      Asia is a big market for Microsoft to lose out in, and it'll be interesting to see what happens when they have to compete with others.

      • Re:Linux in Thailand (Score:1, Interesting)

        by CBob ( 722532 )
        Granted that XP's alot more stable than the funk nasty that was the prev versions of Windows, I still prefer the un-bloat that *nix/linux tends to bring to the table.

        I'd imagine that's a pretty universal feeling, wanting to save HD space for "important" stuff like games, tunes and the Swedish Volleyball Team.

      • Re:Linux in Thailand (Score:5, Interesting)

        by RoLi ( 141856 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:55AM (#8578001)
        Asia is a big market for Microsoft to lose out in, and it'll be interesting to see what happens when they have to compete with others.

        As soon as they really have to compete, the have already lost.

        Why?

        Because what does Windows offer? It's being established, it's having great support from 3rd party software makers, it's having great driver support, etc.

        As soon as Linux overcomes the initial barriers and becomes real competition, it's over because Windows has lost all the advantages, but still retains the disadvantages (being expensive, having EULAs that can be changed anytime, being forced to upgrade, etc.).

        And that's exactly the reason why Microsoft desperately tries to stop the beginnings of Linux on the desktop.

        • Re:Linux in Thailand (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Thud457 ( 234763 )
          This is the greatest news in the history of the world!!! Ok, so I exaggerated for effect...

          I mean, where is all our computer hardware built these days? Asia. If all the companies switch to Linux for thier home markets, that means they'll be developing drivers for Linux. That's always been one of the stumbling blocks to desktop domination.

    • Re:Linux in Thailand (Score:3, Interesting)

      by lordfoul ( 108260 )
      I have been living in Thailand for a couple of years now and with the exception of APEC last October it has been very easy to find illegal software. The game has changed a bit and there are fewer vendors who are as high profile about selling pirated versions of software (easy to tell who has police protection and who doesn't), but it's still there.

      • And another interesting point...if it is still easy to buy pirate copies of Windows $VER, then why is uptake of LinuxTLE increasing? Is it a better product? (Rhetorical question.. ;o)
        • Who said that uptake of LinuxTLE is increasing? I mean, there are about ten books out on it, but they don't appear to be moving, and I am the only person I know in my area who uses it.
          It is a very strong product, and I had an opportunity to apply for a job on their team (Mr. Choke, when is the announcement coming out?), but I have watched the number of Linux computers sold in Carrefour drop from ten to zero over the last six months, so I doubt it's growing greatly.
          In fact, LinuxTLE 5.5 has been out for a
          • The guy up ^there^ who posted this link [mithuro.com] said it.

            My post pre-supposed that it could be taken at face-value. But then...this *is* the interner :o/
            • I'm sorry if that came across as agressive. It wasn't meant that way. I really was curious, since everyone was talking about how great LinuxTLE was doing, where they were getting their facts. It could be true and I'm just not seeing it in my corner of Thailand. It is a great OS, though, and very consumer ready (mplayer and xine play everything, the Thai apps all work really well, and the plugins for Moz are all preinstalled).

  • To heck with Asia... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Penguinisto ( 415985 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:15AM (#8577696) Journal
    ...when can I see a decent HP (or other big OEM) laptop w/ Linux pre-loaded for sale here in the US!? (yep, I know about the third-party laptop guys, but you just try and buy one Dell, HP, or etc. laptop with Linux, and not XP, pre-loaded on it...)

  • Great but... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 3cents ( 741537 ) <salakowske@wis[ ]du ['c.e' in gap]> on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:21AM (#8577730) Homepage
    It's always good to see linux being adopted elsewhere but I worry about HP's commitment to helping the opensource community. It looks like they sponsor a few project here [hp.com] but thats seems like a far cry from IBM's investment in open source. So my question is this. Do you think HP is simply profiteering off the backs of generous open source developers or are they doing enough as is?

    Slashrank [slashrank.org]

    • Re:Great but... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by arivanov ( 12034 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:30AM (#8577773) Homepage
      The contribution of Compaq has been always considerable. For example Compaq RAID adapters remain one of the very few to be properly integrated in the Linux block device layer and not go through a lame SCSI emulation. They have also been reasonably consistent in terms of shipping documentation and linux friendly hardware. HP has always been the complete opposite. The fact that HP was one of the last platforms to have a linux port while Alpha was the first after x86 is selfexplanatory. So frankly dunno... Time will tell...
      • ...ferinstance, they've always been the most ardent supporters of Linux on the PDA [handhelds.org]. They were the folks who built the original Linux-based ARM bootloader for their iPAQs, and even guaranteed to repair (for a modest cost) any PDA's that were 'bricked' by a bad bootloader install. They've always been more than friendly towards OSS/FOSS from what I've seen.

        I suspect that it was the major reason Ms Fiorina and her gang (sp?) hasn't stopped flirting with Linux just yet (the other reason is HP realizing that so

        • they've always been the most ardent supporters of Linux on the PDA

          How can they possibly be the "most ardent" supporters when they don't ship PDAs with Linux installed? Other companies have done so, including Sharp, Agenda, and Yopy, meaning Compaq cannot possibly be in the top 3 supporters.
        • Correct spelling is "Ms Satan and her Daemons, May they burn in the fires of hell forever, amen"

      • Re:Great but... (Score:3, Informative)

        by 1u3hr ( 530656 )
        HP has always been the complete opposite. The fact that HP was one of the last platforms to have a linux port...

        But they do support most of their printers. Their PCL and PostScript clone ones work perfectly with well documented PDLs.

        See linuxprinting.org [linuxprinting.org] and their offically supported HP Linux Inkjet Driver Project [sourceforge.net]. Unfortunately cost-cutting and outsourcing of some product development and resulting patent issues has made this less than perfect; but they are trying.

        • most of their printer. It is quite interesting for you to say this about the inventors of the horrible abomination known as Windows only GDI printer.

          IMO, the only reason they support PCL and PS on their large kit is that there is too much software doing PCL and PS out there which does not go through any OS drivers. All CAD and printing systems come to mind. They do not want to lose this market so they are still shipping PCL and PS on their high end kit.

    • Gee something sponsored by HP relating to linux (Score:5, Informative)

      by SmallFurryCreature ( 593017 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @10:00AM (#8578044) Journal
      mmm, well there is this [kernel.org]. Does that count? It is a little project called the kernel. Some linux fans seem to think it is important.

      Grep it for HP and Compaq. Now grep it for IBM.

      So I would say HP is as committed as IBM. Both have something to gain by linux. They just have different ways of going about it. Yes that Linux add is nice. Helping making the kernel available for free is also nice.

      • HP trying to keep Itanic alive (Score:4, Insightful)

        by bstadil ( 7110 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @11:26AM (#8578954) Homepage
        If you notice the HP kernel effort is almost exclusively centered around the Itanic.

        HP were betting at least half the farm on Itanic, when they canned PA and Alpha and they are pretty much up the creek now.

        Their Itanic Linux effort is fine but 100% self serving, prety much nothing they contribute has an impact on Linux at large.

        • Why shouldn't a company's OSS contributions be self-serving? Isn't that possibility one of the biggest hopes for such software?

          People who use the Itanic (not necessarily HP customers) still find HP's contributions useful.
          • Isn't that possibility one of the biggest hopes for such software?

            Absolutely and I agree with your position. My comment was more aimed at the original poster equating HP's contribution to IBM's.

            My initial thinking was that IBM supports a much broader spectrum of current viable architectures and have contributed more general purpose SW, but on reflection I think your point is better.

            Powerful Self-interest is probably one of the most efficient vehicles there is.

        • "Their Itanic Linux effort is fine but 100% self serving"

          In other words: HP had an Linux on Itanium itch that they scratched

          OR: Linus's Linux effort is fine but 100% self serving (circa 1991)

          Nothing wrong with being self serving as long as you don't try to screw others/your customers to serve yourself.

  • 11 countries (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @09:30AM (#8577776)
    Hong Kong isn't a country.

  • HP recommends windows XP (Score:4, Informative)

    by nileshbansal ( 665019 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @10:11AM (#8578138) Homepage
    Although HP is selling some Turbolinux installed systems in India, all their ads(in newspaper) show "HP recommends MS windows XP". They are selling preinstalled-linux just to save XP's license fee, which they otherwise have to pay if they sell windows pre-installed machines.
    • This is good point and it'd show that in software/hardware business it is most often the bottom line in dollars that matters the most, not the user preference for this or that Linux distro that happens to be dear to us.

  • New Desktop 10 from TL (Score:4, Informative)

    by towatatalko ( 305116 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @10:11AM (#8578142)
    One may wander why Turbolinux and not say Red Hat is being shipped by HP and it seems they are just picking the strongest player there. TL had strong presence in Asia from its beginnings even though they had to close their US offices in July 2002 due to the mismanaged capital they had. They kept going in Asia and so now are apparently the most recognized Linux brand there. Their new desktop product in version 10 had no reviews amongst Linux analysts, I wonder if someone had the chance to try that distro recently.

  • HP (Score:4, Informative)

    by fr0dicus ( 641320 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @10:29AM (#8578332) Journal
    Having sat through more than my share of HP sales briefings about their dedication to Linux I can confirm that they haven't got a bloody clue what they're on about. Of the three Unix vendors I have to deal with Sun, IBM, HP, HP blatantly care the least and are purely in it for the ca$h.

    Boo, hiss HP.

  • Non-compliant Singapore Web Sites? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Bander ( 2001 ) on Tuesday March 16, 2004 @10:36AM (#8578410) Homepage
    My mom lives in Singapore, and complains a lot about Internet Explorer and Windows in general. I've tried to get her to buy a Mac or at the very least, switch to one of the Mozilla browsers.

    She is resistant because she says there are a lot of web sites that are IE-specific, and don't work properly with other browsers. Singapore has moved to some kind of Internet-based tax filing system, and one of her Mac-using friends apparently had quite an exhausting experience trying to file her taxes through the web site. She (my mom's friend) eventually gave up and used one of the Wintel boxes at work to do her taxes.

    Can someone more tech-savvy than my mom report on their experience with IE-specific web sites that Singapore citizens are required to use? I'd love to be able to get my mom using some other browser. There are some pop-ups you just don't want your parents seeing...

    -- Bander
    • Can someone more tech-savvy than my mom report on their experience with IE-specific web sites that Singapore citizens are required to use? I'd love to be able to get my mom using some other browser. There are some pop-ups you just don't want your parents seeing...

      There aren't too many websites you're "required to use", but yeah, IRAS [iras.gov.sg] (the local IRS) isn't too friendly. Surprisingly Mozilla/NS7 for most part work fine, but evidently Opera, Safari and older Netscapes don't [iras.gov.sg].

      My biggest hassles have in fac

  • I haven't seen much TurboLinux here in the USA for about 3 years now. I still have an old ISO CD of it around, but it was klunky(3 years is a long time ago in Linux-years).
    This was a bit confusing to me that HP would start pushing different distros in different parts of the world. Must be a marketing thing? They have a deal with Mandrake, and are increasing the push on it here in the USA and abroad. Now they also are offering TurboLinux, and I think you can get servers from them with Red Hat as well.
    • It that HP goes with the regional strong player for Linux desktop distribution. They're trying to sell their hardware by adapting to the existing situation, not necessarily picking the overall "best" Linux desktop distro. This strategy is probably sound, time will tell, but it is true that by being market player in Asia for a long time Turbolinux had developed Asian language features critical to users there, that alone is a big plus in going with Turbo.

    • Re:Interesting development for HP (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I think it's smart to partner with more than one or two companies with something this important. If Mandrake has strenghts in some areas, use them to meet those needs. If Turbolinux has differnt strengths (and strong brand recognition in Asia) then it's in HP's best interest to partner with them. I think it's a brilliant strategy that goes beyond just "marketing". Who wants another Red Hat or SuSE dominating the globe?
    • This was a bit confusing to me that HP would start pushing different distros in different parts of the world.

      TurboLinux is an Asian distribution and has better support for Asian languages, especially Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Also it makes sense for support that you'd use a distro that alrady has a local presence if possible. They all should be able to use the same drivers and any other model-specific hacks.

  • Desktop PCs in 12 Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

    This was copied from the linked article, but it's still wrong. There are 12 regions listed, however only 10 are "countries". Hong Kong certainly isn't (it was a British colony, now it's a "Special Administrative Region" of China). Taiwan officially is a province of China (though in practice it is independent).

    • "Taiwan is not a country" is a lie repeated by as a matter of policy by certain high-ranking government officials to mollify the Chinese authorities. (Although calling it a "lie" is an exaggeration, because they don't really expect to fool anyone). President Bush got into some trouble once when he forgot to lie and mentioned on TV that Taiwan is a country.

      It isn't "officially" a Chinese province any more than Kuwait was officially Iraqi territory in 1991. Somebody far away yelling that he owns your stuf
      • Quoth Minna Kirai:
        Somebody far away yelling that he owns your stuff has no real effect on ownership.
        Will someone please tell SCO this!
      • "Taiwan is not a country" is a lie repeated by as a matter of policy by certain high-ranking government officials to mollify the Chinese authorities. (Although calling it a "lie" is an exaggeration, because they don't really expect to fool anyone). President Bush got into some trouble once when he forgot to lie and mentioned on TV that Taiwan is a country.

        I said that it was a country in practice, but not legally (it doesn't have a seat in the UN, for instance). The KMT (the government in Taiwan till recen

        • Yes it is, according to both governments.

          Both Taiwan and the PRC call themselves "China", but one of them is correct and the other is pathetically wishful.

          But while Taiwan considers itself to be China, it doesn't claim any affiliation with the governmental entity known as "China" to the world.

          no one dares to piss them off by supporting Taiwan independence.

          George W. Bush surely dares that.
  • ...that with the amount of piracy in South East Asia, most desktops will still be running Windows. Linux may be "free" but for all intents and purposes, a pirated Windows XP installation cd will still come out cheaper. Said cd costs approximately $1.50, meanwhile, the amount of time and the bandwidth needed to download and burn, say, Mandrake, would be in the region of $4, _at_least_. And since broadband is as rare (or prohibitively expensive) in the region as snow, the cost is likely to be more expensiv
  • 1. Turbolinux is a leading supplier of a linux distro in the Asian Pacific region.

    2. HP is a leading supplier of server hardware and support services.

    3. An emerging Asian market that wants Linux.

    4. Profit!

    Finally a profit formula that doesn't have step 3 as a question mark!

  • Toronto Star article here [thestar.com]
  • HP started selling their Compaq presario range of desktops and laptops in India some months back. The desktops comes preloaded with TurboLinux and the laptops comes with Mandrake 9.1 . Compaq's linux laptops are the cheapest in India.

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