Dell collaborates with Microsoft/Novell – 2007 is definitely the year of desktop Linux

Last week, Dell was getting in bed with Ubuntu, this week there’s a Microsoft/Novell deal. The terms are interesting: Dell purchasing SLES (SuSE Linux Enterprise Server) certificates from Microsoft. Then, there’s the existing Dell Linux customer base – this deal is meant to market and offer services to migrate them to SLES!

Two platforms of the future – Microsoft Windows and Linux. These are also the two platforms for today. Dell will focus on interoperability workshops, migration proof of concepts, and provide migration services. I wonder how much of these will hit Dell or Novell partners, offering similar services. Watch the video-blog on Dell’s blog.

Questions that remain to be answered, and will be interesting to see unfold:

  • Where does this leave Red Hat? Is something interesting going to be announced at the Red Hat Summit happening May 9-11?
  • HP is a big supporter of Linux, with Debian. Where is the synergy with them to move the Ubuntu or even the Novell way?

A lot of folk have predicted many years in the past were the year of desktop Linux adoption. I think 2007 is the year of desktop Linux adoption. More importantly, I think I’m right.

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4 Comments

  1. Didn’t ubuntu already take place as “desktop browser of mass-choice”?

    Debian/Novell/RedHat are more about server-segment

  2. byte says:

    I don’t think Ubuntu has taken the place as the mass choice desktop solution. Or maybe its taken me this long to drink the kool aid, but I can assure you, Fedora or Mandriva still have their place…

  3. byte, check this site:
    http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

    it has ratings of distros

  4. Wade Mealing says:

    No doubt distrowatch has its “ratings”, but this is based on how many people visit that distros page on his site.

    It does not take into consideration the 5000 desktop roll outs of RHEL Desktop or the university deployments of Fedora. Most of those style users dont give a hoot about distro watch or their pages.

    I’m sure SLES and Mandriva would face the same problems.

    “The desktop” means many things to many people, the corporates require more control and management than the home user so in some larger circumstances it requires managment control such as zen or Red Hat Satellite to be usable for these people, other distros do not have this kind of management.

    Wade.


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