Slightly OT: Must Linux buy its way onto the desktop?

[Temlakos]

Mike McCarty wrote:
> taharka wrote:
> 
>> Feb. 08, 2006
>>
>> As you may know, Google is close to making a deal with Dell in which the
>> search giant will get to preinstall its software package on Dell PCs.
>> What you may not know is that Google may be spending a billion dollars
>> over three years for the privilege.
> 
> 
> Why should I care? (This is a serious question, not irony.)
> 
>> Full story at; http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2572482759.html
>>
> 
> 
> [QUOTE MODE ON]
> 
> What does that have to do with Linux? Everything.
> 
> Microsoft may say that what ends up on the desktop is all about having 
> the best products, but that's hooey. I don't say that as a Linux 
> supporter, I say that as someone who knows how the desktop market works. 
> Most users, I'd say 80 percent, stick with what comes on their desktop. 
> Period.
> 
> I know this. Microsoft knows this. Everyone in the desktop business 
> knows this, even though we may disagree on the exact numbers.
> 
> So, the real way to win the desktop, as I've long said, is to get Linux 
> on it before a user ever sees it.
> 
> [QUOTE MODE OFF]
> 
> 
> Is "winning the desktop" (whatever that may be) a goal? For me?
> 
> I guess I just don't understand the big picture or sth. This just
> looks like more "I hate MicroSoft" propaganda than anything worthwhile.
> 
> Could someone explain why this is important?
> 
> Mike

I'll try to explain.

If we ever expect to quit having our local CIO's roll their eyes at us 
when we say that we want /Linux/ desktops and /Linux/ client machines, 
because we know that Linux will cost the company much less overall than 
buying a bunch of Windows boxes, then we'll need some more attractive 
options than:

1.	Buying a bunch of machines having Windows pre-installed on them.

2.	Nuking the hard drives.

3.	Installing Linux on them.

Either that, or:

1.	Buying a bunch of machines /without/ hard drives.

2.	Buying hard drives /separately/.

3.	Installing the hard drives.

4.	Installing Linux on these systems.

Sure, CIO's often mis-compute Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by looking 
only at short-term, up-front inconveniences and extra work. Sure, if 
they could see ahead to all the times that our computers /wouldn't/ be 
down, because of the virus that /wouldn't/ get started, they's think 
differently.

But the job will still be a lot easier when the hardware vendors offer 
to pre-install Linux--and better yet, the distribution of /our/ 
choice--on a bunch of computers that a given company might purchase all 
at once.

Temlakos