Dell mulls pre-installed Linux

DELL HAS told a man plus his bowser that it is seriously considering assembling machines with preinstalled Linux on board.

The idea comes from IdeaStorm which is basically Dell's online suggestion box. Lately it has been flooded by requests for open sauce ideas like Linux and OpenOffice.

In an official statement here, Dell said that it was already working with Novell to certify its corporate client products for Linux, including our OptiPlex desktops, Latitude notebooks and Dell Precision workstations.

However there was a slight snag in bringing Linux to consumers as there was no one distribution that any Linux bods could agree on.

The IdeaStorm community suggested more than half a dozen distributions. But Dell didn't want to pick one distribution and alienate users with a preference for another.

Meanwhile Dell has confirmed that it will make it easier for customers to remove software once they receive their PC. It has made it possible to un-install of almost any application by declining the EULA (End User Licensing Agreement) associated with software. µ