Dell offers machines with Ubuntu Linux in 220 Chinese stores

TIN BOX FLOGGER Dell has rolled out machines preloaded with Ubuntu Linux to 220 retail stores in China.

Dell might have scaled back its Ubuntu Linux offerings in the west but in China - the market that really matters - the firm is rolling out a range of machines running Ubuntu in 220 stores. Unlike its solitary US web-store offering, Dell presents Chinese punters with a range of Ubuntu Linux systems and better still the firm said its staff will promote the benefits of Ubuntu Linux to consumers.

Canonical and Dell announced that they were working on a strategy for flogging Dell machines running Ubuntu Linux earlier this year. However given Dell's seemingly declining interest in Ubuntu Linux, some thought the announcement was hot air from a company that just wanted to keep a Linux-friendly image, but not so.

Dell's range of Ubuntu Linux machines will come with Ubuntu's music store and the Ubuntu One cloud storage built in. All in all, it is a good chance for desktop Linux usage to grow in an immensely important market.

Ubuntu Linux might not be the first choice for many Linux users but Canonical has done a lot to push its desktop-oriented Linux distribution to OEMs such as Acer and Dell. While in established markets the popularity of Microsoft's Windows remains hard to break down, in a relatively new and growing market there is every chance that Linux, whether it's Ubuntu or some other Linux distribution, can succeed. µ