I'm not one for passing on memes and crazy petitions, but Sean McGrath has pointed out that Dell are requesting advice on expanding their pre-installed Linux range.
I think they currently provide, oh, some old version of Ubuntu on two of their billion computer models only in the US, and then only in states whose names begin with "K". This might be a way to lever open the barriers placed around this potentially very popular market. You'll have to move fast, though, as the petition closes on Friday March 23.
Do this for your potential customers, Dell. You could be part of a new revolution: after all, Tim O'Reilly says that Web 2.0 is all about putting the customer first. I bet that came as a bit of a shock to all those people in other industries, like the old Web 1.9, or cheese-making, or DIY superstores, who think their sector is about putting the customer first and it's nothing to actually crow about. But banal marketing statements from industry sacred cows aside, this is a great chance for Dell and for their customers.
If Dell can give me a computer which categorically does not contribute to the statistics of how many users there are of Vista or XP, and which has a reasonable Linux version on it from day one, then I for one pledge to go out and buy one off them. They'll have to be quick, though. Without choice, I'll eventually lose patience and go for a cheaper option: any one of their competitors will do. I'll have to swallow my pride and just buy and then discard an XP licence for zero pounds, but I'll be buying it from them, dearest Dell: not you. Time's a tickin'.
