Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

Mary Ellis — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:29:56 GMT

The way the deal reads it seems is for server/data center interop...not desktops. Am I missing something. Trying to read and understand all the interesting comments here in the blog

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

No Longer A Buyer — Sun, 20 May 2007 21:59:53 GMT

Judy said "These customers want...". No, they don't Judy. YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO WHAT THESE CUSTOMERS WANT.

These customers, in data centers, do _not_ want Microsoft to decide how interoperability will work. The idea of that entirely rubs right against the _whole_point_ of opensource. We want Judy to go - we are your old customers, this is what we want, not you deciding for us. That is the idea of this whole thing, remember??

This has nothing to do with interoperability. If you wanted to do that for your customers, you would have provided them with an opensource operating system for the past X years - on the desktop, the server, in the data center , everywhere. Judy, we're really unimpressed. You (a) aren't in touch with customers and (b) are arrogant as a company to address customers and try to tell them what they want. In the corporation or at home, we're from all over the world - different sectors - some of us _are_ in the data centers, in the lab, writing code, compiling, even building your components - even working for you.

Don't tell us what we want, you don't know. I'd advise that you didn't get involved in any more decision-making and the board review your effectiveness as a director. This move is insane - and to try to tell a Linux user what he/she wants, rofl...

This has nothing to do with interoperability, it's about 235 unknown software patent infringement claims - they logically don't exist as there is no evidence of them. VapourInfringements... please stop spreading FUD.

Yours Respectfully,

No Longer A Buyer

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

No Longer A Buyer — Sun, 20 May 2007 18:57:21 GMT

Hi Lionel,

Can you please answer why you're buying from Microsoft? Why not direct? How much did it mean to you to do this? Has it been worth the cost?

One could wonder if this is worth so much to you, was this always the plan? Are Microsoft and Dell more interested in their relationship and a monopoly than their customers? Will we really ever see what has been promised? Too many questions, and a great loss of faith in the supplier from so many people. What began as great PR placing seems to have turned ugly. We're still waiting to order Linux on the desktop worldwide and, even before you make it available, you have lost possibly 90% of your sales. Wow, these people will just buy elsewhere. Seriously, I have never seen so much potential revenue lost in such a short time-frame. Surely, this must be beneficial from a financial arrangement between you and Microsoft, there must be something hidden - otherwise you've just made a really silly business decision. So, silly or devious. We don't know - and it could be too late to try to explain.

Truly sorry for not being able to buy from you again, ever - not even when we need Windows systems (as fear still remains that this is devious: could Dell really be that silly?)

No Longer A Buyer

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

Dissapointed — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:08:05 GMT

Honestly, did Dell have no clue as to how the community would respond to this decision on their part?

It feels like a slap in the face and I for one along with many of my friends and colleague looked forward to Ubuntu on Dell laptops. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be as M$ tuggs on the marionette that is Dell.

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

manitwo — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:08:00 GMT

oh my god. really sad :(

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

Alex — Tue, 15 May 2007 22:09:41 GMT

I, like many other linux users I'm sure; was looking forward to simply clicking onto Dell and selecting a computer I know would run my chosen OS perfectly.

However, the deal with Microsoft undeminds the excellent work over the years, of the linux community. For Microsoft to bully its way into making money from others work, is something I can't support.

I'll simply have to go back to spending my time reading about
hardware, and its linux driver support, and build my own machines.

I also hope the EU see's this as the anticompetitive practice it is.

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

blood — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:26:15 GMT

so, you've chosen to be on enemy's side, on MS side, on NOvell side, against human rights, against freedom.

You finance MS just to stay sure you won't have to be sued, but u all know they can't sue you, because Linux doesn't violate any patent.

U know that, but MS must have given u a lot of... motivation (?) to make this step.

I never liked DELL: a lot of years ago u took the name domain to a french guy.. u got that domain and left it to rot.

So, just for this thing, i've never ever liked u. Now, after this partnership with Novell and MS, stay sure i won't support your firm, I will tell every person interested in my opinion in buying a computer to choose not DELL.

You never opened with me, but for sure you've closed forever

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

Rajah — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:05:39 GMT

Just as I was all set to buy a pre-installed Ubuntu machine that I didn't really need, just to show my support for Dell in doing the "Right Thing", then you completely spoil it with this deal with MS to buy "Linux Certificates" from them. Thanks for saving me a few hundred dollars!!

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

octathlon — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:03:33 GMT

Like most of the people who were eagerly awaiting our chance to buy an Ubuntu laptop from Dell, I'm very disappointed about the collaboration with MS and now rethinking my decision. What I'd like to know if that result was actually your intention or not.

You had to know that this deal would undermine if not destroy the potential for success with the preinstalled Ubuntu project, so I can think of 3 scenarios.

1. You were sincere about the Ubuntu offering and wanted it to succeed, but were threatened by Microsoft in some way, and the collaboration thing was the price to remove the threats.

2. You weren't sincere about preinstalled Linux; quite the opposite, after the Ideastorm demand for Linux, you wanted to appear as though you were listening to customers, but needed an excuse (there was no real demand for Linux after all) to get out of actually having to do it. This MS deal effectively squelched the enthusiasm of the Linux community to support Dell.

3. You really didn't care one way of the other about what happened with the Ubuntu offering; it just provided a good way to get MS's attention, all the better to negotiate some good deals with them.

If it is one of those 3 things, I don't expect to hear anyone admit it, but if it's #1 and you really do want the preinstalled Linux project to succeed, you need to follow the advice of those like kosmo who said,

"It would be most helpful if your company publicly and strongly states that it does not by any means substantiate of believe microsoft's IP claims. And also if you state that microsoft is in fact distributing Linux,and GPLd software since you are buying it from them."

I think you should also clearly explain why you bought the certificates from MS instead of from Novell. Like kosmo, "I will keep negative towards this pact until then."

re: Dell Collaboration with Microsoft and Novell

ecv — Sun, 13 May 2007 15:50:52 GMT

This clearly only highlights the fact that you are in dire financial trouble ...IBM's further gains will be your loss.