Will Dell's Deal with Ubuntu GNU/Linux Hurt Microsoft?

Finally, people are going to be given a choice of pre-installed operating systems. Dell has announced that it will be selling certain consumer PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed and by so doing admitting that Linux is actually ready for the mainstream consumer big time. This could hurt Microsoft in a way though, since GNU/Linux is free. It should lower the cost of the desktops and laptops that dell sells. Will other companies like Dell take heed and follow Dell by offering some other GNU/Linux pre-installed on their computers.

Imagine you as a customer shopping for a computer.You enter the store and you are faced with 3 choices: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, or GNU/Linux. With the first two the company must charge you for the computer hardware and the software known as the operating system. With the GNU/Linux solution you are only charged for the computer hardware since the operating system is free. This will make the computer running GNU/Linux cheaper than the previous two solutions. Will Microsoft then lower it's price on its software? I agree, you'll still have those die hard Windows fans that are just afraid to migrate to something that's better.

"When Dell did that at their IdeaStorm site, the masses yelled 'what we want is Linux pre-installed' and the Michael Dell yelled back 'we are listening' and then it all went very quiet indeed", as DaniWeb reported. Now every financial institution and stockbroker wants to know if the Ubuntu GNU/Linux solution will sell to the masses. I say yes. It is what they been needing: a reliable operating system. I'll predict that Dell business will grow more because of it. They are not forcing anything on anyone. They are just giving their customers a choice. That was always one of the reasons I have never bought a Dell laptop since I would have to pay for Microsoft Windows that I do not need. Guess we will see soon how much of a price difference this will make between the two of them.