Dell dumps Linux

[mattg at theworld.com (matt galster)]

What are companies that have enterprise licensing supposed to do?  They'd
always wind up paying for licenses twice.

Bastages.

MEG

> -----Original Message-----
> From: discuss-admin at blu.org [mailto:discuss-admin at blu.org]On Behalf Of
> Wizard
> Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 6:24 PM
> To: discuss at blu.org
> Subject: RE: Dell dumps Linux
>
>
> >From what I gather reading the Slashdot article, this is not
> specifically
> against PCs with alternative operating systems, but PCs with
> NO operating
> systems. The idea being that a PC without a pre-loaded
> operating system has
> the potential for being a platform for a pirated operating
> system (namely XP
> or the like). I suspect that this will not affect other
> vendors such as HP
> that pre-load (RH7.1 in HPs case) Linux. It appears to only
> apply to selling
> machines without an OS, like Wal-Mart does, which will likely
> stop soon if
> the MS license thing carries over to whomever their vendor is.
>
> What would be nice, would be for someone like RedHat to get
> an injunction
> over the terms of the license, as the restrictions could very
> well affect
> the sales of all Open Source OSs, as Linux does not restrict
> their OS to one
> piece of hardware as Microsoft does (maybe not directly, but at least
> indirectly through the new XP licensure). It is most definitely
> anti-competitive behavior.
>
> As far as the issue itself goes, I wonder how much of it is
> Dell overstating
> the terms of the contract in order to drop Linux support
> without looking
> like the bad guys. It seems to me if it was truly the case,
> then the next
> step be to not allow vendors to sell hardrives without
> selling an operating
> system with that too? Potentially, you could require a
> license for every
> single component in the whole machine - just to be safe, mind you.
>
> Grant M.
>
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