Dell to Offer Ubuntu 7.04
In February when Dell launched IdeaStorm as forum for customers to contribute ideas for product offerings, we received overwhelming feedback that customers wanted Linux on desktops and notebooks. — As part of an overall effort to update our Linux program …
Context & Ripple Effects
Dell opened its IdeaStorm forum in February and got what the company itself calls overwhelming feedback asking for Linux on desktops and notebooks — and in March, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth argued publicly for vendors to pre-install Linux rather than leave it to enthusiasts. Today Dell answers both threads at once, naming Ubuntu 7.04, the distribution backed by Shuttleworth's Canonical, as part of an update to its Linux program.
The choice matters beyond the announcement itself: this is a top-tier PC maker committing to a specific community distro rather than an enterprise variant, and the story travelled fast — the BBC and CNET News.com were both carrying the Dell-picks-Ubuntu angle the same day.
First-order effects
- Dell customers who voted for Linux on IdeaStorm get a vendor-supported path: desktops and notebooks shipped with Ubuntu 7.04 pre-installed instead of requiring a self-install over Windows.
- Canonical gains its first confirmed arrangement with a major consumer PC maker, putting Ubuntu in front of retail buyers who would never have downloaded an ISO themselves.
Second-order effects
- Once Dell lists Ubuntu systems alongside Windows models, the price gap between the two becomes visible line-item evidence of what the OS costs on a consumer PC — data every other OEM's Linux-requesting customers can cite.
- Rival distributors (and any OEM watching IdeaStorm-style feedback channels) now face pressure to match a named, shipping alternative rather than dismiss Linux demand as niche.
Third-order effects
- If Dell's hardware-support commitment holds, desktop Linux shifts from an enthusiast install-after-purchase market to a vendor-certified channel, making distro selection an OEM procurement decision with real volume behind it.
- Customer-idea forums like IdeaStorm become a documented route from user demand to product lineup, which other hardware vendors can copy without Dell's scale.
The trend: Major PC makers are beginning to treat pre-installed Linux as a customer-demanded option alongside Windows, turning distribution choice into an OEM decision.