Submitted by Computer maker Lenovo will not install or support the Linux operating system on any of its PCs, including ThinkPads and a series of new notebooks, the company said this week. The company is clearly positioning itself as an exclusive partner of Microsoft, several weeks after the companies announced they were “reaffirming” global market development and cooperation agreements. “We will not have models available for Linux, and we do not have custom order, either,” said Frank Kardonski, Lenovo’s worldwide product manager for Lenovo 3000 offerings. “What you see is what you get. And at this point, it’s Windows.”
nice to see the customer comes first, again.
Wait…90% of the world uses Windows…that means they ARE indeed catering to the customer….or am I mistaken?
Yes, you are mistaken. Both me and many other people buy laptops in order to get laptops. Not laptops + someos, but laptops. With such approach we all prefer having the cheapest preinstalled os there is, because we’re going to install whatever os we want later and at the moment of purchase we’re interested in price.
Anyway, I come from Poland, most of us have Windows “for free”, so paying for it is considered a burden. Moreover, when a person has an original copy + certificate from MS for Windows it is considered kind of funny (in a way: “WOW, legal!”;).
Most of those people didn’t look around and then choose Windows. They just ended up with it because of manufacturers and business deals like this. Don’t confuse an installed user base with loyalty or even approval.
… Which has nothing to do with the point.
I want to buy -A- Laptop. I don’t want to buy -A- Laptop with -A- Microsoft Operating System. (I’ve got a legal XP/MSDN copy; I want to install Linux; the reasons are irrelevant)
In most places on earth conditioning the transaction on one item (-A- Laptop) with a forced transaction on another (-A- Microsoft Operating System) is illegal.
I can only hope FOSS drags Lenovo to U.S/E.U courts and kick the living shit out of them.
Oh, while you’re at, if indeed this “new” policy is a result of the latest contract between Lenovo and Microsoft, Microsoft will find itself, again, facing the DOJ/EU courts.
In the mean time, don’t buy Lenovo.
G.
If they cared about their customers they’d give them a choice. Not: “any OS, so long as it’s MS Windows”.
But I guess they can’t make a profit on that 1-5% (?) of customer demand (especially when few other mainstream manufacturers offer Linux).
I read this just after reading http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=14804
(Chinese Government Says All New PCs Must Be Linux-Friendly).
Lenovo is China-based….I doubt/hope Lenovo will completely drop Linux-supported hardware, China is huge.
Edited 2006-06-03 16:36
You just wont be able to buy those products in the USA.
Lenovo is China-based….I doubt/hope Lenovo will completely drop Linux-supported hardware, China is huge.
Agreed, the article needs more context.
I could see this being some sort of political ploy within the US considering the microscope Levono is under with regards to federal procurement.
Levono already ships linux-based PC’s in China, and will need to continue if they expect to entertain government business.
Hell, even HP reported that they ship 100,000 linux-preinstalled PC’s per quarter outside of NA. Ok, that’s not huge, but it’s not insignificant either.
And given IBM’s stake in Levono combined with their industry-leading support for desktop linux, such as it is, it doesn’t make sense.
Me thinks there’s more here than meets the eye.
> … IBM’s stake in Levono …
care to clarify?
care to clarify?
IBM took an 18.9% stake in Lenovo when they sold them the PC division, and it’s one of the leading brands their Global Services division sells for enterprise deployments. So they still have a degree of influence if they care to exhert it.
I know some people will complain, but it’s ultimately their decision. If they want to shun a market, losing customers in the process, then it’s their problem.
Of course, my decision will be to stay away from their products. I might not be the biggest Linux proponent (love it as a server, find it too uneven for my destkop usage), but I won’t forfeit my choice to try another OS whenever I want, whichever it might be. I hope people will eventually start to voice their opinion against this kind of artificial lock-in. It’s quite utopic (most people couldn’t care less, especially those who aren’t computer-savvy), but we never know…
As for the other story on China, the mandate is on desktop computers, not laptops.
and this announcement surprises people?
the article is about Taiwan.
and Lenovo just announced something that is true for most PC makers. Almost no maker will sell you a PC with linux installed, and only those who sell it installed support it.
Well, Lenovo is now off my list of prospective manufacturers. I have a Powerbook now, and when I bought it, the only two options that I ended up seriously considering were Apple and IBM. If Lenovo is really shunning Linux, they are now no longer a viable option for me. Sad, really, because I really like their laptops.
So it seems Apple most likely will continue to get my business, unless some other companies start making thin and light laptops with lots of practical features, while still being friendly to open source projects, of course. If Lenovo changes their stance drastically, however, they’ll be back on my list again.
> Well, Lenovo is now off my list of prospective manufacturers.
I’m pretty sure that Linovos’s not losing any sleep that CrimsonScythe didn’t buy their machine. Let’s see who else you got to buy laptops from:
Toshiba? Dell? HP? Acer? Sony? – none of them offer Linux.
The problem for any hardware vendor is if they say they support linux and install Redhat, some guys will come out with pitchforks demanding they install Novell. If they install Linspire, y’all come out again with pitchforks demanding Ubuntu. As the saying goes, the best strategy is not to play the game at all.
After all what the hell do you care anyways whether Lenovo supports linux or not?. It’s not like you would use their drivers over your distro’s drivers?. Seems to me some of you love bitching when someone says they don’t support Linux.
Edited 2006-06-03 17:17
their best option would basicly be to pick hardware that is known to work under linux and let the user install the distro they want. the kernel is the same anyways…
I’m pretty sure that Linovos’s not losing any sleep that CrimsonScythe didn’t buy their machine.
Such a clever comment. No, they’re probably not losing any sleep over that. Thank you for that blinding flash of the obvious.
Toshiba? Dell? HP? Acer? Sony? – none of them offer Linux.
On the list I’ll exclude Dell and Sony, at least. I’ve had a Dell, and probably won’t buy another one ever. It wasn’t a horrible computer, but I had too many issues with it to be bothered again. Also, the model that took over for mine went a step back in Linux support, and was immediately excluded. Also, I don’t think HP makes any ~1″ thick notebooks and I honestly don’t know about Acer and Toshiba anymore. HP, by the way, do offer Linux laptops. It’s been two years since I bought my laptop, so I haven’t kept up that much on any of Toshiba’s or Acer’s products or stance towards open source.
The problem for any hardware vendor is if they say they support linux and install Redhat, some guys will come out with pitchforks demanding they install Novell. If they install Linspire, y’all come out again with pitchforks demanding Ubuntu.
I’m not sure what to say to this, but it’s one of the lamest comments I’ve read in quite a while. I have never read any comments that would support your claim, and if you manage to find someone who actually take that position, I’d be hard pressed to see who would care about such whining. What Linux distro they’d pre-install, or even if they’d pre-install any, doesn’t really matter in my opinion. As long as I can resell whatever Windows the machine comes with…
After all what the hell do you care anyways whether Lenovo supports linux or not?. It’s not like you would use their drivers over your distro’s drivers?. Seems to me some of you love bitching when someone says they don’t support Linux.
If they’re simply not officially supporting Linux, it’s an inconvenience. Mostly because it means that they probably won’t be bothered too much to supply any information that can be used to write drivers. On the other hand, going to the press proclaiming that they won’t support Linux is quite a different thing. “We will not have models available for Linux”, they said, hinting that they’ll be less than friendly to open source projects such as Linux and FreeBSD. Unless they’re trying to proclaim your undying love for Microsoft, why even go to the press with it at all?
Edited 2006-06-03 18:37
Toshiba? Dell? HP? Acer? Sony? – none of them offer Linux.
Actually that’s not true at all. Both HP and Dell support Linux. You can get a laptop from HP or Dell with Linux preinstalled. It’s not easy but you can get it directoy from the manufacturer.
Lenovo is just being stupid by making this announcement. They would be better off if they said nothing at all. It’s hard to get your hands on laptops with Linux preinstalled as it is, so saying nothing would just be a contiuation of the status quo. Instead they blatantly disregarded their Linux users and they will suffer the consequences. I’ve actually seen a large proportion of Linux laptop users on IBMs, but I’m sure that will change in the future.
The thing that sucks the most about this decision is that I’m positive that if IBM still owned them this would have never happened. It would have screwed up their plans to change all of their internal systems to Linux. I wonder who their going to buy their hardware from now?
Actually, Acer does offer Linux. Only it’s Linpus Linux, and only in SE Asia. But, it’s better than nothing.
//Toshiba? Dell? HP? Acer? Sony? – none of them offer Linux. //
Not true.
HP and Dell both offer Linux on laptops. Even Acer to a much lesser extent.
Toshiba (and now Lenovo) are the only two who I know have said “definately not”. (I’m not sure about Sony – you can get Linux on a Sony Playstation but I have no idea one way or another about their latops).
Anyway, as far as I am concerned, Toshiba and now Lenovo are both now difinately off MY list of candidate suppliers for laptops – even if I COULD get Linux to run on a Lenovo or a Toshiba their attitude stinks and I won’t go anywhere near their machines.
Apple would have got your business anyway, genius!
Since Lenovo is emphatically rejecting customer choice, is demonstrating it does not care about quality, encourages bloat (perpetuating needless hd upgrades) via WinXP/Vista only computers, and is helping perpetuate the Windows lock-in / monopoly, then the only sensible choice (in terms of being a smart consumer, or watching out for one’s business, and in terms of ideals) is to completely reject Lenovo products.
Too bad, because in the past I’ve liked Thinkpads. But now there is no way in hell I’d ever buy a Lenovo product. I’m also going to actively discourage my customers (of my company’s enterprise class software, where we make frequent recommendations on hardware) to avoid Lenovo products like the plague.
I don’t even have a problem with most people using Windows, and a OEM featuring mostly Windows – it’s a smart business decision. But customer choice, and true competition, are crucial for a healthy economy and good products and happy customers. This is true of any market or product type.
Since Lenovo is taking this anti customer choice, anti competition, anti Linux, pro MS lock-in stance, the sooner they go out of business, the better.
Yes, they have the right to package/market their products however they wish. But let them reap what they sow. Bye bye Lenovo.
Edited 2006-06-03 17:05
lol “anti customers” …
At least, 90% of customers want Windows. How can they be anti customers ?
The day where more customers want linux, they will sell it with computers just as DELL is starting to sell servers with AMD processor.
You are just angry because they won’t sell computers with linux, that’s all.
@Duffman:
“At least, 90% of customers want Windows. How can they be anti customers ?”
Thats against what the other 10% wants. That other 10% is legitimate in their needs/wishes just as much as the “majority”.
And as for the 90% – Many of that 90% aren’t even aware there is a choice. And many that are aware, would indeed like to test the Linux waters, if only a hardware OEM would support it.
So, in not offering choice Lenovo is not putting it’s customers best interests at heart. Plain and simple.
In a free market, customers are not entitled to get exactly what they want. In fact, businesses are not even entitled to have customers (neat how that works).
Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don’t owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>. Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want.
Edited 2006-06-03 19:38
@paul.michael.bauer
“In a free market, customers are not entitled to get exactly what they want. In fact, businesses are not even entitled to have customers (neat how that works).
Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don’t owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>. Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want. “
That is a very sensible response. Yes, in a free market, a vendor isn’t obligated to supply anything, or do anything, or make customers happy. Also in a free market, customers aren’t obligated to buy anything from any vendor.
That’s why the title of my original post was “Don’t buy Lenovo”, and then listed my reasons.
And I believe that if people that refuse to purchase products from an OEM that only features Windows are helping perpetuate a healthy, free market, where, you guessed it, vendors can do what they want and customers can do what they want. Otherwise, MS and OEMs that that are at their beck and call take away the free market for desktop computing, where the vendor has to do MS’s bidding, and the customer has to put up with whateve crap is thrown at them.
So, in support for free markets, don’t buy Lenovo. Of course, everyone can do what they want, but that’s just my recomendation. 😉
Edited 2006-06-03 20:17
“Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba etc. don’t owe anybody support for <insert fav. OS here>.”
I must have missed it, but I couldn’t find anyone saying that a company owed anoyone to support their favorite OS. So what’s your point exactly, arguing against a strawman?
“Only when the cost of support is less than the potential profits will they give you what you want.”
This isn’t about support and the people who said they would not buy Lenovo didn’t say so because Lenovo doesn’t support linux.
Thats against what the other 10% wants. That other 10% is legitimate in their needs/wishes just as much as the “majority”.
So Mopar is “anti-customer” because they make GM parts but not Ford parts?
So Mopar is “anti-customer” because they make GM parts but not Ford parts?
What? First of all Mopar doesn’t make GM parts. They make Chrysler/Dodge parts. Second, how does that even make sense? Mopar is owned by Chrysler. Your analogy would only make sense if IBM owned Microsoft.
when i brane-fart, i brane-fart. i had mistakenly believed that Chrysler had sold Mopar off, and had mistakenly believed that it was GM, not Chrysler, thereby creating a completely hosed analogy.
the point i completely botched making was that it’s not “anti-customer” for a shop to specialize in building objects that are tailored for a specific application, in this case, Lenovo concentrating on boxes that run one OS and not diverting any energy to the other.
A better automotive example: Is Dinan http://www.dinanbmw.com/ “anti-customer” because they specialize in BMWs?
Thats against what the other 10% wants. That other 10% is legitimate in their needs/wishes just as much as the “majority”.
No they’re not. They are the 10%, not the 90%
And as for the 90% – Many of that 90% aren’t even aware there is a choice. And many that are aware, would indeed like to test the Linux waters, if only a hardware OEM would support it.
Just like most of the people that buy microwaves don’t care what code it runs. The PC is just an appliance to most people.
So, in not offering choice Lenovo is not putting it’s customers best interests at heart. Plain and simple.
Lenovo is putting its interests first, just like every rational business.
@slate
“Lenovo is putting its interests first, just like every rational business.”
Fair enough. And I’m putting my self interest at heart in refusing to buy their stuff. And, IMHO, it’s in most people’s best interests to not do business with vendors who don’t offer choice, and perpetuate lock-in.
And yes, it’s easy enough for people who are comfortable with computers – geeks, IT professionals, power users, to download and install Linux on a Lenovo Thinkpad. I’ve done that myself many times (with an old IBM Thinkpad).
However, the vast majority of the market has no idea how to install an OS, or even knows that there is an alternative. And when a vendor refuses to offer viable alternatives with their hardware, they are perpetuating Windows lock-in.
Both Dell and HP offer Linux as a pre-installed alternative. It’s very limited, and you have to really look for it. But it’s there, and it’s a start. I don’t blame them for doing it slowly and cautiously. Afterall, I work for a proprietary software company that sells software that runs only on Windows (but will connect with other systems easily). So I fully understand market reality, and making wise business decisions based on cost of development vs potential revenue.
But Linux is edging in there, and is growing, and is being tested by some big OEMs (Dell, HP), and many small OEMs. It’s a viable “hedging all bets on the market” strategy. Thus, I choose to not do business with a vendor, Lenovo, that does not offer Linux as a choice.
IMHO, that is a very reasonable choice, and my right, and it doesn’t make me a zealot or someone who is not in touch with reality.
If you are comfortable with monopoly and lock-in and poor quality, then that’s your business. Me, I choose to use the best product possible, and go for the best value possible.
Since Lenovo is emphatically rejecting customer choice
No, if they were rejecting customer choice then they wouldn’t be selling windows on their machines.
s demonstrating it does not care about quality,
Get a grip on yourself. Their hardware has nothing to do with what software is running on it.
and is helping perpetuate the Windows lock-in / monopoly, then the only sensible choice (in terms of being a smart consumer, or watching out for one’s business, and in terms of ideals) is to completely reject Lenovo products.
The only one with the lock-in problem is you. Everybody else that is smart enough to understand knows they have choice.
Since Lenovo is taking this anti customer choice, anti competition, anti Linux, pro MS lock-in stance, the sooner they go out of business, the better.
And that’s why people like you can’t be taken seriously.
@slate:
No, if they were rejecting customer choice then they wouldn’t be selling windows on their machines.
Many people do indeed choose Linux, or MacOSX. And many more are thinking seriously about testing the Linux waters. But Lenovo wants to remove that choice from them. Yes, Windows represents about 90% of the market, but that does not make the rest of the market illegitimate.
Get a grip on yourself. Their hardware has nothing to do with what software is running on it.
Hardware needs software to run it. Otherwise it’s just a paper weight. The OS is very much a part of the package. Linux presents a very high quality alternative.
The only one with the lock-in problem is you. Everybody else that is smart enough to understand knows they have choice.
How am I perpetuating lock-in? I’m the one for customer choice and competiton, remember? Would it be okay if the only car you could buy is a Ford Taurus?
And that’s why people like you can’t be taken seriously.
And the fact that you react this way to my stance about customer choice and competition is why people like you can’t be taken seriously. The Windows Trolls/Parrots/Astroturfers are the ones flaming, and the ones who can’t be taken seriously.
Many people do indeed choose Linux, or MacOSX. And many more are thinking seriously about testing the Linux waters. But Lenovo wants to remove that choice from them. Yes, Windows represents about 90% of the market, but that does not make the rest of the market illegitimate.
Wrong as usual. Lenovo is just not going to install Linux for you.
Hardware needs software to run it. Otherwise it’s just a paper weight. The OS is very much a part of the package. Linux presents a very high quality alternative.
An alternative that Lenovo has decided is not in their interests to support.
How am I perpetuating lock-in? I’m the one for customer choice and competiton, remember? Would it be okay if the only car you could buy is a Ford Taurus?
No, it’s only in your mind that you think its lockin. Everybody else knows that you can install Linux yourself and don’t whine and cry because Lenovo won’t pre-install it for them.
And the fact that you react this way to my stance about customer choice and competition is why people like you can’t be taken seriously. The Windows Trolls/Parrots/Astroturfers are the ones flaming, and the ones who can’t be taken seriously.
You can’t be taken seriously, because you are incapable of understanding reality. You try to project your rabid emotions about operating systems on others who could care less about them.
It’s not just Windows that this is about. It’s about pre-installing PCs in a way that Microsoft really wants, and not what Dell is going to be doing with Google’s desktop search. They probably think they’re going to get even better deals from Microsoft, but they’re going to be shafted just like all the rest.
I am disappointed by this public statement. I have let them know how I feel about this. Anyone else that disappointed should also let them know. You can contact them at http://www.lenovo.com/scripts/contact/contact3/us/en
Maybe this will show them that people DO care about choice.
I could see this being some sort of political ploy within the US considering the microscope Levono is under with regards to federal procurement.
Agreed, a very likely cause for such a statement
they won’t be offering MS-free lappys anymore. At least that’s what I took away from the article. When I ordered my stinkpad, I could customize the hell out of it, and order it w/o paying the extra $130 for Windows. That’s really all I’d ever ask – I don’t want *anything* pre-installed on my machines.
Oh well, I doubt I’ll be in the market for a new lappy anytime soon in any event, and ultimately, it’s not like they were in any way “linux friendly” before this anyhow. Hopefully they will still continue to offer machines that linux runs well natively on, at the very least.
Thats fine. I have the choice of whom I want to do business with as well. There are plenty other lappie manufacturers out there. Thanks to the linux on laptops website I can see who is and who isn’t willing to support My choice in os. Also its a pretty idiotic choice as far as I can see. I know a bunch of admins who run BSD and Loonix on older Ibm lappies.. If Lameovo wants to kiss their business g’by thats their binnis.(heh). I’m sure someone will jump in to fill the gap, nature abhorrs a vacuum.
If Lameovo wants to kiss their business g’by thats their binnis.(heh)
Lenovo understands their business more than you ever will. I’m sure a few osnews geeks not buying Lenovo will sure show them though.
Us, and the majority of those who ask us what’s good. I’ve recommended Thinkpads for years; I won’t anymore.
I filed an email complaint to Lenovo, judf – thanks for the link. They should at least check that nothing is against loading Linux on their PC’s. If they use hardware or whatever that is missing drivers, then I’d expect that they find a way for Linux users … I don’t mind that they preload the machine with MS Windows.
I won’t _ever_ be buying a Lenovo laptop. Oh well, their wide screen selection is pathetic anyway.
I won’t _ever_ be buying a Lenovo laptop. Oh well, their wide screen selection is pathetic anyway.
you must be one of those 5% linux users. lenovo is not going to waste money trying to promote a os like linux which has been out for about 15yrs and it even got national news coverage on how it’ virus free, spyware free,etc and ibm inversted money into. with all that help behind MS still has a stronghold on the consumer market.linux is still weak. I’m sure when all the linux distros stop coping each other like using the same gui
like gnome and kde and start innovating like Microsoft
then people will see it as a second coming. until then
linux has no chance and every year like every past 15yrs or so will be the year of desktop linux. what a joke.
Edited 2006-06-03 23:17
This is abosolutely normal for a company such lenovo.
Lenovo is not an innovative company at all.
If they need to produce linux compatible laptops then it’s not that easy as everyone might thing. Put the CD of FC5 or any distro and then install it on a compatible hardware. The company should go through things beyond its capabilities;
1. bring a huge amount of linux device driver writters to produce drivers for hardware not supported, badly supported or slowly supported on linux native device drivers that comes with the distro’s kernel.
2. Bring programmers who will invent a method to install these drivers into the kernel by sort of compilying the kernel.
3. Bring a team of beta software testers who will make sure the software services/applications will work in harmony with the hardware.
4. Bring a team of new OS/hardware supporters who have good knowledge of linux and how to troubleshoot its problems, which is completely different than windows.
5. bring a co-ordination team for linux division.
6. other teams and requirements….
so, from above you can see lenovo who fight in this loosing battle of selling computers is under heavy burden already to tolerate linux on their systems.
Only, IBM,HP,Dell can afford it without being harmed severly if this experience ever failed.
Being non-innovative in PC creation means Linux support is easy; you just stick with compatible chipsets as long as you can when you find them.
If you are selling innovative laptops, which Thinkpads have historically been, it’s harder.
As an avid Linux user, I am not the least bit hurt by this. Truthfully, I have used several distros on my laptop so, I wouldn’t want one presinstalled in the first place.
Also, I believe that Lenova has a right to this decision. However, I also have a greater right — the right to take my business elsewhere.
I missed this the first time around, but it turns out Lenovo and MS came to an agreement, Lenovo ponied up $1.2B to pre-purchase Windows licenses and in turn MS dropped their pants on the pricing. No doubt that contract requires a Windows license to be attached to every machine in jurisdictions where it won’t get Microsoft hauled into court.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/windows/0,39020396,39263872,00.htm
So, yes, the noise Lenovo is making makes sense in that context. I still am a bit dubious as to their 100% Microsoft stance, and still think that relates purely to the US market.
And in the overall picture and the implicit “strike” against linux, I don’t think it really matters. Lenovo is corporate reseller, they don’t play to consumer markets. OS preinstallation is moot for businesses. They generally re-image new systems or have similar infrastructures in place for deployment.
I guess from a business point of view, this is a win for Lenovo in China, if only because under the new anti-piracy “crackdown” from the Chinese government, they are able to offer customers the ability to legitimately own a Windows license without paying through the nose for it. Like it or not, some people need to use Windows, so by putting the screws to Microsoft, Levono has done a service for those customers.
Really, the only loser here is Microsoft from the point of view that they had to give up precious licensing profit and sidestep their own policy of global pricing equilibrium, for what amounts to little actual gain in the big picture but some nice press for them to trumpet.
Is this just msft media influence, or what?
There about 1000 PC manufacturers, and only about 20 support Linux. As long as I can buy a white-box that runs linux, what do I care?
It really doesn’t make much sense for PC makers to pre-load Linux. Linux users tend to be fussy about which distro, and how the hdd is partitioned, and that sort of thing. Besides, Linux is free, and it’s dirt simple to install. Linux is much easier to install than windows, from my experience – and I have a lot.
A year from now, when Vista starts to catch on with those on the msft treadmill, 1ghz boxes will be practically given away. Those boxes will work great with Linux, and you can pick them up on craigslist for less than $100 any day of the week. Probably find one for $50 if you really look – and that’s today.
Very few, if any, major corporation use Linux as a standard desktop anyway. But, for those that do, there are plently of PC makers that specialize in Linux, or in OS-less white boxes. So who needs Lenovo?
Reply without reading xcept for headline – hey thats common right ?
Its my decision who Ill ignore / not buy from etc .
Lenovo was Desktop business from IBM AFAI get it .
IBM still has server Linux .. so when was Linux big on the *ehhh dare I say it* the desktop ?
That China requires OSS friendlynes is massive – that will roll over the world once it has momentum ..
Big deal – a hardware maker aint using Linux as desktop – now who expected the headline “Linux equally supported as Windows on all Lenovo hardware” –
not any time soon .
I hope I can still edit this later .
That’s my take on this.
The US Justice Dept. should be looking into this.
Microsoft dirty tricks department.
Thats my Boy!!
..i don’t think this is a smart idea either, but to the people that are whining about this, think of it this way…Apple won’t support Linux on their x86 kit either but there’s no crying about it.
A bit of perspective is required here.
Lenovo designs and builds the products they want to sell and they’ve chosen Windows as the platform. Big deal. I’ve wouldn’t buy or recommend their stuff anyway so this news just reinforces my decision.
Well, they will lose sales by all 12 linux users who were going to buy one anyway.
Some People here need to squeeze the air out of their heads.
//Well, they will lose sales by all 12 linux users who were going to buy one anyway.//
I can’t speak for any other posters, but for myself I can say that I make purchase decisions for more than just 1 pc and/or laptop. More like 50 per year.
So it seems Apple most likely will continue to get my business, unless some other companies start making thin and light laptops<i>
Apple makes thin and light laptops? Since when?
Browser: [i]Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/hspr-H102; Blazer/4.0) 16;320×320
The problem i see has nothing todo with preinstalling any os. Ibm always put together hardware that was known to work with linux quality hardware. Now that the chinese have taken over they put together what ever they find that is cheapest ….see all the complaints about thier laptops on various sites. The us govt wont be buying anything from them and now and they have to make sure that they work with linux in taiwan. And now they lost another group of potential customers. I say good riddance.
Edited 2006-06-04 18:59
Lenovo will grow up but first they must be spurned by their first love. Microsoft is a heartbreaker.
I bought an iBook 4 years back to dual boot OS X and Linux. My next system will be a Mac Mini, and after that will likely be a MacBook. I’ve long thought the Think Pads were super nice, and with them running Linux so well I thought it was only a matter of time before IBM’s Linux support on the server spilled out on to the Think Pads, but apparently no, thanks to the Lenovo sale. Good luck to them, but they won’t get my business.
IBM never sold alternate OSes on their consumer-level machines. Even when they were still trying to push OS/2, they stuck with MS Windoze rather than their own property when it came to their home/small business machines. To think that the PC end would change at all (even if bought by a chinesse conglomerate) is insane.