The OpenOffice Project has sent a letter to Michael Dell, showering praise on Dell's chairman and CEO and asking him to consider pre-loading OpenOffice onto PCs. The letter is the result of a flood of requests on Dell's online suggestion box, IdeaStorm, for Dell PCs pre-loaded with both Linux operating systems and the open-source suite of desktop productivity applications. John McCreesh, marketing project lead for OpenOffice.org, also asked Dell to consider making a financial contribution to the software's development.
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Member since:2007-03-13
> So I'm going to have to pay $200 more for a blank system from Dell to compensate developers??? I think I'll simply buy a computer from someone else, thank you very much. You (like most of your socialist comrades) really aren't very good at this business thing.
You are probably right but we will never know until somebody tries. There are many examples when people are happy to pay higher prices when cheaper alternatives are readily available. Think Mac computers or organic food. Your cannot buy a blank iMac, can you? What I am basically suggesting is for Dell and others to get into Open Source software. They could make people pay for it because they control distribution. And no, I'm not a socialist. Just because I believe socialism is coming does not mean i welcome it.
Member since:2005-07-06
Except there aren't any real alternatives to an iMac. People buy (and pay a premium for) iMacs since they offer something no other company can, the combination of OS X and the design. Where as Dells are virtually indistinguishable from HPs or any computers from any other box shops.
If Dell wants to get away with charging $200 more than HP for the same hardware they're going to have to offer some pretty major incentives and I seriously doubt a slightly customized version of OO.o and some other OS apps(which you could download and install yourself within 30 mins) is going to cut it.
Member since:
2005-07-06
So I'm going to have to pay $200 more for a blank system from Dell to compensate developers??? I think I'll simply buy a computer from someone else, thank you very much. You (like most of your socialist comrades) really aren't very good at this business thing.