Dell Offers Open Source PC

Techtree News Staff, Oct 06, 2005 1820 hrs IST

Dell has begun offering a new desktop PC, with no operating system installed for those who want to run open source software.

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Dell has begun offering a new desktop PC, with no operating system installed for those who want to run open source software.

Dell's Dimension E510n PC comes with a blank hard drive and a copy of the FreeDOS operating system, which can be installed by customers. The computer is part of Dell's n-Series of PCs, which first started shipping without an operating system back in September 2002.

FreeDOS is an open-source version of MS-DOS. Dell advertises this PC as a desktop, on which users can run Linux. The product's Web page clearly states, that the company will not support non-Dell installed operating systems.

The E510 is designed for customers and companies that want to experiment with open-source operating systems. Buying a PC without an operating system saves them the process of formatting their HDD, and eliminates the extra software cost.

The desktop retails for $849 and comes with a Pentium 4 processor; 512MB of advanced DDR computer memory; a 128MB ATI Radeon X300SE HyperMemory video card; an 80 GB serial ATA hard drive and a one-year limited warranty.

USER COMMENTS

Maybe in Ahmedabad you get the chinese version of lnx. Thats what you get for a pirated copy! Buy the OG version and no issues...

by Paul Sawhney, City of Love, on Nov 16, 2005 01:04 AM, Report abuse Reply

this is to compete against assembled systems, with pirated OS. companies such as dell feel shy of doing the same, & label their PC as open source PC. (or linux machines, when the OS installed is some primitive non graphical chinese version of the linux). shameful indeed.

by sanjay mehta, ahmedabad, on Oct 16, 2005 12:40 PM, Report abuse Reply

Do they include a 21" LCD monitor to justify the price? You can also rest assured that IT defintely will require in warranty service! A client of mine bought a Dell laptop. The first one was replaced as the vga output wa son the fritz. The replacement had non functional USB ports. He is awaiting the second replacement. Need I say more ? A wide screen Compaq laptops are available at 29k.

by Pradip Shah, Mumbai, on Oct 09, 2005 07:57 AM, Report abuse Reply

the price is ridiculous

by nazir, Bangalore, on Oct 07, 2005 03:58 PM, Report abuse Reply

You can buy one of their servers with no OS for half that price in the small business section.

by J. P. Durbin, Louisville, KY - USA, on Oct 07, 2005 07:20 PM, Report abuse

Please dont buy dell pcs if u r windows -addicted coz its not going to pay tribute to microsoft crashing windows

by Technocrat, mumbai, on Oct 07, 2005 01:35 PM, Report abuse Reply

Bullocks! This is bullcrap in a chef salad! Using superfluous words like "open-source" just to entice (foolish, if I might say) customers to get interested in your "another one of those bloody-sadistic marketing strategies" is not gonna enthrall me. $849 without an operating system? I would try this out (max.) on the $100 LAPTOPS - not even desktops, you hear! Gosh, wake up Dell!

by Haris, New Delhi, on Oct 06, 2005 07:28 PM, Report abuse Reply

Dear Haris, FreeDOS is an Operating System. Well! If you are knowledgeable enough......there are Operating Systems other than windows on this earth. FreeDOS is one of them and an alternative to MSDOS.

by mavrick, Pune, on Oct 07, 2005 12:32 PM, Report abuse

Now i can get a laptop for 40k...and install my pirated XP and Office....and save 20k...great work...i hope other too follow this! :)

by shachin, pune, on Oct 07, 2005 09:57 AM, Report abuse Reply

What the hell! They are trying to help you come out of the Propreitery pit, and you going back and falling back in the same pit! Shame on You .

by Laxminarayan Ka, Bangalore, on Oct 07, 2005 12:11 PM, Report abuse

they are just trying to push older stock...

by Anonymous, te, on Oct 07, 2005 06:44 AM, Report abuse Reply

Not such a bad idea.....and I have a feeling more companies will jump on the bandwagon as the idea of not having windows installed(aaaaaaaaaaaaah) becomes more acceptable. Of course I do agree with you that the price is ridiculous, the idea however, is excellent.

by Paul Sawhney, City of Love, on Oct 07, 2005 03:44 AM, Report abuse Reply

An x300se! And they say that it is an open-source pc. And who are Dell to explain to us what an open source pc is. This is nothing more than a gimmick to woo customers to its stupid line-up.

by Manu Vajpai, Kanpur, on Oct 06, 2005 06:44 PM, Report abuse Reply