Dell says all aboard for Linux PCs

[Alan]

> from what i understand, the same machine loaded with linux will cost
> approximately $53.00 USD more than the same machine with Vista. i can't
> quite figure that one out. anyone care to explain?

Well one guess is to assume they don't actually want that Linux business.
That explains the distro choice, the pricing and the like. The other is
that they intend to offer some level of support on the system and that
does have a cost to them because they need staff who can resolve hardware
bugs without windows (eg for home users they need to know how to say "try
rebooting" and hang the phone up in Linux too)

I would much rather see them sell a box with no OS beyond a bootable
diagnostics image (eg freedos) that can just verify the hardware is ok
and tell the phone monkeys when/what needs repair if anything.

Alan