Pre-loaded Linux - game on!

You have to hand it to The New Novell - it is really taking the bull by the horns. Some weeks ago, Brainstorm Special Focus did some worldwide window-shopping for PCs anywhere on the planet that come pre-loaded with Linux. There were none we could see - certainly not the comprehensively tested, supported, indemnified and software-supported sort we were looking for.

The timid would say there had to be a reason for that. Maybe the market wasn`t ready. But to local MD Stafford Masie`s thinking, there`s absolutely no reason Novell couldn`t do such a deal with hardware original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). After all, Novell gives these hardware pioneers and the Linux community access to its R&D, support and indemnification.

We should take the time to relish the implications of what is surely a globally important event. It`s a South African first, using South African channels. I predict other distributors of Linux, locally and abroad, will replicate it.

Now we could emulate those crafty Australians and show a stony, we`re-used-to-it exterior, while blindly cheer-leading our boys instead of commentating responsibly, or we could be true to ourselves and stage a few jiggy street marches and cause some minor property damage in Hillbrow for sheer joy.

The ripples of the deal will be felt even further, though. It gives people a choice, and Microsoft would acknowledge people`s right to it. In my conversations with local distributors, one estimated the difference in cost between a Windows and a Linux machine to be between 10% and 15%, which is already substantial. But the real difference comes with MS Office and OpenOffice.org pre-loaded. In such a case, a Mecer or a Proline with OO and Novell SUSE Linux 9.1 could make a difference of up to 30%.

We should take the time to relish the implications of what is surely a globally important event.

Carel Alberts, technology editor, Brainstorm

One needn`t get bogged down in counter-arguments of true and perceived value and total cost of ownership comparisons, which Microsoft says positions its wares more favourably than one would think, or arguments that migration is scary. The stuff works when you plug it in. Novell and the open source community bring a full software stack to the game, and support is sorted. People will want to consider their new option, and the launch has generated huge interest, Pinnacle Micro`s Arnold Fourie says.

People now have a serious poser in their tech refresh decision, and I`m sure Microsoft wouldn`t have it any other way. There`s nothing like a bit of competition to open the doors to further choice. Distributors will have to re-think their "we recommend XP" (as opposed to what?) strategy for something a bit more neutral, and that in itself is a biggie.

Linux can finally be the goose that laid the golden egg, meaning that the open source commercial model may be changing for real. With Novell`s OEM deal, customers may be interested in paying for something they can just as easily download for nothing, because they get support for it, lots of free software, freedom of choice and really good enterprise management and desktop lockdown capabilities from Novell.

The support announcement was particularly well-timed. People will itch to try it out. With Linux pre-loaded, initial support needs will be minimal (it functions like Windows), and the open source community is great for helping with niggles like drivers for add-ons. It seems reasonable to expect that many users won`t require much more than bare bones.

Just like the old anti-smoking poster said - you can quit if you chews.