[Am-info] HP To Ship High-End Personal Computers With Linux

[Fred A. Miller]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

HP To Ship High-End Personal Computers With Linux

BY MURRAY COLEMAN

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
[Click Here!]

Windows is king of desktop computer operating systems, but Linux is=20
about
to take another bite out of the market.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ ), the No. 1 PC maker since it bought Compaq
Computer, plans to start shipping its Evo machines preloaded with Linux,
the open-source operating system. HP inherited Evo from Compaq, and will
make it its main line of higher-end, business desktops.

HP says it's ready to use its and Compaq's marketing muscle to push=20
Linux,
which has emerged as a rival  albeit a distant challenger for now  to
Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Windows on the desktop. It also challenges
Windows and versions of Unix on servers and workstations.

"There hasn't been much real activity in the general business=20
marketplace
in preloading Linux onto PCs," said Al Gillen, an analyst at market
tracker International Data Corp. "This action by HP lends credibility to
that whole movement."

HP plans to reveal more details of its Linux push at next week's
LinuxWorld trade show in San Francisco.

"With the merger completed, we're ready to bring together the best of HP
and Compaq into a unified Linux plan," said Martin Fink, general manager
of HP's Linux systems operation.

Dell Stepping Back?

Dell Computer Corp. (DELL) and IBM Corp. (IBM ) made noise last year=20
about
making Linux more available on desktops. Analysts say Dell has stepped
back from those plans. And IBM's Linux effort, they say, is more=20
oriented
to server and workstation computers.

Still, Linux is a factor. Its source code is free to anyone, and anyone=20
is
welcome to try to improve it. Fans of this open-source software like it
because some complex problems can be tackled in a community effort.

Microsoft, though, says that when all costs are added up, Windows costs
users less than Linux does.

The open-source operating system has made most of its inroads with
corporate tech chiefs and programmers, not with the average business or
consumer user. Fink says that's changing.

"Availability of Linux applications for everyday use on the desktop has
been a problem," said Fink. "But the gap is closing between Linux and
Windows."

HP isn't replacing Windows. It still considers Microsoft's operating
system and its Office applications as the best choice for most Evo
customers, but perhaps not all customers.

"Clearly, the appeal of Linux on the desktop is going to be driven by
niche markets," Fink said.

Getting Started

Early adopters of Linux on the desktop include users in the medical
imaging, retail, government and financial services fields.

These are first because a number of software developers have written
specialized open-source software to handle tasks commonly done by those
users.

But Fink says no more than 2% of commercial desktop PCs use Linux. "It
will take a number of big companies to turn to open source before Linux
can become more mainstream," he said.

That hasn't happened. But cracks in Windows' armor could appear as more
companies look to pare costs.

"Companies can't just buy one copy of Windows and let everyone use
it," said IDC analyst Alan Promisel. Companies must license one copy per
user, "so the fees paid to Microsoft can be very expensive. A lot of
companies are looking to get rid of those sort of costs."

There's no fee to license Linux, but if companies don't have the=20
expertise
in-house they typically hire an outside company to install and maintain
their Linux operations.

Waiting For Upgrades

But Promisel says industry watchers note another factor that could help
Linux make inroads vs. Windows. The last big surge of PC buying took=20
place
in 1998 and 1999, when users wanted to make sure they had machines that
could accommodate the change from the 1900s to the 2000s.

"And most companies replace their systems every three years or so," said
Promisel. "That replacement surge hasn't happened yet."

So when the economy recovers, "there should be a rush to replace older
systems," he said. And this, Promisel says, would be an opportune time=20
for
companies to switch to Linux.

HP thus can offer Linux and be in a stronger position for that next=20
surge,
he says.

"HP's taking a significant step by trying to get ahead of the pack in
terms of low-cost alternatives for business PC customers," Promisel=20
said.

But it's starting slowly, says Giga Information Group analyst Stacey
Quandt.

"HP isn't targeting a general audience," she said. "They're going after
niche industries in largely foreign markets."

Still, as was the case with IBM's Linux push, a move toward Linux by a=20
big
company like HP catches the industry's attention.

"Here's a mainstream PC manufacturer saying they'll preload and certify
that Linux will work," said Carl Howe, a Forrester Research
Inc. analyst. "This move is going to help dispel a common perception in
corporate America that Linux doesn't work well on the desktop."

- --=20
Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org, www.cupserv.org
- --- SuSE Linux v8.0 Pro, KMail 3.0.1---
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

iEYEARECAAYFAj1T+FMACgkQB9vk4ichYXcZXgCdEswSL7Q2lSjinBMNWguokj8t
KywAn2eHgflN8OmfPKZRIdEBjEt1wXRI
=3DsYM/
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----