Windows free, out-of-the-box!

[psych-major]

According to slashdot (http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/05/1240206&tid=137), Dell is offering an "open PC" with a hard drive, but no OS installed. It's about time!

There is a companion article here (http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,39273933,00.htm) on ZDnet, but I was unable to find any info about it on Dell's site.

[JayMan8081]

From what I've read though the "open PC" isn't really all that much cheaper (~$30) than one that comes with Windows pre-installed. It's a little gain, but I think that a price difference closer to what Windows costs to buy alone would be more reasonable.

[psych-major]

From what I could tell about a comparably equipped E510, It looks like about a $70 savings +/-, and I'm pretty sure Dell doesn't pay that much per XP license, so their eating a very small part of their markup. Unless they also count their labor savings from not having to install the OS?

Either way, it's nice to see from a conceptual standpoint.

[Icarus]

The excuse I got from Dell once was that they need to install Windows to test the hardware before shipping (of course I can debate this process with some of the systems I've received recently...)
How they handle it in this sort of situation I don't know, maybe they wipe it before shipping or slap a new drive in but I'll bet that you'll still get that diagnostic partition of theirs.

Lets see where this goes in the next couple of years, maybe in 3 years they'll have an option for Red Hat 9.0 next to Windows Vista for comsumers :p

[soulestream]

you would imagine that they would have a utility that just tests the configuration and then they just slap the windows image on there

soule

[bwkaz]

I'm fairly sure they use Ghost (or something very similar) for dropping the images down on the machines. But if they run the same system diagnostics as they tell us to run every time we have a hard drive die (:rolleyes:), then that does not require Windows. It only requires their diagnostic CD and the extra 50-meg partition at the beginning of the drive.

[psych-major]

Just read more about this at The Register (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/06/dell_open_pc/). Turns out it's only $30 cheaper, but even that's a misnomer as the Windows version comes with a free flat panel monitor.

So it's back to NewEgg for me. @%&$ Dell!

[JayMan8081]

I think that Dell was going for reactions similar to your first one - "Well, it's a good concept" and that people wouldn't look too closely for the differences. This was a big miss, because most people who would be looking to buy a PC without an OS or with the purpose of putting Linux on it are definitely going to be looking for a good deal. And like you pointed out for $30 more they would probably buy the Windows one and sell the license or just not use it. Plus then they get a free flat panel monitor as well. I think that it is a start, but not really something to be hyped at this point.

[techwise]

Ive been buying Dells for some time now without an OS installed.

This is nothing new.

M

[psych-major]

It's just like what they do with the separate pricing for personal, large corporate, student, etc. (Small business usually comes out cheapest, incidentally)

I agree that people will opt for the Windows version with the free flat panel, however you can't sell the M$ license, it's tied to the hardware.

Who this really affects are people like je_fro who conceptually want it without any M$ ties at all, and it should also be priced accordingly. Overall I think Dell dropped the ball on this one.

[je_fro]

yeah...I berated every salesperson who bothered to pick up a phone at Dell, HP, Toshiba, and IBM, looking for a laptop with no OS installed. All I got was one lame excuse after another. I asked their supervisors what exactly had we gained from that antitrust verdict against Microsht? (yeah...I get bored sometimes)
In the end I bought a (mighty fine) used Thinkpad.

[psych-major]

In the end I bought a (mighty fine) used Thinkpad.

With no OS... :D

[2ndsign]

ive tried to get dealers to sell me a computer with linux on it but they say there licence with m$ wont allow that ,ok then i say then no OS they say that m$ wont allow that either
what a load of crap!

[XiaoKJ]

I'd get the one with windows and the free flat panel and then claim the full price of windows back at the small claims court. I don't care.

[Lucas_Maximus]

if you take the windows XP license sticker from the machine really carefully and then sell it with a piece of hardware essential for the computers use (i.e. cheapo mouse does the trick) you are fine.