Vista 20 Million in 1 month, Linux 30 Million in 15 years

Windows Vista has sold over 20 million licenses in its first month since general release on January 30th. Windows XP sold only 17 million in its first 2 months. There has been a large amount of news about the slow upgrading to Windows Vista, but this shows that maybe the bar was just set to high. Microsoft was initially very optimistic about how fast customers would convert to Vista, but lost some optimism after the general release. This news should boost the optimism showing that Vista is in fact doing better then XP did.

I recently saw an advertisement for Linux that bragged an estimated 30 million users. It somewhat put into perspective that in 1 month Windows Vista has nearly as many users as Linux. Windows Vista continues in the line of trusted Windows operating systems and with it Microsoft will continue to dominate the OS market for years to come.

Do they really dare?

There are some rumors going around of late saying that both Dell and HP are considering including Linux operating systems instead of Windows. Many fans of Linux software feel that this is a great thing that is going to allow Linux use to grow.  There is however a potential problem that if not handled properly could result in no manufacturer daring to preinstall Linux software.

When the average person goes to buy a new computer from Dell or HP they are going to expect the standard preloaded software. They are going to expect to have Windows and some trial applications ready when the plug it in and turn it on. Now based on the nature of Linux I expect that the Linux systems may sell at a lower price. That customer that goes shopping for a computer and sees one
that is $50 cheaper makes the quick purchase based on price.

When this customer gets home and turns on the computer they are not greeted by the Windows logo they expect. In fact they are greeted by an operating system that they have never seen and have no idea how to use. What would you imagine their reaction to be? I imagine their reaction to be that they got a broken computer. I expect them to call Dell or HP and spend hours on the phone costing those companies money. I expect them to lose trust for Dell or HP costing them more money. If they start losing money because of Linux they will stop preinstalling it, and no one else will dare preinstall it.

I think if it was me and I did not get what I expected, I would return it. And to make sure I never made the mistake again I would not spend my money with that company. There are plenty of other computer companies out there that I can give my dollar to. So to Dell and HP, and to their customers, be careful with Linux.