I’m excited, but then again I’m not. Why? A few reasons: 1. In order this endeavor to be successful, the Linux machines will have to be cheaper than Windows. That likely won’t happen. Microsoft will make sure of it. 2. The average everyday Joe isn’t ready for Linux. He will likely get frustrated too easily because he can’t install that Quicken .exe he bought for Windows last year, and either return it or demand a refund. 3. Linux isn’t ready for Joe either. Commercial apps are lacking, and the open source versions aren’t quite ready to fully replace their commercial counterparts. Gimp cannot trump Photoshop yet.

Linux is still a hobbyists OS. It’s not ready to replace every Windows PC in every home just yet. Until it is, maybe Dell should hold off. At least for Linux’ sake.