Acer will begin offering the Linux operating system
across a select range of its commercial desktop
platforms.
Red Hat Linux will be installed on the Veriton 3600, 5600 and
7600 series of desktop PCs to Australian businesses, in preference
to a Windows operating system.
Acer marketing director Raymond Vardanega said the Linux option
will be a permanent offer across its Veriton commercial series of
desktop PCs.
"We see Linux as a growing part of the IT community," he
said.
Vardanega said the decision to offer Linux was a response to
customer requests for a global supplier product that could be
supported across Australia for a variety of pilot business
projects.
"Many commercial companies using a global supplier find it hard
to get a configurable global Linux product."
These include small and large-sized commercial companies as well
as government organisations.
Vardanega said business pilot projects testing Linux generally
consisted of between five and 50 PCs.
"They're very hardware-centric, and like to configure their own
PCs - they want to be able to customise their desktop setups," he
added.
Deploying reliable open-source software which promised global
technical support was also a key driver for choosing the Red Hat
Linux distribution.
As well as being "tried and tested", Red Hat controlled its own
distribution releases, not third-party suppliers, Vardanega
said.
Acer's decision to incorporate Linux into its commercial desktop
line-up comes just a week after fellow PC manufacturer HP announced
it would offer Mandrake Linux version 9.1 with its Compaq d220
series of low-end desktop PCs.
Designed for small-to-medium businesses, the base configuration
for the d220 series includes a 2.0GHz Celeron processor, and prices
starts at $349 (not including a monitor).
The Veriton 3600, 5600 and 7600 PCs are based on Pentium 4
processors and feature the Intel 865G chipset with 800 Front Side
Bus (FSB).
The standard Veriton series comes with the choice of either
Windows 2000, XP Home or XP Professional. Purchasing the new
Linux-based platform represented a saving of $260 (£159) over a
standard Windows 2000 system, and a $83 saving compared with a
system built on Windows XP Home.
While he was confident that Linux would continue to build a
presence in the business space, Vardanega said the open-source
operating system was not yet ready to be introduced to the home
user market.
"Linux isn't really ready for the mass home market. It's not
user-friendly enough or compatible with applications.
"As a result, Acer has no current plans to introduce a Linux
version of its retail Aspire desktop PC series."
The Linux PCs are now available either through Acer's own
e-commerce enabled Build Your Own Web site or its nationwide
channel partners.
Nadia Cameron writes for Linux World