This is pleasant news: Dell and Ubuntu announced in a joint conference that Dell will be pre-installing Ubuntu 7.04 on some of its desktops and laptops.

I have been using Ubuntu "Feisty Fawn" 7.04 for over a week now and I am very much impressed by the software experience. It still has a few rough spots. I'd say that the only things preventing Linux from aggressively making inroads are: 1) the perennial driver problem, 2) commercial game software and 3) commercial applications.

The driver problem, for me, is the most serious problem. It's really hard to pinpoint the culprit here, since it's the hardware manufacturers' responsibility to write and support drivers for their devices. However, you also can't blame the hardware manufacturers for holding back on Linux support simply because it's added operating cost for them. How many new programmers would they hire to develop and support their drivers for Linux? And given the Linux market share, how much additional sales would they expect to make? Another thorny issue is that of binary drivers. If you run binary (proprietary) drivers, you taint the kernel and its stability is no longer guaranteed. Furthermore, every time you upgrade your Linux kernel you also have to obtain a new binary driver that would run with that kernel version. Not all manufacturers are willing to open source their drivers and reveal their trade secrets to the public.

Anybody who has used Linux knows how serious the hardware driver problem is. I mean...

• does your webcam work with Linux? It can't even detect mine.
• does your dial-up modem work with Linux? no go...I've had success in the past with some plug-in PCI modem cards but not on my cheapo notebook. The problem for me was just swept under the rug because I don't do dialup anymore.
• does your multifunction printer (scanner and fax too) work with Linux? uh-uh 

This driver problem affects the viability of factors #2 and #3 above. Because of expected driver problems, users tend to stay away from Linux. As a result, hardware and software manufacturers would have less motivation to go out and issue Linux-compatible products. The cycle continues, and the problem feeds itself. I commend the heroism of many open source developers who take matters into their own hands and create drivers for the devices they have access to. It's not a joke to do this stuff and probably even risk getting sued by the hardware manufacturers who should be doing this thing in the first place. Some of them aren't even paid to do that! I'd say collectively they are responsible in major ways in the inroads that Linux is making in the industry.

That is why Dell's announcement is a major one. It's probably the biggest Linux news so far this year. Why? Because if Dell can certify their hardware to be Linux-compatible, expect other manufacturers to do the same, one by one. And when more users -- the ordinary users -- get to touch Linux, expect radical changes to Linux usability. It's not gonna happen overnight but I am pretty sure it will happen. People are going to complain about the hard-to-use parts of Linux, and individuals and companies who have a stake in Linux viability will definitely have to address those problems. It will only get better. Ubuntu has done a lot in making Linux more usable and hopefully the other Linux distros would do the same and shed off the elitist image that caters only to geeks.

One thing for me that remains to be seen -- what is the value proposition in getting an Ubuntu-powered Dell? Will it be significantly cheaper than one with an OEM copy of Windows? Will it be as easy to obtain/order from their site and from stores? Or is this just Michael Dell's latest experiment? I hope Linux fans all over the world do take notice and support this move by Dell. I certainly would, when I get to save up for that new computer.