SuSE next for Dell PCs?

Could Dell's embrace of Ubuntu Linux signal the start of a rush for PC manufacturers to offer open source operating systems on their machines? For those who missed it, Dell says it will offer users the choice of Windows or Ubuntu on some of its systems. This will only be in the States at first, and Dell hasn't even identified the models involved.

But now Novell says it's interested in a pre-installed version of its SuSE software on Dell's machines. It's in talks with Dell, according to Novell's director of product marketing Justin Steinman, as well as several other unnamed vendors.

The difference between Ubuntu and SuSE of course is that, while Ubuntu is likely to appeal more to individual tech enthusiastics, the Novell product might be more popular with enterprises.

But a bit of choice wouldn't go amiss, would it?

Meanwhile, Dell's customers are starting to demand open source software beyond the operating system. In Dell's user forum, the IdeaStorm, users have promoted in their thousands the request that Open Office (currently promoted by 97,000 users) and Firefox (promoted by 72,000 users) should come pre-installed on Dell's machines.

What chance of that? Little, unfortunately, while Dell sorts itself out at the operating system level. And that looks set to take considerable time.