HP to Follow Dell into Open Source? and Ubuntu Home Server

HP it seems is responding to Dell’s initiative to sell Ubuntu on their computers. With the Ubuntu Dells reportedly selling very well and Dell rolling out the program worldwide, this hasn’t escaped the notice of the world’s number one computer manufacturer - HP. This is speculation from blogs that has been going on for months since Dell started to offer Ubuntu. The Direct to Dell Blog states:

This recent post from Tom Dryer caught my eye a couple of days ago, and thought I’d comment on it here. If the rumors about HP offering Ubuntu are true, we’re glad to see other vendors join us in support of Ubuntu and open source. We welcome HP and other system vendors that want to join in this initiative.

This is very good news indeed and I am glad Dell is being very receptive to the idea, they even made this humorous video about their new foray into Open Source:

Ubuntu Home Server is a newly announced project by Ubuntu community members to compete with Windows Home Server. Personally I think Microsoft is barking up the wrong tree with this, I don’t think many home users will bother with this type of product, maybe it will take off in a couple of years, but most people are not tech-savvy, and even if they are, chances are there already doing this with Linux, Xbox360 or a PS3. Many people can’t tell me even what a server is, never mind what it can do. Also it won’t make sense because people expect to have everything on their pc ready to go, and to not have to purchase another one to throw in a storage closet. Nevertheless to paraphrase Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at D5 Conference: We Built things we wanted to have. So in that tone and considering the Home server product is just modified Windows (it would not cost as much as say a whole new project like Zune or Xbox 360), I can see where Microsoft is betting that this is one of many avenues in the future. Personally I think it will be specialised hardware devices that will win this space, like Intel VIIV, Apple TV or one of the many consoles I mentioned.