HP exec on navigating the open-source waters

12.05.2006

I've heard, though, that OEMs are reluctant to install Linux because they get such great marketing dollars and softer incentives such as support from Microsoft when they install Windows. Also, Linux doesn't have a track record of adding new features and making the PC hardware obsolete every three years like Windows. So in the long run, supporting Linux is not smart for the PC vendors. I'm not sure I would agree with that. Certainly, Microsoft is big player in this space and a big partner of ours for desktops and there are incentives that come with that. But we made the investment to put Linux on a level playing field in the server space. I would assume that when the global market is more there for us to jump more deeply into Linux on the desktop, we would do it -- making that same investment, so it would become a real choice for our customers.

But isn't the desktop market much different than the server market? It requires volume and churn and has really low margins. That's true, I see your point. But at some point perhaps -- and I'm not predicting this, because I don't have a crystal ball -- if Linux on the desktop were to really take off, I think it would change that model.