Ubuntu Linux-Based Open Source OS Runs 42 Percent of Dell PCs in China
Open source fans, rejoice: The Year of the Linux Desktop has arrived. Or something close to it is on the horizon in China, at least, where Dell has reported that more than 40 percent of the PCs it sells run a variant of Ubuntu Linux that Canonical helped develop.
Open source fans, rejoice: The Year of the Linux Desktop has arrived. Or something close to it is on the horizon in China, at least, where Dell has reported that more than 40 percent of the PCs it sells run a variant of Ubuntu Linux that Canonical helped develop.
Specifically, Dell said that 42 percent of computers in China run NeoKylin, an operating system that originated as an effort in China to build a home-grown alternative to Microsoft (MSFT) Windows. Also known simply Kylin, the OS has been based on Ubuntu since 2013, when Canonical began collaborating with the Chinese government to create an Ubuntu variant tailored for the Chinese market.
Earlier versions of Kylin, which has been around since 2001, were based on other operating systems, including FreeBSD, an open source Unix-like operating system that is distinct from Linux.
Ubuntu Kylin looks and feels a lot like modern versions of Ubuntu proper. It sports the Unity interface and runs the standard suite of open source apps, as well as specialized ones such as Youker Assistant, a graphical front end that helps users manage basic computing tasks. Kylin’s default theme makes it look just a little more like Windows than stock Ubuntu, however.
Given the relative stagnation of the market for desktop Linux PCs in most of the world, Dell’s announcement is striking. And in light of China’s hostility toward modern editions of Windows, the news does not bode well for Microsoft’s prospects in the Chinese market.
Dell’s comment on Linux PC sales in China—which appeared in the form of a statement by an executive to the Wall Street Journal—comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of $125 million of new investment in China.
Russia’s not too happy with
Russia’s not too happy with Microsoft either. Then there are numerous municipalities and other government bodies that are looking for ways to escape the clutches of Microsoft. It’s a trend that’s been slowly, very slowly building for a long time. I think the introduction of Windows 10 will speed things along somewhat. Microsoft will never achieve painless automatic updates like Google has done with Chromebooks. Windows is just too much of a mess. It will never be smooth and elegant. It will be tripping over itself from one snafu to the other.
44% Buy it with Linux because
44% Buy it with Linux because its free. Chinese then steal Windows 10 and put it on those computers.
Holy Toledo! That has to be
Holy Toledo! That has to be the biggest Linux sales announcement I have ever seen in like 15 years of following the topic. The Chinese government have been noodling around with ideas about switching to Linux forever, but it seems like maybe they got serious.
That could have implications for open source development, too. For instance, if there are people in the Chinese public service who use Photoshop and now find themselves using the Gimp, sections of the Chinese government will find themselves with a reason to spur development of features and interface in the Gimp. And so on.
Linux is going to run
Linux is going to run everyone else out of business eventually, either through the cloud in US markets or the desktop in foreign markets. People don’t want to be snooped on or have overly costly hardware to just run a bloated OS. Some people actually want to use their PCs more than 3 years.
hey Christopher, you really
hey Christopher, you really need to check your fact before posting something like this. To start with NeoKylin has nothing to do with Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Chinese flavor is actually called Ubuntu Kylin. And that 42% preload being NeoKylin on Dell just seems outrageously wrong and made up, where did you get the numbers from?
A number of other sites
A number of other sites corroborate this news.
The original source for the 42 percent figure is a Wall Street Journal blog: wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/09/15/the-obscure-chinese-operating-system-sold-by-dell-hp/
The WSJ didn’t mention Ubuntu specifically — just Linux, presumably because its readers are unlikely to know what Ubuntu is, or care about the specifics of Linux distributions — but other sources did. For example, from Phoronix, “Dell is reportedly shipping NeoKylin OS, a Linux operating system based on Ubuntu Kylin, on 42% of their new PCs shipping in China.” See http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=dell-china-40-linux