One of the big stumbling blocks to having the Enterprise standardize on Linux for staff computing is the laptop problem. The cost of supporting users that expect a MacBook experience but are dealing with a laptop that blends Linux, hardware, and drivers from three non-cooperating vendors is too high compared to the well known costs and problems of Windows.
In this article, Mark Shuttleworth takes a stab at defining the requirements and the market for a Linux laptop that “just works”.
Willing to buy a high-end, free-software-only laptop?
Right now, software freedom isn’t a huge priority for most of the companies that make up components for the PC and laptop industry. If we want to get onto their radar screen, we need to show that its worth their while to think about it. To that end I’d like to build up a list of people who are interested in this idea, and would potentially buy a high-powered laptop if it were guaranteed to work completely with free software drivers and OpenBIOS.
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