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Dell products to offer Linux

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DELL: Dell is planning to offer desktop computers and laptops with Linux operating system pre-installed.

According to a statement issued by the company, the Linux operating system competes with Microsoft Windows and Unix as the computer platform for other software programs to run on. It is open-source software, which means the code is publicly available and can be changed by anyone who downloads it.

The announcement comes two weeks after Dell launched a site called IdeaStorm,  asking its users and customers for ideas about its products and business. Supporters of open source software, including Linux, flooded the site with comments.

"We are listening, and as a result, we are working with Novell to certify our corporate client products for Linux,'' the statement said.

There are several distributions, or versions, of the Linux operating system offered by companies including Novell, Red Hat and Ubuntu, as well as individuals and small groups of programmers. Dell said it is working with several Linux distributors and evaluating additional distributions.

Curtsy-Ryan Blitstein