Dell has announced the debut of a new initiative designed to further demonstrate that Windows Vista is in no way a priority. The U.S. computer manufacturer is not only among the Microsoft longtime partners that have postponed the migration to Windows Vista after the first service pack of the operating system will be made available, but is also the author of poor marketing materials, and an uncommitted distributor. Dell has opted to put its customers first. In this context, the computer maker even advised large scale clients about the inherent issues associated with Vista upgrades, from the size of the images to training problems.

But end users have also come into focus. Dell is offering both Windows XP and the Ubuntu distribution of Linux preloaded on its machines alongside Windows Vista. And the company plans to continue evolving its Linux offerings. "I wanted to be clear that Dell does have plans to offer Linux to more consumers in additional locations outside the United States. More details to come later this summer. We will also offer Ubuntu to small business customers in the future," stated Lionel Menchaca, Dell Digital Media Manager.

Menchaca failed to reveal adjacent details related to its Linux plans. For example, the company did not reveal if it plans to continue offering the Ubuntu distribution of Linux, or if it could deliver additional versions. Still, since Ubuntu is already shipping in the U.S. in parallel with XP and Vista, it is safe to assume that Dell will continue with this strategy in other markets around the world. And if Ubuntu gets the same "marketing treatment" involving sexy models, that the XPS line of notebooks preloaded with Windows XP is getting in Korea, than it will have yet another advantage over Windows Vista.

However, it is clear that Ubuntu on Dell has proven a success if the computer manufacturer is looking to expand the business and generalize its Linux offerings. Signs of a high demand of Ubuntu also come from HP. In this manner, yet another traditional Microsoft partner could begin offering Ubuntu together with Vista. "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," Menchaca added.