Dell lets small business customers decline 'crapware' on PCs
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Acknowledging customer opposition to trialware on new computers, Dell Inc. has unveiled a line of desktops and laptops for the small business market that will ship without the free and limited-use software often bundled with new systems.
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Dell officials are considering a request from users for laptops running the Linux operating system instead of Windows.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell is allowing its customers to decline the unwanted software applications loaded on new PCs, after hundreds of users complained about such "bloatware" on a company blog. Many software companies pay PC vendors to install their applications on new computers, hoping to gain new customers or persuade users to upgrade to a new version. But customers say it can take a savvy user hours to remove unwanted programs, and those who are less sophisticated may never be able to reclaim the wasted memory. On Monday, Dell agreed to give buyers of certain models the option to avoid what the company calls "preinstalled software." Buyers of Dimension desktops, Inspiron notebooks, and XPS PCs can now click a field in Dell's online order form that will block the installation of software for productivity, ISPs, and photo and music. "Since we launched IdeaStorm, there has never been a shortage of conversation about 'bloatware' here! Well we've recently taken action on your feedback on this topic, and we're working toward giving customers more choice in the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems at the time of purchase," Dell said on the blog. The company has also loaded an extra "uninstall utility" program on Dimension and Inspiron computers sold in the United States, making it easier for new computer users to remove software they don't want. However, Dell will continue to install three applications on its new computers, including trial versions of anti-virus software, Adobe Systems's Acrobat Reader, and Google's Google Toolbar, said Michelle Pearcy, Dell's worldwide client software manager in another posting. The company includes anti-virus software because many customers expect their PCs to be protected at first boot, Acrobat because it is required to read electronic copies of system documentation, and Google Toolbar because it aids Web surfing by suggesting likely alternatives to mistyped URLs, she said. "The end result is that customers can tailor the amount and type of software that is preinstalled on their systems to meet their specific needs at time of purchase," Pearcy said. Many users said Dell had not gone far enough, however. Dozens of comments attached to Pearcy's blog posting pleaded with the company to abstain from loading any software on a new machine except for Microsoft's Windows OS and Office tool suite. "Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no EarthLink software, no Google software -- just a clean, original OS," said someone writing under the name "ootleman" in a Feb. 16 posting that has since received thousands of votes on Dell's site. That post helped start the idea for Dell to give users more control, since it has remained one of the most popular ideas on the company's IdeaStorm Web site since being posted on the blog's first day, Pearcy said. Despite users' persistence, some may find it challenging to find a PC vendor that does not load extra software on new machines. Gateway did not respond to a request for comment, but Hewlett-Packard said it also preinstalls software. HP does not sell any PCs running only an OS, but it does allow individual users to remove the programs they don't like, said Melissa Stone, a spokeswoman for HP. "HP offers third-party software with its consumer PCs in order to provide customers with programs that will enhance their computing experience," Stone said. "Not all users will have the same preferences, therefore each user has the ability to keep or remove the programs he or she finds most valuable. Current products offer a very carefully chosen set of HP, Microsoft, and third-party software and services that HP believes will bring the most value to the customer."
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Look for more consumer electronics products and services from the PC behemoth. Also: SuSE Linux for Dell servers.
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Small businesses with fewer than 10 pieces of computer equipment to recycle are eligible for a new Dell service.
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Dell unveiled a new line of desktop and laptop computers that will ship without free and limited-use software.
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Regulators are trying to prevent scams caused by software that computer users may not even know is on their PCs.
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Bye bye to Buy! Buy! Another day, another silly survey, this time claiming that nearly two million UK small businesses are "putting their data and productivity at risk by using old technology to run their business". Why? because they replace their PCs rarely or never, and miss out on all sorts of good things, such as happy staff, cheaper running costs, and smaller "footprints" and lower repair bills.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - Dell Inc. and Symantec Corp. launched a joint product Wednesday to control e-mail security and data archiving for small and medium businesses. Secure Exchange is a combination of Dell hardware and Symantec software that adds enterprise IT capability to basic Microsoft Corp. Exchange and Active Directory mailboxes. Facing a swelling tide of e-mail volume and viruses, small companies can use the product to deploy antivirus and antispam shields, and archive and retrieve their e-mail, said Brad Anderson, senior vice president of Dell's Product Group. Dell's mail servers classify 94 percent of the 17 million e-mail messages received every day as spam, and the company's firewalls deflect about 400 million potential intrusions every day, he said. Small businesses don't have the resources to handle that workload. So Dell is selling Secure Exchange to companies with 500 to 2,000 e-mail users. The package also includes Dell training services and Platinum Plus service contract. "Customers have told us that messaging and e-mail are the lifeblood of their organizations," said Francis deSouza, vice president of enterprise messaging management at Symantec. "So you don't just drop Exchange in there and have it run your e-mail naked, but you need an ecosystem around it, providing security, availability, compliance and mailbox management." As their businesses grow, customers can adjust the package to emphasize frequent backup or fast performance, a typical engineering tradeoff in mail systems, he said. Dell decided to partner with Symantec after the success of past technology bundles such as its Oracle Database configurations and High-Performance Computing Cluster equipment stacks, said Judy Chavis, Dell's director of business development and global alliances. The company launched its Platinum Plus services package in June as part of an effort to supplement slumping profits from PC sales. Dell is selling Secure Exchange for US$54,678 for the 500-seat version of a package including the Dell PowerEdge 1950s server, PowerVault 110T and M1000 storage, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Exchange 2003, and Symantec Backup Exec. Larger customers can scale up with Dell/EMC Clariion storage products, Symantec Mail Security 8200 Series, Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange and Enterprise Vault. For more information,Â go here.
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Customers can choose to have Windows or Ubuntu Linux pre-installed, or can buy a PC with no operating system at all.
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Dell has trimmed its online selection of AMD-based consumer systems, focusing instead on offering Intel-based PCs.
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Dell Inc. , the world's largest personal computer maker, on Tuesday unveiled a range of business computers, with some that meet stringent new environmental regulations and others that take steps to prevent network intrusions and theft of intellectual property.
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Dell Inc. is offering free replacements of the displays on nine popular notebook PC models, responding to customers who created a Web site to complain that some LCD screens developed a one pixel-wide vertical line.
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PC Magazine - Dell offers Wireless WAN and Blu-ray drive options for its new desktop-replacement machines, the Inspiron 1520 and Inspiron 1720.
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Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) has been chosen under the Army's Desktop Mobile Computing (ADMC-2) contract to provide desktop and notebook computers, displays, printers and peripherals for three years.
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Many small web shops have become unwitting hosts for malicious code that attacks Windows PCs that visit.
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No purchase required to participate in program, which includes free home pickup of any Dell PC or peripheral.