The decision comes after a month-long Dell online survey in which more than 70 percent of the respondents said they would use a Dell system with the Linux OS for both home and office use.

Although Dell already offers the Linux open-source operating system (OS) for servers and its Precision workstation line, Linux is not offered as an option for the majority of its PCs.

The company said it will indicate in the coming weeks which Linux distributions or versions will be available, which systems will be offered, and what the details will be for testing and certification . In launching the survey about Linux, Dell said that it can't offer all options, but that it would focus on higher-priority ones.

100,000 Responses

The Round Rock, Texas-based company said that it received more than 100,000 responses in the survey, which ended March 23. The survey was conducted on the Dell IdeaStorm site, which launched in mid-February so that customers could respond to and suggest ideas for the computer maker.

Results from the online research indicated that improved hardware support for Linux would be as important as the Linux versions offered. Most respondents said that community-based forums would meet their technical support needs for a "tested and validated" Linux operating system, and that they wanted a selection of desktops and notebooks.

Comments on the Direct2Dell blog indicated less concern about which Linux distribution is offered than about support at the kernel and driver level. In another posting on its company blog, Dell stated its strong endorsement for open-source drivers wherever possible.

Open-source drivers effectively take "the specific hardware and distribution out of the decision-making process and let you focus on solving your business problems," the company said.

"Quality free and open-source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs," Dell wrote in the survey, "and helps prevent software piracy. For example, OpenOffice.org, the Microsoft Office alternative, can shave hundreds of dollars off the price of a new PC."

Market Heating Up

It seems that desktop and laptop demand for Linux is really beginning to heat up. Red Hat, for example, recently announced plans to offer a packaged Linux solution for desktops in small- and medium-sized businesses.

Meanwhile, Novell, a key Red Hat competitor, launched the SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) in the middle of last year and is concentrating on enterprise customers, such as a reported 20,000 desktop users at Peugeot Citroen.

The Dell announcement to preinstall and provide support for Linux could encourage its use by small businesses and consumers. However, Laura DiDio, an analyst at Yankee Group, has noted that most consumers and small businesses "don't have the incentive" that larger businesses might have to figure out and install Linux by themselves, even with a price savings.

Still, if Dell were to offer an easy-to-use distribution of Linux, such as Ubuntu, known for its seamless installations and user-friendly configuration options, the Round Rock company might very well be able to bring inexperienced computer users into the Linux fold.