Dell pulls further from Windows, offers Solaris

Dell today revealed that it will be one of the first major computer builders to offer Sun's Solaris operating system, continuing the former's shift away from exclusively Windows systems to Linux and other alternatives. Anyone will be able to download the free OpenSolaris operating system from Dell's website to use on their systems; some blade and rackmount servers will come with the standard, closed-source Solaris pre-installed, the companies say. The deal also lets Dell customize its systems to ensure they work well with Solaris.

The move makes Dell only the second after IBM to offer computers with Solaris outside of Sun itself and represents an additional if minor blow to Microsoft, which lost complete control of Dell's consumer lineup when the Texas PC maker began selling Ubuntu Linux home PCs. Previously, pressure from Microsoft left Dell offering non-Windows systems only with FreeDOS, operating under the assumption that users would be willing and able to download Linux or an alternative themselves.