Citing slow demand for the operating system on client PCs over the last several quarters, a Dell spokesman said the PC maker chose to stop preinstalling Red Hat Linux on desktop and notebook models. The move was not unexpected. Dell executives have suggested that the operating system has more potential for workstations and servers. The desktop decision was largely a financial one, influenced by the slow PC market, said Dell spokesman David GravesDell has not bid goodbye to the operating system altogether. The Texas-based PC maker continues to offer workstation and server models with Red Hat preinstalled. The company recently began installing the latest version of Red Hat, version 7.1. In addition, Dell will likely continue to offer Red Hat Linux to larger customers who wish to custom-configure desktop PCs or notebooks with the operating system. Analysts seemed unsurprised by the move. "Linux has held a very small portion of the market" for desktop PCs, said Dan Kusnetzky, vice president of systems software research at IDC.
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