Will HP be next to offer Linux pre-installed?

Inspired by Dell's choice to offer Linux pre-installed on some of it's computers, HP may do the same. At least that is a popular story circulating presently. Some excerpts from Joe Panettieri at SeekingAlpha:

Will HP Follow Dell With Ubuntu Linux PCs?

[...] Dell's initial success with Ubuntu apparently has caught Hewlett-Packard's attention. Sources close to HP tell me the company hope to offer PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed in a few months -- or perhaps even a few weeks.

Growing interest in Ubuntu Linux is easy to explain. After all, Ubuntu is simple to use and friendlier than Windows in some (but certainly not all) ways. For instance, Ubuntu boots up fast -- really fast -- and isn't bogged down with dozens of desktop icons or menu options that you'll never use. Nor does it require certain types of security software that can further slow down your PC's performance.

It took me about five minutes to figure out the basics of Ubuntu's graphical user interface. Len Sandy, a fellow blogger who also purchased a Dell system running Ubuntu, says there are at least five reasons why some consumers will prefer Ubuntu over Windows. Like me, he notes that Ubuntu's user interface is easy to learn.

[...]

According to several Ubuntu online forums, HP plans to introduce PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed within the next few weeks. I'm hearing similar chatter from my sources.

The noise surrounding Ubuntu will grow louder this July, when Dell and Intel sponsor a major Linux event in Oregon. [...]

HP has been a Linux supporter for quite a while in the Server Market. Expanding to the Desktop market would be a logical next move, especially if they believe Dell is tapping into a new viable market. Read the whole piece for more information and links.


Related Links:

Dell Finally Offers Linux Pre-installed
After much talk, they actually do it.

Dell to offer Ubuntu Linux pre-installed
What it means in the larger picture of the PC market.

Is Apple going to drop OS X and move on?
Is there an emerging Dell-Linux-Apple war?