Installing Linux on existing PCs is free, but buying a computer with Linux pre-installed can save time. Buying Linux PCs removes the need for technical know-how, expanding the potential user base.

Not anymore, now that Dell and Lenovo are both offering laptops with Linux pre-installed. Solution providers now have not one, but two, vendors they can turn to when customers ask for a Linux laptop.

Hewlett-Packard, the world's Number 1 PC maker, has also said it is providing thousands of PCs with Linux pre-installed -- but only for custom orders and not as factory-ready SKUs. However ...