Not a bad idea, Dell. Offer up a PC with a blank hard drive and let the consumer choose the OS for themselves. I wish this had happened a long time ago, actually.

Round Rock (TX) - Dell today announced that it is reacting to “growing consumer demand for open source ready” computers and now offers a version of its n510-series desktop PC that ships with an empty harddrive and a FreeDOS disc.

There are not a lot of reasons for most consumers out there to buy a PC without a preinstalled Windows operating system and without applications. But just in case you just can’t live with Windows on your new PC, Dell offers a choice. Somewhat hidden on its consumer PC website, the system builder now lists two versions of its n510 series that are marketed as “open source ready” - which essentially means that the new “E510n1″ models come with a blank harddrive. [Read the rest]