Feedback on Dell Mini 12?

[karamu]

I am currently thinking about buying a Dell Mini 12 for my wife- just basically for web browsing but she loves You Tube so she'll need half decent video.

However, my brother in law who works for Dell had advised me against buying one- this obviously makes me a little reluctant.

So, I would like to hear any feedback anyone has on:

hardware issues
Ubuntu issues
performance


Anything- positive or negative would be most welcome, thanks!

[mikewhatever]

While waiting for the feedback, take a look at this lengthy thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1014534.

Quite a lot of users aren't happy about the gma500 issues.

[karamu]

Thanks for the link- will check it out. Having said that, if I buy the machine, I will get it with Ubuntu pre-installed so these driver issues may not affect me too much.

Dell Japan currently have the basic Ubuntu loaded model for Y40,00 (bout 400 USD) which I reckon is a pretty good deal.....

Any feedback anyone?

[karamu]

Anyone??

[tgalati4]

What did your brother-in-law specifically say was wrong with Dell machines?

If a sushi chef says that you shouldn't order the fugu fish, you have to respect his advice.

The consequences could be fatal.

Macbook 13" might be a better choice for multimedia use. Better hardware all around, but you pay for it. Properly prepared fugu is expensive.

Besides, a new mac is like a Gucci handbag. One that she will appreciate. A Dell is like a Russian avoska (http://www.natashascafe.com/html/bag.html). Both will hold stuff.

Just saying . . .

[tyroeternal]

The mini 12 will not work well for anything using flash (like youtube). I would stay away from it. It is unfortunate that the video driver issues prevent its recommendation, because apart from that issue it is a decent piece of hardware.

If you are interested in linux there are many other products out on the market. Normally I recommend system 76, but they only distribute to North America.

[dean2k]

The mini 12 will not work well for anything using flash (like youtube). I would stay away from it. It is unfortunate that the video driver issues prevent its recommendation, because apart from that issue it is a decent piece of hardware.

If you are interested in linux there are many other products out on the market. Normally I recommend system 76, but they only distribute to North America.

Wait ... so if add the restricted "drivers" like regular Ubuntu on a desktop, flash still does not work?

[tyroeternal]

Flash works for the mini 12. The problem is that A) The video drivers are bad, and B) Flash requires decent video drivers and a decent cpu (neither of which the mini 12 has). Yes it works, but not well enough to enjoy.

If you are set on dell the mini 9 is a much better choice than the 12. Unfortunately they stopped making it in favor the the 10 and 12 which both have the same video chipset.

[dean2k]

Flash works for the mini 12. The problem is that A) The video drivers are bad, and B) Flash requires decent video drivers and a decent cpu (neither of which the mini 12 has). Yes it works, but not well enough to enjoy.

If you are set on dell the mini 9 is a much better choice than the 12. Unfortunately they stopped making it in favor the the 10 and 12 which both have the same video chipset.

Thanks for that info.

[karamu]

What did your brother-in-law specifically say was wrong with Dell machines?

If a sushi chef says that you shouldn't order the fugu fish, you have to respect his advice.

The consequences could be fatal.

Macbook 13" might be a better choice for multimedia use. Better hardware all around, but you pay for it. Properly prepared fugu is expensive.

Besides, a new mac is like a Gucci handbag. One that she will appreciate. A Dell is like a Russian avoska (http://www.natashascafe.com/html/bag.html). Both will hold stuff.

Just saying . . .

The main reason he gave to recommend against buying one was the lead time- he reckoned it could take up to 8 weeks to actually get the machine! But to be honest there is no major rush and I do want a Ubuntu pre-installed version- and these are only available direct from Dell (as opposed to walking into Bic Camera and buying one off the shelf- they are only Windows versions in shop).

[karamu]

Flash works for the mini 12. The problem is that A) The video drivers are bad, and B) Flash requires decent video drivers and a decent cpu (neither of which the mini 12 has). Yes it works, but not well enough to enjoy.

If you are set on dell the mini 9 is a much better choice than the 12. Unfortunately they stopped making it in favor the the 10 and 12 which both have the same video chipset.

The reason I want to go for Dell is 1)They will ship it with Ubuntu (yes I know I can install it myself but it would be good to have it all ready to go) 2) The prices on their (Japanese) website right now are really good- considerably cheaper than instore- my brother in law also told me that July is the best time for prices with them.

Just to confirm- are you talking about Ubuntu pre-installed or installed after purchase? When you say it won't work well with Flash video what is the problem- is it jerky? Are you talking about full screen? (My wife uses Youtube a lot but not usually in full screen mode).

Thanks for the info anyway- gives me something to think about.

[tyroeternal]

Watching anything in flash is typically a bad experience. My mini 12 has a fresh copy of Ubuntu 9.04 installed on it, along with some extras to get the video drivers working. The default installation is a bit smoother, but it is really not the best experience. Flash video for me is choppy at regular size, not just full screen.

If you can get a mini 9 it will be much better, but the 10 and 12 are probably worth avoiding. I get by with mine, but it would have been better to spend a bit more and get something that worked all the way.

[karamu]

OK- thanks a lot for the feedback, much appreciated.

I have just ordered a Mini 10v- it has the same graphics chipset as the mini 9 which you say is better than the 10/12. I had been interested in the bigger screen of the 12 but after having looked at the machine in the shop yesterday I decided it wasn't as portable as a netbook should be. That and the standard specs of the 10v being better than the 12 (160gig HDD, 1.6 ghz CPU) at a cheaper price swayed me.

I had a bit of a dig and it seems like the Dell shipped version of Ubuntu isn't up to much so I will most likely install Jaunty myself but at least I won't be paying for a Windows license that I won't use!!

[jaqrah]

I would have to say the Mini10 has its own problems.

Mini9 or Vostro 910 A90 - easy to upgrade ram, easy to upgrade harddrive, very mod friendly, and video works quite well. I stream netflix on my Xp model

Mini10 - limited to 1gb ram (soldered to mobo), to replace or ugrade harddrive you have to remove keyboard. I have read of many issues regarding video.

IMHO...looking for a used Mini9 or order a Vostro 910 A90. Mini 9 rocks!

[tyroeternal]

Well, best of luck on getting things to work out well. You can follow along with this thread to keep track of progress on the attempts to get Poulsbo (the video chipset) working correctly: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1014534

First things first you want to follow this: http://tyroeternal.net/blog/2009/06/poulsbo-2d-working/ Just add the PPA to your repositories and install the packages I mention. If you reboot and things do not start correctly you may need to switch the kernel you are using at startup. Originally the 2D drivers only worked for the -11 kernel, but now after some updates some of us can only use the -13 kernel.

There is a bug open concerning this issue of X freezing after installing the 3D driver here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/393290 I do not expect any progress on this bug because the Ubuntu mobile group simply packages what Intel gives it... they have no control over what work is being done. Hold off on installing the 3D stuff.

You will also want to grab the aircraft manager application: http://tyroeternal.net/blog/2009/05/fixing-the-mini-12-wireless-and-battery/

Let me know if you need any help getting things working!

[karamu]

Well, best of luck on getting things to work out well. You can follow along with this thread to keep track of progress on the attempts to get Poulsbo (the video chipset) working correctly: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1014534

First things first you want to follow this: http://tyroeternal.net/blog/2009/06/poulsbo-2d-working/ Just add the PPA to your repositories and install the packages I mention. If you reboot and things do not start correctly you may need to switch the kernel you are using at startup. Originally the 2D drivers only worked for the -11 kernel, but now after some updates some of us can only use the -13 kernel.

There is a bug open concerning this issue of X freezing after installing the 3D driver here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/393290 I do not expect any progress on this bug because the Ubuntu mobile group simply packages what Intel gives it... they have no control over what work is being done. Hold off on installing the 3D stuff.

You will also want to grab the aircraft manager application: http://tyroeternal.net/blog/2009/05/fixing-the-mini-12-wireless-and-battery/

Let me know if you need any help getting things working!

Thanks a lot for the info- the points I noted and your feedback steered me away from the Mini 12 which is probably a good thing as I do want to run Linux and not the unthinkable alternative!!

From the research I've done it seems like the Intel 950 chipset works OK- that's what's on the 10v (not the 10 which is the same as the 12- GMA 500). The lack of options for upgrading is an issue but not a deal breaker.

I actually ordered two machines- one for myself as well as my wife- I will leave her's on the stock Dell Ubuntu and experiment with my own- once I get everything working OK I will update her's as well.

Don't know how long the machines will take to arrive- most likely a few weeks. I will post my progress here when they do.

[tyroeternal]

Ooh, if the 10v has the GMA 950 that sounds like a great pick.

[shiningkenmonster]

the dell mini 10v does have the GMA 950 chip set.

[karamu]

Yes- it clearly says on my order that the graphics chipset is the 950 so (fingers crossed) should be OK!

I watched a review of the Mini 10 (not v) and it seems like the Windows graphics drivers aren't up to much either- the review showed some pretty bad glitches with video.

So, I think I made a good choice with the 10v- cheaper, better specs and less issues!

One more question- what is the Dell version of Ubuntu like? My research indicates it is not very good- but when I said that in another thread I got contradicted by an experienced Ubuntu user.

[tyroeternal]

Dell's Ubuntu mix is okay for it's target audience. If you want something simple that works okay out of the box than stick with it. I did not prefer it, but that is because I knew what I wanted.

If you want a system that is faster, has newer software, and works better: upgrade to Jaunty. If you want a simple solution that for the most part just works, stick with the default.

More than likely, either choice will work for you. Since it is for your wife, you may just give it to her and let her try it out for a while. If she has issues or complaints that might be fixed with an upgrade... go for it. They should include a recovery disk with an image file to create a restore usb if you want to move it back to the original dell install.

[karamu]

OK. cool thanks for the input.

Yes, I think I will just leave the machine "as is" for my wife- her needs are pretty modest- 99% web browsing so I'm sure the Dellbuntu will be fine.

For my own machine on the other hand I want the most uptodate software so I will install Jaunty- I believe there are a couple of minor issues but nothing I can't iron out I'm sure.