Does Dell configure their Ubuntu machines with the full Medibuntu package, or something like it? I've often wondered how vendors of pre-installed Ubuntu machines handle this potentially thorny issue. If you do the full Medibuntu thing, you're using the legally "dirty" libdvdcss package. That could put Dell in a tricky spot.
I think Dell's customers would be disappointed if they couldn't play DVDs on their computers, but I don't know of any legally "pure" way Dell can provide software to do that in Ubuntu. I would think you're pretty much stuck installing Medibuntu or at least libdvdcss yourself. If not the CLI, you have to at least use Synaptic Package Manager.
(Complex workarounds like running a Windows XP machine in Virtualbox don't count.)
Acer Swift 3 (SF314-42-R7LH)
Dell Ubuntu's come with legally licensed proprietary codecs, as far as I know. No need for Medibuntu.
Windows 7 is much better about it, but Windows XP is horrible. Upon installation I have to go to a DIFFERENT computer to DOWNLOAD the Ethernet drivers! Thne there are the graphics, etc.
Windows 7 was only easier becuase I ran the preview and knew it was missing drivers for my scanner, my chip could not handle XP Mode (virtualization) and my graphics card was not up to snuff enough for Aero. Otherwise I would be stressing out trying to get these to work.
With Linux, though, you run a Live CD and find out then and there not only if things are recognzined but get an idea how well you like the distro too!
I don't know if they use Fluendo or not, but they do use something legal. They would have too much at stake to not do it legally.
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A quick google search reveals that, at least back around 2007, they were shipping Ubuntu machines with Fluendo. They don't say now, but I am sure they ship with legal codecs of some kind.
This is the kind of thing you can do with a preinstall that you can't do shipping free CD's around the world.
From the Dell Ubuntu page:And that's the US site, so, yeah, no need for Medibuntu. And, yeah, probably licensed codecs.After extensive development and testing, Dell PCs featuring Ubuntu are now shipping with version 9.10. In addition to the DVD Playback offered in version 7.10, the newly available version 9.10 offers even more peripheral options such as ATI Video Graphics, Dell Wireless, FingerPrint Readers, HDMI and even better Bluetooth and MP3/WMA/WMV support.
These days, my computers change so much, all I can say for sure here is ubuntu.
Problem is the opensource developers are hobbyists, hackers. This is the reason why Linux is a superb piece of software but hard to work on. They are good at implementing very hard things... like new protocols, io schedulers etc... but don't like implementing software for ease of use.
For this purpose we need to 'employ' developers and make them do the job forcefully.
For e.g. let's take on a suggestion of 'Super deb packages' which's like a single msi file for windows... after having on helluva debate with the dpkg developers, they said I need to contact the apt developers for this... since it's basically a collection of deb packages.
Anyway, I will advice apt team also.
Bryan Lunduke gave two back-to-back presentations at Linux Fest Northwest, first a critical one and then a praising one.
See the videos:
http://lunduke.com/?p=2953
Why Linux Sucks (As Usual)
Why Linux Does Not Suck (Not Even a Little)
Many of the same points as in Artem Tashkinov's list of weaknesses:
http://linuxfonts.narod.ru/why.linux...p.current.html
I'm excited about the boom in Linux gaming and what it will bring. I do creative work and that's why I'd like to see The Linux Desktop happen - can't do serious work on a mobile device..
Was nice to see Lunduke deal with the problems with funding open source projects, I've been thinking about the subject intensely for some time. The rise of crowdfunding platforms seems to be improving the situation and, importantly, making open source teams think about organizing and marketing.
Btw. isn't Open Build Service a sort of solution for unified packaging? At least in this situation of "religious war".
Yea...seen his previous presentations (he rants about the same things ever year). Dude has been talking about the need for Xorg to go forever. I think we all can agree on that one.
And having a single unified packaging system instead having .deb packages, .rpm packages, Arch packages, etc...yea, we can all on agree on that one but it's NEVER going to happen. Even if you got every distro that exists now to move to one package system, someone will come along and create a new distro with a new packaging system just to be different (better).
Wasted effort and duplication of work is a big problem. Go look at distrowatch sometime and search for lightweight Ubuntu-based distros that use LXDE. There's a bajillion of them. Do they not all realize they are working on the same project?
Ok...end of rant.
"The Linux philosophy is laugh in the face of danger. Oops. Wrong one. Do it yourself. That's it." --Linus Torvalds
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