HP sells Laptops with Ubuntu....

[Knome_fan]

According to the german news site heise, HP will ship some of its notebooks with a specialized version of ubuntu. That is, ubuntu will not be pre-installed, but you can order a notebook without windows and also receive a cd with the special version of ubuntu that is quaranteed to work with all the hardware of the notebook.

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/58740

World domination, here we come. \\:D/

[Ubunted]

That's pretty awesome right there. Now it all hinges on the presentation and marketing.

[Fab]

sweeeeet :D

[Sionide]

One step closer...

That is good news. I can't wait to buy my first PC/Laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed.

[YourSurrogateGod]

This is great. Now even normal people will have the opportunity to use Linux.

[Sionide]

And there's no reason for them not to! They'll love it.

[ubuntu_demon]

good news :)

[Brunellus]

This is great. Now even normal people will have the opportunity to use Linux.
Normal people won't even bother finding the CD.

Face it: 'normal people' use the OS that's pre-installed. The only people who'll go through the (minimal, yes) effort to install ubuntu will be the ones who are already sold on gnu/linux.

But it's still a good step.

[Odinist]

I knew my German would come in handy again one day... =)

[poofyhairguy]

A link with English (kinda):

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise.de%2F newsticker%2Fmeldung%2F58740&lp=de_en

[Odinist]

Hahah... Babelfish German is so horrible. =)

[jdong]

Hmm, should I get a Mini Mac or a Ubuntu notebook.....

[Quest-Master]

That's pretty rocking right there.

However, I have my doubts about it. I don't think this'll work because of what's already been stated. People don't want to have to go through an entire installer, especially with something not familiar to them.

What'd work is have two computers with the same specifications, one with Windows preinstalled and one with Ubuntu, but the latter being a $100 cheaper.

Now, that'd probably attract a bit more people IMO.

[TravisNewman]

Now, if HP makes a custom installer that holds people's hands and gives them pretty pictures, it might go over well ;)

[poofyhairguy]

Hmm, should I get a Mini Mac or a Ubuntu notebook.....

The notebook. Unless you already have some kind of laptop...

[Nano]

Gates will be very happy...

[mohaham]

Awesome!! \\:D/

[ubuntu_demon]

Hmm, should I get a Mini Mac or a Ubuntu notebook.....
depends on your needs

If you need mobility you can also consider an ibook ... they are very small that's handy if you travel a lot but otherwise it's not. So if you want mobility and a bigger screen then you can consider choosing an HP.

If you need a desktop a mac-mini is nice but not when you want a big hard drive.

[scheuri]

hi all

According to heise.de (german IT-newsticker; http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/58740) HP sells Laptops, namely nx6110, nc6120, nc6220, nc6230 and nc6000, with a special version of Ubuntu.

Are there any information about that special Ubuntu? What are its specialities? non-free drivers or packages? packages which are considered non-stable but are included anyway? special kernel? What happens, if I upgrade or dist-upgrade?

Thanks for any information...

p.s.: especially interesting because of thread: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/search.php?searchid=573448 which is about one of the named laptops...is that linked?

[ubuntu_demon]

there's another thread about this here :
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28285

These two threads will probably be merged.

[TravisNewman]

there's another thread about this here :
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28285

These two threads will probably be merged.
merged ;)

[defkewl]

The problem is how many users would prefer Ubuntu over Windows? I guess they will still prefer to have the Laptops with windows and order the Ubuntu CD or download it :D

[nocturn]

The problem is how many users would prefer Ubuntu over Windows? I guess they will still prefer to have the Laptops with windows and order the Ubuntu CD or download it :D

Some people will want that. But others, such as myself are actively looking for a machine without the MS tax on it. I haven't used Windows on any of my personal machines sinds 1999, a Windows CD/License is a very expensive coaster/napkin for me.

[Stormy Eyes]

This is great. Now even normal people will have the opportunity to use Linux.

Normal people already have the opportunity. They don't even have to download and burn Ubuntu; they can ask Canonical for a free frigging CD. If they choose to keep Windows, that's their business.

[dare2dreamer]

Does anyone have any idea what they are changing in this "specialized version"?

The thing that would concern me most is that you'd be dependant on HP for operating system upgrades unless they release a full changelog. If they only tweak Hoary, when Breezy came out you'd be up a creek without an upgrade.

Someone from Canonical might want to send them a "send us your tweaks" letter, or at least somehow approach them about making sure HP will not only support Ubuntu, but will continue to down the road.

Just my though on it.

[AgenT]

Some people will want that. But others, such as myself are actively looking for a machine without the MS tax on it. I haven't used Windows on any of my personal machines sinds 1999, a Windows CD/License is a very expensive coaster/napkin for me.

The problem here is that even though the laptop does not come with Windows, you are still paying the MS tax because MS forces everyone to pay it regardless of what they ship. It's more or less similar to those small companies that order laptops, delete Windows, install Linux, and then sell Linux laptops. I am assuming that this is what HP is doing. Now if the Linux laptop costs $100+ less, then that would be something to cheer about \\:D/

[im_ka]

ok, here's a quick translation by me ;)

the usage of linux on up-to-date laptops is still bundled with numerous limitations, showed a test in a late c't 9/05.
HP wants to change this situation: a special version of ubuntu linux should soon support all the hardware in several HP laptops.

according to HP lan, wlan, modem and sound, pcmcia, infrared, firewire and bluetooth on the models nx6110, nc6120, nc6220, nc6230 und nc6000 and the officially not supported - but equipped with the same hardware - nc4200 subnotebook (?)
the integrated graphics media accelerator 900 of the new centrino chipset mobile 915 - which is used in most machines - should run with hardware accelerated 3d graphics when the distribution is ready; the 2-screen-mode is already working. hp puts special emphasis on fully usable acpi functions from recognizing the state of the battery through dynamic adjustment of the clock frequency to suspend to disk and - this is especially critical under linux - suspend to ram. the hotkeys such as for regulating the volume and the docking station should also be usable under linux.

although hp will not ship the machines with linux preinstalled, it won't force the buyers to purchase a - possibly not even needed - windows license: the machines will be shipped with freedos. a cd with an adjusted version of ubuntu linux will come with the machine. ubuntu is based on debian gnu/linux, but distinguishes itself through simplified installation and better hardware recognition, the optimization for desktop use and simpler navigation thanks to good preconfiguration.
apart from some special drivers and adjustments, the hp version of ubuntu will be the same as the normal ubuntu, so that its capabilities to update and install software, and getting security fixes can be taken advantage of.

[TravisNewman]

"apart from some special drivers and adjustments, the hp version of ubuntu will be the same as the normal ubuntu, so that its capabilities to update and install software, and getting security fixes can be taken advantage of."
yes, but I do wonder what kind of mess may arise from apt-get dist-upgrading or something similar-- unless HP has a repository for their drivers (which would be a great idea) this might cause some issues.

[occy8]

Originally Posted by defkewl
The problem is how many users would prefer Ubuntu over Windows? I guess they will still prefer to have the Laptops with windows and order the Ubuntu CD or download it


Someone who played with Linux before would be happy. A hardware manufacturer guarantees it works - great news - would be even better if its preinstalled though



yes, but I do wonder what kind of mess may arise from apt-get dist-upgrading or something similar-- unless HP has a repository for their drivers (which would be a great idea) this might cause some issues.

They must have set up something like that. It says in that article that only drivers have been changed and apt is still working :grin:

[chettyk]

Normal people won't even bother finding the CD.

Face it: 'normal people' use the OS that's pre-installed. The only people who'll go through the (minimal, yes) effort to install ubuntu will be the ones who are already sold on gnu/linux.

But it's still a good step.

HP laptops with Linux don't give you the option of sticking with the pre-installed OS. I know because I bought a HP Compaq Presario 2200, thinking it had Linux pre-loaded. Actually, the laptop came with only FreeDOS preloaded. All FreeDOS can do is boot the computer and let you run the Linux install CDs. I had quite a time trying to get Mandrake 9.2, which was supplied with the laptop, loaded and configured. Mercifully, I discovered Ubuntu, which did most of the configuration automatically when installed. I dearly wish HP had opted to sell their Linux laptops with Ubuntu when I bought mine.

[Thomas Schneller]

Does anyone have any idea what they are changing in this "specialized version"? The thing that would concern me most is that you'd be dependant on HP for operating system upgrades unless they release a full changelog. If they only tweak Hoary, when Breezy came out you'd be up a creek without an upgrade.

Not much special things at all. A modem driver is added and some software packages enabling for example the hot-keys. After installation the user will end up with a normal hoary with some additional packages. So there should be no problem with updates and stuff like that.

Someone from Canonical might want to send them a "send us your tweaks" letter

I don't think, that's neccessary. All the customisatioin is done by Ubuntu developers. I am pretty sure, they know what they are doing..... :)

[rpm]

good news anyway

bye

rpm

[Knome_fan]

@ Thomas Schneller:
First off, thanks for the information. This starts to look better and better.

One question though, as you seem to know a lot of stuff about this issue, what exactly is the reason for HP not to ship the notebooks with Ubuntu preinstalled, but instead ship them with freedos and a seperate CD?

[AgenT]

@ Thomas Schneller:
First off, thanks for the information. This starts to look better and better.

One question though, as you seem to know a lot of stuff about this issue, what exactly is the reason for HP not to ship the notebooks with Ubuntu preinstalled, but instead ship them with freedos and a seperate CD?

Maybe because of support concerns. Basically it seems like they do not want to support Ubuntu (and the users) but instead just sell it with their computers. Basically, "you installed it so you are on your own and if something does not work don't bother calling us". That would be my guess.

[Thomas Schneller]

One question though, as you seem to know a lot of stuff about this issue

I am the responsible developer on the HP side.

, what exactly is the reason for HP not to ship the notebooks with Ubuntu preinstalled, but instead ship them with freedos and a seperate CD?

Cost. It's expensive to pre-install. And if you want to do it in several languages, you need to do it seperate for every language. Which add up cost even more.

But yes, support is an other point. The laptop group does not have any Linux support resources at all. But also makes sense, to leave the support to Ubuntu. They know their software better then anyone else. And the customer can choose between the free support options or pay for support if that's what he needs. Seems as a good solution for me.

And I am very pleased, what we have archived so far. After installation nearly eveything works. Easy going for the customer. Invest 45 minutes time for installation and he gets a full working, nice looking desktop.

[Knome_fan]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up and thanks for dropping by this forum to answer questions. :grin:

[Brunellus]

Does anyone have any idea what they are changing in this "specialized version"? The thing that would concern me most is that you'd be dependant on HP for operating system upgrades unless they release a full changelog. If they only tweak Hoary, when Breezy came out you'd be up a creek without an upgrade.

Not much special things at all. A modem driver is added and some software packages enabling for example the hot-keys. After installation the user will end up with a normal hoary with some additional packages. So there should be no problem with updates and stuff like that.

Someone from Canonical might want to send them a "send us your tweaks" letter

I don't think, that's neccessary. All the customisatioin is done by Ubuntu developers. I am pretty sure, they know what they are doing..... :)
Will those additional packages end up in an apt repository sometime?

If yes, then that makes me seriously consider HP for my next laptop purchase. Something that will work 99% out of the box with ubuntu, with the remaining few packages trivially apt-gettable, is far preferable to me than having to work out what I'd need to install and what will be broken....

[Thomas Schneller]

Will those additional packages end up in an apt repository sometime?

That's the plan. But I am still discussing that with the Ubuntu developers. I am convinced, the only way to please a user is to make it as easy as possible to maintain and keep up to date his system. Most people want to work with their computers and not waste time doing system maintainance.

This approach is a chance to do it. For example, if there is a package HP-hotkeys, it's possible to update, bugfix it or enhance it with additional features, which can easily be received with Ubuntus update feature.

As this is a pilot project, never been done before, any input or suggestion is highly welcome.

And by the way, this solution can be done for other brands as well. If people find together, able to fix xyz for brand zyx this can be put in a package as well and made available for download by apt-get install. If people work together then they could archive great things!

Best regards

Thomas

[AgenT]

This approach is a chance to do it. For example, if there is a package HP-hotkeys, it's possible to update, bugfix it or enhance it with additional features, which can easily be received with Ubuntus update feature.

Sounds like a good idea. Not sure what repository such programs would go into. What type of programs are these exactly? Are they open source? Are they, for example, available as .tar.gz downloads somewhere on HP's website? If they are not open source then there would be little anyone could do to bug fix them. Not to mention it could pose problems.

[sas]

Don't suppose there's a chance of this going pan-europe?

[UbuWu]

Why is freedos installed? I guess nobody will stick with that and you don't need it to install either windows or ubuntu...

[Thomas Schneller]

Sounds like a good idea. Not sure what repository such programs would go into. What type of programs are these exactly? Are they open source? Are they, for example, available as .tar.gz downloads somewhere on HP's website? If they are not open source then there would be little anyone could do to bug fix them. Not to mention it could pose problems.
>What type of programs are these exactly?

In case of the hot-keys scripts. So no problem at all with licence. There is a patched modem driver from smartlink which is not GPL. But can be put into universe or multiverse. It's really not that much customization at all. Hoary nearly supports everything out of box..... (:

>Don't suppose there's a chance of this going pan-europe?

if it will be requested, might be.

>Why is freedos installed?

Want to pay the MS fee? We are legally not allowed to sell units without OS. And freedos is a OS. That's why.

Best regards and nice Sunday

Thomas

[sas]

>What type of programs are these exactly?

In case of the hot-keys scripts. So no problem at all with licence. There is a patched modem driver from smartlink which is not GPL. But can be put into universe or multiverse. It's really not that much customization at all. Hoary nearly supports everything out of box..... (:

>Don't suppose there's a chance of this going pan-europe?

if it will be requested, might be.

>Why is freedos installed?

Want to pay the MS fee? We are legally not allowed to sell units without OS. And freedos is a OS. That's why.

Best regards and nice Sunday

Thomas
Do I need to request this from hp uk or yourself?

I'm not in the market for a laptop yet...but I want one in about 6 months time once i've saved some pennies, and up till now was going for apple..now i'm wavering.

[Thomas Schneller]

Do I need to request this from hp uk or yourself?

From me. thomas.schneller@swipp.de

But don't get me wrong, I am promoting Ubuntu Linux. And the affort, to have a nice, clean and trouble free desktop on notebooks. That's my target.

Best regards

Thomas

[phen]

I'm happy to hear these news! I bought a HP nc6120 some weeks ago, because HP is supporting Opensource and Linux in several Ways. I wanted to support such an effort, but also expected better compatibility :-)

Now, this is beyond my expectations :-) When's the software expected to be released?

Can I get it from ubuntu directly?

Thank you,


cheers,

kai

[daniels]

The other thing to bear in mind is that Ubuntu doesn't have an OEM installer at the moment, so if it was pre-installed, you'd have to preconfigure a single username, password, language, timezone, et al.

[Azmodan]

Really cool ! =D>

When can we expect it and where can I subscribe to, so I will know when it's released ?

Thanks HP !

[Thomas Schneller]

Can I get it from ubuntu directly?

Just drop me a mail. I can provide a pre-release.

The other thing to bear in mind is that Ubuntu doesn't have an OEM installer at the moment, so if it was pre-installed, you'd have to preconfigure a single username, password, language, timezone, et al.

Perfectly right. Apart from that pre-installation is expencive. We currently support 23 languages in EMEA (Europe, Middel East, Africa). You end up pretty soon with an investment of some hundret thousend dollar trying to support all of them with pre-installations.

Should not be a big problem for a customer to make the few choices needed to install Ubuntu.

When can we expect it and where can I subscribe to, so I will know when it's released ?

Some weeks from now it should be finalized. There are still a lot of activities to promote it. A college of mine is doing a road show all over Europe. In every location there is a Laptop as price of a lottery. Powered by Ubuntu. And Ubuntu CDs are available there for the visitors of the road show. Other things are in the pipeline as well. Im am sure, there is no need to subscribe anywhere. As the little Heise message showed, this will go round the world like a firestorm.... (:

[darthsabbath]

Just out of curiosity, and this may be a dumb question, but will this laptop be available in the USA as well? While I'm not in the market for a new laptop at this time, I will in the next year or two, and this would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Phil

[Thomas Schneller]

Not sure, if the colleges in the US will adopt this approach. But for sure, the Laptop itself will be available in the States with Win OS. Getting the iso should not be a problem. Don't want to speculate here. In a year or two a lot of water is passing the river, as we say here in Germany... (:

[Brunellus]

Can I get it from ubuntu directly?

Just drop me a mail. I can provide a pre-release.

The other thing to bear in mind is that Ubuntu doesn't have an OEM installer at the moment, so if it was pre-installed, you'd have to preconfigure a single username, password, language, timezone, et al.

Perfectly right. Apart from that pre-installation is expencive. We currently support 23 languages in EMEA (Europe, Middel East, Africa). You end up pretty soon with an investment of some hundret thousend dollar trying to support all of them with pre-installations.

Should not be a big problem for a customer to make the few choices needed to install Ubuntu.

When can we expect it and where can I subscribe to, so I will know when it's released ?

Some weeks from now it should be finalized. There are still a lot of activities to promote it. A college of mine is doing a road show all over Europe. In every location there is a Laptop as price of a lottery. Powered by Ubuntu. And Ubuntu CDs are available there for the visitors of the road show. Other things are in the pipeline as well. Im am sure, there is no need to subscribe anywhere. As the little Heise message showed, this will go round the world like a firestorm.... (:
The firestorm will come because of a good amount of pent-up demand among existing GNU/Linux users for a laptop computer which runs their preferred OS without any problems whatsoever. Yes, I am aware that vendors like EmperorLinux offer these already, but the fact that HP Europe is taking such a step really gives the consumer a great deal of confidence.

I know. Free Software is offered without any warrantee whatsoever, in the hopes that it might be useful--but the very fact that HP has similarly hoped that Ubuntu would be useful, and at the same time, has invested some effort into *making* it useful, gives the end-user a great deal of confidence in the project.

Keep up the good work, Herr Schneller.

[mthaddon]

Do I need to request this from hp uk or yourself?

From me. thomas.schneller@swipp.de

But don't get me wrong, I am promoting Ubuntu Linux. And the affort, to have a nice, clean and trouble free desktop on notebooks. That's my target.

Best regards

Thomas

Great news!! I have actually bought an HP zv5405us recently (and immediately installed Ubuntu AMD64 without ever booting into windows :) ) and so am very interested to hear this. One question I have is, is there any plans at HP to provide packages for other models (including the one I've purchased)? This would be great if there was. Pretty much the only thing I'm missing is hibernate/suspend support, and am currently working through that when I have time :) but would be very interested in vendor supplied packages.

I'm on a mailing list for Linux users of Compaq R3000s/HP equivalents, so I'm sure they'd be _very_ interested to hear any more on this topic.

Thanks again - very glad to see HP moving in this direction.

Tom

[weekend warrior]

This sounds like great news from HP but by not having it pre-installed they've already bent to M$ pressure.

TBH though it's worth checking the smaller companies if you're going to pay all that money for a new laptop anyway. You can buy a laptop with ubuntu pre-configured from companies like www.emperorlinux.com for example. This is their press release for ubuntu.

Apr 15th 2005 EmperorLinux Adds Ubuntu to Distribution Choices
EmperorLinux now offers the Ubuntu distribution. Ubuntu is based on Debian (also available on EmperorLinux systems), but with many improvements tailored to improve the Linux experience on the desktop. We offer a customized installation of Ubuntu's "Hoary Hedgehog" release with all the usual EmperorLinux modifications. See our distributions page for all of the flavors of Linux that EmperorLinux currently supports on our laptops. If all you want is a new(ish) blank laptop, check the online auctions like ebay, you'll find them.

Note: I'm not knocking HP's efforts here, I think it's good step in the right direction, just putting out alternatives.

[Spoofhound]

[I]
Cost. It's expensive to pre-install. And if you want to do it in several languages, you need to do it seperate for every language. Which add up cost even more.


So how about shipping live-cds with each M$ pre-install? OK, the experience is not nearly the same as an install, but it gives a pretty good idea of what you get. In addition, its risk free and as long as you can get the box to boot from the cd/dvd player, its not difficult. Its a potential way of allowing users to test an M$ alternative, and a way of judging potential future interest. Obviously this is not for linux users looking for a pre-install - but worth considering?
In any case, nice one HP

[mthaddon]

This sounds like great news from HP but by not having it pre-installed they've already bent to M$ pressure.

TBH though it's worth checking the smaller companies if you're going to pay all that money for a new laptop anyway. You can buy a laptop with ubuntu pre-configured from companies like www.emperorlinux.com for example. This is their press release for ubuntu.
If all you want is a new(ish) blank laptop, check the online auctions like ebay, you'll find them.

Note: I'm not knocking HP's efforts here, I think it's good step in the right direction, just putting out alternatives.

I think that's a bit harsh to say HP's bent to MS's pressure because they aren't preinstalling. It's more a case of trying out a new concept to see how much demand there is for it, as I can see. Do you have any idea how big of an effort it is to get all the infrastructure in place to support another OS (no matter what it is)?

Can't expect wholesale switch from day one. From day two hundred, maybe...

[weekend warrior]

No no, it's not harsh. This isn't completely new for them. They already tried to send them preinstalled back in August 2004 and one day they just disappeared, hmm.... Take a look at this thread. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/308300

Obviously M$ isn't going to just sit back and watch it happen. I wouldn't be surprised if this deal is a compromise solution.

And of course IBM already tried this with the T22. Now look where IBM erhm... I mean "Lenovo" is. Dell also offered OS-less M$ tax-free laptops at one point, not anymore.

Like I said, it wasn't a swipe at HP. If they want to help spread linux, I wish them all the luck in the world. They'll need it. If you cross Monopoly System, you have to know that Billy doesn't play nice. To think anything else, with their history, is naïve.

[weekend warrior]

Here's an old report on the "launch" of the HP Compaq nx5000 with SuSE

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9311392.htm

[weekend warrior]

In fact it's even still online in their catalog, but just try to configure and buy it :-k
HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000 (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/321957-64295-89315-321838-f33-395654.html)

[Thomas Schneller]

One question I have is, is there any plans at HP to provide packages for other models (including the one I've purchased)?

No. The reason is easy: the Ubuntu developers did all of that afford. And they did a great job!. So my advice is, used the ubuntu bugzilla to report your problem. They are very active and might be able to solve ist. If there are information needed from HP, I might be able to provide them.

This sounds like great news from HP but by not having it pre-installed they've already bent to M$ pressure.

In which sense? The plan is to deliver the units with freedos pre-installed. So no MS tax. I agree, pre-installed Linux would be better. It's a compromise between cost and giving the customer something MS tax free.

Regarding HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000, this was a high investment to develop this solution. Result: 300 units sold. Understandable that this solution does not have an successor.

[weekend warrior]

Only 300 sold doesn't sound too surprising considering some people's efforts to try ordering it online. Hunting the Wily HP Linux Laptop (http://www.kegel.com/linux/wily-hp-laptop.html) Hopefully they've learned from the experience and will do better. Best of luck to them.

[Thomas Schneller]

Only 300 sold doesn't sound too surprising considering some people's efforts to try ordering it online. Hunting the Wily HP Linux Laptop (http://www.kegel.com/linux/wily-hp-laptop.html) Hopefully they've learned from the experience and will do better. Best of luck to them.
Thanks for the Link. I am sure I can use it as a "user experience" example in upcoming conversations......

[jackowski]

Everything ok but where to download this version of ubuntu for their laptops - I've HP NX 7010 but I was configuring everything myself and not everything is working I'd like too - for examle I must use "hotkeys" for special keyboard chars and it's not the way I want to have this problem solved

[psoleko]

I am in the market for a new Laptop, am I to understand these are available in Europe only? At any rate, I am due for a vacation or a laptop :D I am definitely interested in getting something like this.

[ubuntu_demon]

a column about ubuntu and hp :

http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1341



According to the company, the Ubuntu notebooks are reserved for selected parts of Europe, Africa and Middle East where Windows piracy rates are strikingly high.


Does this include the netherlands ?

[Thomas Schneller]

a column about ubuntu and hp :

http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1341



Does this include the netherlands ?
I suppose it would be a safe assumption on my part to say that HP’s recent announcement is a bag of mixed emotions.

I don't know where this information is coming from, but definitly there was never a official announcment from HP up to now. Anyhow, journalists are sometime very creativ in what they are writing.

Does this include the netherlands ?

I always recommand to sell it all over EMEA. And I am pretty sure, when the first country goes to market the demand will be high enough for other countries to follow. So the answer is, if the demand is high enough. If not, there is still the option to buy it in an other country. We don't habe any selling boarders any more in Europe.

After all is said and done, I have to wonder if anyone from Redmond, Washington had any input towards HP’s decision to offer Linux to the "3rd World" and exclude the U.S. (the richest Windows market) from it’s Linux program.

Oh yes. Everything outside US is "3rd world".

I would certainly like to believe not. Of course, we all love a good conspiracy theory now, don’t we?

We will see how long this conspiracy theory will last when EMEA is selling this solution and US customers are yelling to get it as well. The future will show it.......

Best regards

Thomas

[ubuntu_demon]

I suppose it would be a safe assumption on my part to say that HP’s recent announcement is a bag of mixed emotions.

I don't know where this information is coming from, but definitly there was never a official announcment from HP up to now. Anyhow, journalists are sometime very creativ in what they are writing.

Does this include the netherlands ?

I always recommand to sell it all over EMEA. And I am pretty sure, when the first country goes to market the demand will be high enough for other countries to follow. So the answer is, if the demand is high enough. If not, there is still the option to buy it in an other country. We don't habe any selling boarders any more in Europe.

After all is said and done, I have to wonder if anyone from Redmond, Washington had any input towards HP’s decision to offer Linux to the "3rd World" and exclude the U.S. (the richest Windows market) from it’s Linux program.

Oh yes. Everything outside US is "3rd world".

I would certainly like to believe not. Of course, we all love a good conspiracy theory now, don’t we?

We will see how long this conspiracy theory will last when EMEA is selling this solution and US customers are yelling to get it as well. The future will show it.......

Best regards

Thomas
thnx for the answer

btw I didn't say that I agreed with the writer it was just something worth reading :)

[discord]

Does HP plan to help prepare ubuntu for there business desktops? Specifically the HP d325? I purchased this model last year since it was a motherboard with dual GF4mx vga connectors to hook up to my two compaq lcds. They sold it with mandrake or suse i think although I ended up with a copy of windows that I didnt want. Anyways the thing locks up every minute I try to use the nvidia driver and no one will even look at my threads to help support it. I tried downloading (because in a google search it said suse tested) SUSE (ugh) to see if I could get a stable linux going with my two monitors and it wouldn't even get through the installer. Ubuntu was way better about that! Anyways I bought what I thought was a Linux compatible product and now all I have is a worthless peice of junk.

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=39156

[nocturn]

Does HP plan to help prepare ubuntu for there business desktops? Specifically the HP d325? I purchased this model last year since it was a motherboard with dual GF4mx vga connectors to hook up to my two compaq lcds. They sold it with mandrake or suse i think although I ended up with a copy of windows that I didnt want. Anyways the thing locks up every minute I try to use the nvidia driver and no one will even look at my threads to help support it. I tried downloading (because in a google search it said suse tested) SUSE (ugh) to see if I could get a stable linux going with my two monitors and it wouldn't even get through the installer. Ubuntu was way better about that! Anyways I bought what I thought was a Linux compatible product and now all I have is a worthless peice of junk.

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=39156

I have a similar problem, it seems an Nvidia problem...
For me, disabling renderaccel in xorg.conf fixed it at the expense of performance.

[Thomas Schneller]

Does HP plan to help prepare ubuntu for there business desktops? Specifically the HP d325?

Sorry, but I can't say anything to that one. I am a member of the personal systems group only responsible for Laptops. But in this case the issue seams to be NVIDIA related. So HP involvment will not help to fix the issue. I recommand to file a bug in the Ubuntu bugzilla:

https://bugzilla.ubuntu.com

Best regards

Thomas

[discord]

Does HP plan to help prepare ubuntu for there business desktops? Specifically the HP d325?

Sorry, but I can't say anything to that one. I am a member of the personal systems group only responsible for Laptops. But in this case the issue seams to be NVIDIA related. So HP involvment will not help to fix the issue. I recommand to file a bug in the Ubuntu bugzilla:

https://bugzilla.ubuntu.com

Best regards

Thomas
any plans to support the compaq R4000 laptop?