Dell to choose Ubuntu (Now official)

[DC@DR]

Edited by OP: Now it's official that Dell will sell PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed. Link on Ubuntu.com: http://www.ubuntu.com/news/dell-to-offer-ubuntu

Check out this link, guys: http://desktoplinux.com/news/NS8661763902.html. Even though it hasn't been officially announced from Dell yet, but this info sounds pretty good for Ubuntu, doesn't it? :-)

Some quotes from the article:


According to our sources, Ubuntu will be released on a Dell e-series "Essential" Dimension desktop, an XPS desktop, and an e-series Inspiron laptop.




Sources also indicated that Dell has decided to go with Ubuntu because a large number of people who answered its Linux desktop survey indicated that they wanted Ubuntu. While Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, recently said he can't comment on whether or not his company has been talking with Dell, sources close to the company indicate that Dell and Canonical have been having talks for several months now about Ubuntu running on Dell's computers

[Sunflower1970]

If this is true, and from what I've read on and off from here, Digg, and Dell's site, it probably is, I'm still going to hold off jumping for joy until I hear an official announcement :)

(there is one minor inaccuracy in the article though. Dell's main offices are in Round Rock, not Austin ;) )

[Churnd]

Great news! It's been speculation up to this point as to which they'd choose, but it looks like they've got their sites set on Ubuntu. =D> =D>

[aysiu]

I've retitled the thread to be a bit more accurate. There is no official announcement that Dell is preloading Ubuntu.


Great news! It's been speculation up to this point as to which they'd choose, but it looks like they've got their sites set on Ubuntu. =D> =D> It still is speculation at this point. The odds are looking good for Ubuntu, but there's nothing definite.

[Crakie]

Interesting, although I am not popping the champagne yet. The question is, will the choice for Ubuntu result in a lower priced Dell computer? It should, but it will not be necessarily the case. Dell is making money on the OEM versions of Windows it is offering.

In another thought, a big pc vendor even considering to offer Linux means we are again a step closer to Desktop Linux. With a rising marketshare, will I actually have to run a virusscanner in two years?

[Sunflower1970]

If it does happen, it'll be interesting to see if our local paper will do a story on it. Dell is big news around here, whatever they do seems to make headlines...

[BuffaloX]

The most interesting is not if it's Ubuntu or something else.
But how well it will sell.
Will Linux finally be good business for hardware vendors.

Ubuntu is the best choice IMO, and would come as no surprise for several reasons.
The primary being that Dell probably can get it for free, and support from Canonical probably much cheaper than from Suse.
Suse has a serious image problem right now,
and I don't really see any other contenders than Ubuntu and Suse.
The industry has also complained about the lack of a clear "leader" amongst the Linux distros,
Ubuntu is that leader right now, and is for this reason alone the most obvious choice.

Congr4tz and Th4nx to 3\/3rybody that has contributed to making Linux come this far...

[Churnd]

Interesting, although I am not popping the champagne yet. The question is, will the choice for Ubuntu result in a lower priced Dell computer? It should, but it will not be necessarily the case. Dell is making money on the OEM versions of Windows it is offering.

Sadly, probably not. I don't see how they can financially unless they decide to become huge advocates of open source. I hope they market it in terms of Beryl/Compiz as well as an OS immune to viruses and spyware.

[DC@DR]

If this comes true, it would definitely the first solid step ahead for Ubuntu to fix the bug No.1 that Mark Shuttleworth mentioned here: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1. I do hope that other big vendors like HP, Acer and Lenovo will follow Dell to join the Linux world of freedom ;-)

[Lord Illidan]

The most interesting is not if it's Ubuntu or something else.
But how well it will sell.
Will Linux finally be good business for hardware vendors.

Ubuntu is the best choice IMO, and would come as no surprise for several reasons.
The primary being that Dell probably can get it for free, and support from Canonical probably much cheaper than from Suse.
Suse has a serious image problem right now,
and I don't really see any other contenders than Ubuntu and Suse.
The industry has also complained about the lack of a clear "leader" amongst the Linux distros,
Ubuntu is that leader right now, and is for this reason alone the most obvious choice.

Congr4tz and Th4nx to 3\/3rybody that has contributed to making Linux come this far...

I think the issue here, is "will it sell?" and also, will DELL do its best to make it sell well?

What are the advantages for choosing Ubuntu over Windows? Is the price difference (if any) enough? Is it worth it, considering that software may be incompatible, and will it offset the time taken to learn a new system? Does the fact that it is free mean that it is worse? Is it reliable? Can I solve problems with it? These are the questions likely to be asked by customers.


Sadly, probably not. I don't see how they can financially unless they decide to become huge advocates of open source. I hope they market it in terms of Beryl/Compiz as well as an OS immune to viruses and spyware.

Can they market an alpha product, knowing full well that their customers will have problems with it?

EDIT : Please, I am not trying to come out as overly negative...I love Ubuntu as much as anyone else.. i am just being a realist.

[brownknight]

yes this is a speculation but it still sends a good word out for ubuntu. i could be telling my friends - "i told you so" sooner...

[dspari1]

This is coming at a good time for me because I'm now looking to buy a laptop that will run Compiz/Beryl and WoW at the same time.

[TEDNUGNT]

True or rumor?

[Dolphin]

It is true that Dell is going to start shipping PCs with linux installed on requested.

Whether or not it will be Ubuntu is rumor. They may choose Ubuntu, they may choose another distro, they may make their own Dell flavour, who knows. :)

[aysiu]

It's still a rumor, but there seems to be some evidence to indicate the rumor might end up being true.

[bobbybobington]

Its officially TRUE now! its on the planet (http://planet.ubuntu.com/). Woot!

[mjitkop]

Excellent news! :)

[aysiu]

Wow. I wonder how Dell is going to market it...

[steven8]

That is awesome! Congratulations, Ubuntu!!

[gradedcheese]

woah... what happened to the planet posts from aysiu's screenshot? they appear to have been removed?

[steven8]

woah... what happened to the planet posts from aysiu's screenshot? they appear to have been removed?

Yes, gone without a trace. :confused: :(

[Tux Aubrey]

This is just like the final of the World Cup Cricket! We won! No we haven't! Yes we have, I think!

(Readers from non-cricketing nations can ignore this comment.)

[rsambuca]

hmmm... Very curious indeed. Somebody is getting their wrists slapped for jumping the gun, I imagine.

[aysiu]

Suddenly it's just a rumor again?

*Sigh* I'll re-retitle the thread...

[zvacet]

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/biographies/en/msd_computers?c=us&l=en&s=corp

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/04/18/12261.aspx

[aysiu]

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/biographies/en/msd_computers?c=us&l=en&s=corp

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/04/18/12261.aspx
Yes, we're all aware Michael Dell uses Ubuntu.

We're still waiting for an official announcement to appear from either Dell or Ubuntu--one that isn't going to disappear minutes later.

[steven8]

Suddenly it's just a rumor again?

*Sigh* I'll re-retitle the thread...

Double *sigh*. A mystery, wrapped in a riddle, something, something, etc.

[aysiu]

Glad I took that screenshot, though.

[steven8]

Glad I took that screenshot, though.

Saved for posterior. . .

[50words]

Yeah, Fabian's blog is now down, as well. Maybe he was a bit early with his announcement, but Cory at BoingBoing picked up on it while it lasted.

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/04/30/dell_will_preinstall.html
http://www.fabianrodriguez.com/blog/archives/2007/04/30/its-d-day/
http://solosmalltech.com/?p=112

[SZF2001]

Will the government step in to take your screenshot?

FIGHT THE POWER

[jiminycricket]

Are we sure Fabian's blog didn't go down because of the Digg effect?

[v8YKxgHe]

It most probably did, be here is a mirror:

http://duggmirror.com/linux_unix/The_embargo_is_over_Ubuntu_will_be_officially_supp orted_on_Dell_computers/


It’s now official. That’s it, the embargo is over. We can talk.

Many people have been involved in this and I can only say I am excited to be a tiny small part of it: Ubuntu will be officially supported on Dell computers. Any other details will come on www.ubuntu.com, check it for the official press release, but we can now all put the matter to rest and go about our normal lives - or can we ? :) This from your humble servant at Canonical Global Support Services.

[Cynical]

Definitely not a rumor

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=2F0A15EB21C7E5DDE040A68F5B285AAE

[Tux Aubrey]

Fabian's blog item came back briefly and was then replaced by this message:



To all those ending up here - sorry. I had to take this down until further notice, I am still not sure why. Just to be clear, bandwidth never was a problem. Thanks for understanding.

I do hope he's not in trouble but this is just so exciting ! I haven't been so excited since the birth of my first child. And this doesn't have that "screaming woman" soundtrack. cool.

[frup]

... this is just so exciting ! I haven't been so excited since the birth of my first child. And this doesn't have that "screaming woman" soundtrack. cool.

Holy crap thats funny :lolflag:

[Spr0k3t]

Once the official announcement is out, I will be very happy for all of OSSdom. Still not a fan of Dell, their support is slightly less than horrid and on par with despicable.

[kleeman]

This is a little weird:

http://jerome.gotangco.com/

Has Jerome been censored? His blogfeed is not on planet anymore.....

[motang]

If this is true, and from what I've read on and off from here, Digg, and Dell's site, it probably is, I'm still going to hold off jumping for joy until I hear an official announcement :)

(there is one minor inaccuracy in the article though. Dell's main offices are in Round Rock, not Austin ;) )

I agree and I am holding off from jumping with Joy till it is all official. I sure hope that this is true, as I know this would mean a lot Ubuntu or Linux in general.

[chrisccoulson]

It looks fairly official now:

http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci1253364,00.html

[SyL]

Once the official announcement is out, I will be very happy for all of OSSdom. Still not a fan of Dell, their support is slightly less than horrid and on par with despicable.

Totally agree! if they really do so I will be imprest by them

[Steveire]

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=2F0A15EB21C7E5DDE040A68F5B285AAE
They give an awful link to install it. Why not use the liveCD option and show screenshots?

[Sunflower1970]

...It looks like this is the official announcement from Dell's side of things....

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/ideastorm/ideasinaction?c=us&l=en&s=gen

[steevk]

If it does happen, it'll be interesting to see if our local paper will do a story on it. Dell is big news around here, whatever they do seems to make headlines...

Get them to! Write to the paper letting them know about the news when it happens. There are always slow news days that need a good story...

[steven8]

So, is this the official announcement...?

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/ideastorm/ideasinaction?c=us&l=en&s=gen

It's AN announcement. But not that Ubuntu is the only one:


Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Pre-Installed Linux | Ubuntu | Fedora | OpenSUSE | Multi-Boot
Back in February when we launched IdeaStorm, we received overwhelming feedback from the community that you wanted Linux client options available throughout Dell's product line. In response, we told you that we were working towards this goal, and we did a survey of your preferences. When asked which distribution of Linux Dell should prioritize on, Ubuntu was the most requested option. Today, we are excited to tell you that Dell will begin offering Canonicals' latest version, Ubuntu 7.04, as an option on select Dell consumer models in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Watch a vlog from Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu’s founder, who provides background on Ubuntu 7.04 and what Dell's decision means for consumers.

While Ubuntu 7.04 will appear on select consumer products, we continue to offer a wide variety of Linux options including Red Hat factory-installed on our Precision workstations and Novell certification of all our business systems. Thanks again for the feedback and enthusiasm you have demonstrated with your response on IdeaStorm. For more information on our evolving Linux program, read today’s post on Direct2Dell.

Dell Forums - no Linux/OSS forum
And while we’re updating you on our Linux program, here’s more! You suggested that we add Linux to the Dell Forums… and so we did that. You will now see a new and improved Dell Linux Forum, which has been given priority placement on the Dell Forums page. We’ll also begin promoting the Dell Linux Forum in the rotating banner at the top of the Dell Forums page. Visit the forum and interact with other customers. Ask questions, share experiences and learn. We look forward to seeing your contributions in the Dell Linux Forum.

[steven8]

It IS great though!! : - ) An excellent breakthrough!!!

[ma1kel]

<darich> question: are there any plans for large scale marketing campaigns a la Firefox for Ubuntu(full page adds etc..)

*

you mean bigger than the billboards? that was a fun campaign. all in good time. first we have to crack the corporate market, and be sustainable. we are taking a very unconventional approach, but we are on good track. next week you will see two big announcements, one of which will probably dominate the media, but both are really nice steps towards sustainability for the project. our goal is to be sustainable and completely free. we are neither right now, but we are moving towards that goal very steadily

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/openweekfeisty/askmark2

So yes.

[diskotek]

hmm their installation guide page is really horrible... nice news

[Sunflower1970]

direct2dell now has a link for this as well as a vlog with Mark: :)

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/01/13147.aspx

[JerseyShoreComputer]

I just read the article on C-Net's web site. Here is the link:

http://news.com.com/Dell+picks+Ubuntu+for+Linux+PCs/2100-7344_3-6180419.html?tag=nefd.lede

Check it out, I think it is going to be great! :KS

[DoctorMO]

will I actually have to run a virusscanner in two years?

Virus scanners are a stop gap measure for fixing the real security problem because you don't have access to the source code. We do have access to the source code and a load of people willing to fix any security problems.

So in the end, no; most likely we may see a few security blips but things will get fixed pretty quickly. you know in the kernel security problems still get patched all the way down to 2.2 kernels in some cases.

[oskie]

Great news. Hopefully this will lead to improved hardware support across the board.

[Hex_Mandos]

Can we now close the "Is Linux ready for the desktop" thread?

Seriously, I hope Dell the best of luck with this. Maybe they can replicate Apple's success, by offering an option that's better than Windows in many aspects. Only this time, the alternative OS would be free software running on standard x86 hardware, thus eliminating Apple's biggest drawback (closedness).

[AtrejuT]

there's also an announcement at ubuntu.com now:
http://www.ubuntu.com/news/dell-to-offer-ubuntu
just strange that the planet is still censored...

[dca]

... and now comes the real fun where MS makes it impossible to purchase a pre-loaded Linux box cheaper than a Windows PC... Dell e-Series w/ Linux $408, running XPSP2 $399....

[AtrejuT]

... and now comes the real fun where MS makes it impossible to purchase a pre-loaded Linux box cheaper than a Windows PC... Dell e-Series w/ Linux $408, running XPSP2 $399....

that really is pretty sad... even though it's 'only' XP...

[nphx]

This is so awesome. It made my day. I'm so happy I could cry.

[v8YKxgHe]

Today, we are excited to tell you that Dell will begin offering Canonicals' latest version, Ubuntu 7.04, as an option on select Dell consumer models in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

yeah! Only in the US for now, but ... great move!

[TrueJk7]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm - Didnt find this link listed before however, BBC Reporting Dell decideing to use Ubuntu!!

[rubbsdecvik]

Is it time for a thread name change yet?

[gigaferz]

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6180419.html?tag=nl.e622

i do not believe it

[Eric Layne]

If Dell chooses Ubuntu, you can be certain these forums will be absolutely flooded with users begging for help with god knows how many problems.

[Peil]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6610901.stm

Also on the BBC, at this stage it appears Canonical will be working with Dell formally to ensure that it runs out of the box, and it is anticipated that Dell will offer Ubuntu on an e-series Dimension desktop, a high-performance XPS desktop, and an e-series Inspiron laptop.

Now, lets see the people who have asked for this kind of support from a mainstream box builder put some money on the table (or website:) )

[v8YKxgHe]

If Dell chooses Ubuntu, you can be certain these forums will be absolutely flooded with users begging for help with god knows how many problems.

If? They have chosen Ubuntu

[juxtaposed]

I now have respect for Dell.

This is great news (unless there is some odd catch I missed because I didn't read all 6 pages of this thread).

[kayas80]

Dell have chosen Ubuntu.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6610901.stm

[anshuljain]

Great news that Dell has decided to go for Ubuntu, which is IMO the best punch that Linux has against Microshaft *******. That said, I think Dell would be wise offering Kubuntu alongside Ubuntu as KDE has a similar look and feel compared to *******.

Also, for people migrating from MS to Linux would be looking for replacement software to the ones they run on their machines and Amarok, Kopete, Konversation, K3b happen to be the best alternatives to iTunes/WMP, any IM program, mIRC and a CD/DVD burning app. I feel that Kubuntu's apps trump anything that Ubuntu has currently.

Canonical would be wise in polishing Kubuntu too by working with KDE to stablize their DE, add a robust package manager (like Synaptic...Adept is by far the worst ever package manager) etc.

-Anshul

[Churnd]

This is the first major step towards convincing major commercial software vendors to port their apps to Linux, which is all that's keeping most users stuck with Windows. Before we didn't really have the "strong-arm" we needed to make this convincing statement... now we do.

I know that's against the OSS movement, but it would convince more users to try Linux, and in doing so, they would see that there are free, open source alternatives out there.

[in_flu_ence]

That's a good news for all of us. There are some components in Dell machines which used to not work out-of-the-box. I think that might be resolved pretty soon since Dell is aiming to make better hardware compatibility with Linux.

Let's hope IBM, HP, Acer and others to follow suit fairly quickly.

[chakkaradeep]

Direct from Dell (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/01/13147.aspx) :guitar:

[jeremy]

Here too:
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/newss/6383/1/

[PartisanEntity]

So its official now? Has Dell chosen Ubuntu?

[webjames]

so does this mean dell laptops will be fully supported aswell?

[rgraves22]

Not sure if anybody has seen this on slash dot yet this morning,

http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/05/0/1353237.shtml (1http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/05/0/1353237.shtml)

[dante.regis]

The address above is wrong. It's missing a "1"! :)

The correct address is:

http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/05/01/1353237.shtml (http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/05/01/1353237.shtml)

[EdThaSlayer]

Can't wait to get my new Dell laptop although I still have 3 years to wait.

[icechen1]

So its official now? Has Dell chosen Ubuntu?

Yes

[aysiu]

It's official, and I've officially merged the three threads about it.

[PartisanEntity]

It's official, and I've officially merged the three threads about it.

Very nice, my next laptop might be a Dell.

[Churnd]

Very nice, my next laptop might be a Dell.

Speaking of that... it will be interesting to see how they address sleep and hibernate issues on their laptops.

[bonzodog]

I've had a horrible thought.

MS made Dell sign an OEM contract right?

This specifically states that Dell must sell MS Windows on its systems exclusively.

Dell have now breached the contract and it is possible that MS could sue Dell, then pull Windows as an option from Dell computers. Would this impact Dell in any way, and could it sink them?

[rsambuca]

I've had a horrible thought.

MS made Dell sign an OEM contract right?

This specifically states that Dell must sell MS Windows on its systems exclusively.

Dell have now breached the contract and it is possible that MS could sue Dell, then pull Windows as an option from Dell computers. Would this impact Dell in any way, and could it sink them?
LOL. C'mon. I am sure the Dell lawyers have vetted the MS agreement quite thoroughly!

[mishranurag]

Read this from BBC!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm


True or rumor?

[mshade]

Bonzo, I'm sure they've thought of that problem -- and it's likely that the OEM agreement Dell has is not as restrictive as that.


Dell has sold Red Hat Enterprise on their Optiplex line for quite a while, so you'd figure that would have incurred wrath previously.

<tinfoil hat>
One possibility I see for this, however, is for Dell to use Ubuntu as a bargaining chip with MS -- to get lower licensing cost on their bread and butter line. </tinfoil hat>

[DC@DR]

Finally, on Ubuntu homepage, there's the news about Dell-Ubuntu partnership: http://www.ubuntu.com/news/dell-to-offer-ubuntu. I will certainly start to open a champagne right now, let's cheer for this great news!

[Somenoob]

Superb.

[amoore]

I think this Dell commercial says it all. Is Dell the future of open source? Dude!! you're getting an Ubuntu!

Dell Free Software commercial advertisement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfkucaGv0oA&mode=related&search=)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfkucaGv0oA&mode=related&search=


:lolflag:

[Eric Layne]

One wonders if this will inadvertently drive sales of Vista/XP...

Imagine the horrors:


Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, games won't work, kid whines, kid gets Vista.

Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, system clunks to a halt due to bugs, kid dumps it for Winblows..

Dad brings home Ubuntu, dad cannot work since his software isn't supported on Linux

Wife brings home Ubuntu, wife can't configure her Citrix client, wife therefore can't work from home, Winblows to the rescue.

[lepz]

Great news and smart move to make the announcement on May Day.

"Power to the people" :lolflag:

[Swab]

One wonders if this will inadvertently drive sales of Vista/XP...

Imagine the horrors:


Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, games won't work, kid whines, kid gets Vista.

Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, system clunks to a halt due to bugs, kid dumps it for Winblows..

Dad brings home Ubuntu, dad cannot work since his software isn't supported on Linux

Wife brings home Ubuntu, wife can't configure her Citrix client, wife therefore can't work from home, Winblows to the rescue.


I think that it will mostly be people who are already into Linux, or those who already know the drawback of Linux but want a preconfigured machine to try it out who will buy these machines.

[FurryNemesis]

Apologies if a repost, but just saw this on my newsribbon:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6610901.stm

Amazing. Well done dev team & everyone else who contributed.

[gigaferz]

Dell is taking the risk, all the computers they sell, will be ready to go just like the windows,

As long as they dont play around with the themes (there is a bug), they will be ok..

Also I am pretty sure they have been testing a lot.

Hey!!!

wait a minute, does this means cheaper computers????

[M$LOL]

The beginning of the end for M$. Of course, the end of the end might not come about before the destruction of the solar system at the violent hands of the dying sun's nuclear inferno, but hey, it's a start! B)

Seriously, though, well done everyone involved. :)

[barlaventoexpert]

Way to Go Dell!!!!! Yeah!

Oh I know bugs, users etc., but lets hope at last there is a real chance of developing a commercially viable market for an alternative to Widnows!

A happy user since 2005 who uses Ubuntu 100% for website development, daily operations etc.

Seriously, Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical well done!

Mark - time for a Castle, some biltong, a boerwors on the braai, and another trip to the ISS! :))))

Then get back to inspiring Canonical and us all to making UBUNTU even better.

Lets get HP, SONY, ACER, ASUS et al on board!

[karellen]

this is great! ubuntu is into business. the big business :)

[SonicSteve]

If Dell chooses Ubuntu, you can be certain these forums will be absolutely flooded with users begging for help with god knows how many problems.

I guess we better be as ready as possible. I would love to become Ubuntu Certified.

[kdragon]

may be this year is Linux and best ever friendly Ubuntu 7.04

even Micheal Dell use Ubuntu in home use, this cause the increase of Ubuntu user :D

my 2 cent

[FurryNemesis]

Whoops, this thread's a repost. Real thread here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=428774&page=8)

Apologies.

[macogw]

I've had a horrible thought.

MS made Dell sign an OEM contract right?

This specifically states that Dell must sell MS Windows on its systems exclusively.

Dell have now breached the contract and it is possible that MS could sue Dell, then pull Windows as an option from Dell computers. Would this impact Dell in any way, and could it sink them?

If that was the case, how have they been selling computers with SLED for the past few years? It's not exclusive. MS used to do that and got in trouble. Now they just offer bulk pricing. If Dell buys 1000 licenses, they're charged maybe $90 each, but if they buy 10,000 it'll be $70 each. That kind of thing.

Anyway....YAY!!!!!

[lepz]

I thought it would be interesting to see what other distro's thought of the decission for Dell to go with Ubuntu. Post your links, I will start you off here's

Gentoo (http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-556593.html)

[Eric Layne]

I guess we better be as ready as possible. I would love to become Ubuntu Certified.

Exactly, it will be a great opportunity for the community to shine.

[Raval]

If this is true, and from what I've read on and off from here, Digg, and Dell's site, it probably is, I'm still going to hold off jumping for joy until I hear an official announcement :)

(there is one minor inaccuracy in the article though. Dell's main offices are in Round Rock, not Austin ;) )

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm)
BBC has reported it as well

[maniacmusician]

as others have said, Canonical officially released the news as well http://www.ubuntu.com/news/dell-to-offer-ubuntu straight from the horse's mouth.

[vishnumrao]

Hi all,


Dell selling machines with Ubuntu preinstalled is great news indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if folks at MSFT were worried and if MSFT shares went down.


Long live Ubuntu,

Vishnu Rao.

[Sunflower1970]

Our local newspaper has done an article for the online paper:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/business/stories/technology/05/02/2dell.html

I find this bit good news:


Dell did not release pricing details. But spokesman Jeremy Bolen said he expected the Ubuntu-equipped models "would come a little bit under" the cost of a similar computer running Windows.

[jml]

If this link was previously posted earlier in this thread, my apologies.

http://news.com.com/Dell+picks+Ubuntu+for+Linux+PCs/2100-7344_3-6180419.html?tag=nefd.lede

It seems that Dell is really going to take the plunge. It also seems that they plan to direct people who want formal Ubuntu support to Cannonical. This seems to me to be a smart move. Instead of training up their own people on Ubuntu, the are relying on an organization who's business plan revolves around supporting Ubuntu. It could be a win win for everybody. As I read the trade journals, one of the criticisms leveled against Linux in general is the lack of formal customer support. This is something that many consumers and corporations want. It now makes the decision for people buying a new computer harder. Do you buy from a company like System76, (like many of us did,) or do you buy from Dell. Not always an easy choice. Well, time will tell. I wish them luck.

Joe

[Mazza558]

Hi all,


Dell selling machines with Ubuntu preinstalled is great news indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if folks at MSFT were worried and if MSFT shares went down.


Long live Ubuntu,

Vishnu Rao.

Funnily enough, I was reading the story on CNet and Dell's shares had dropped by 2%.

[Sunflower1970]

Funnily enough, I was reading the story on CNet and Dell's shares had dropped by 2%.

they dropped today...?

[aysiu]

It now makes the decision for people buying a new computer harder. Do you buy from a company like System76, (like many of us did,) or do you buy from Dell. Not always an easy choice. But the choice is good, especially if you have relatives or friends who are afraid of "no name" vendors and feel more comforted by big name retailers like Dell.

Dell and System76 are not selling the same thing, even though, in a way, they are.

Yes, they're both selling Ubuntu-preinstalled computers, but System76 is mainly selling customer service; its systems are also not the same as Dell ones (they often have ASUS builds, for example). Dell is selling its own computers... with Ubuntu preinstalled and expressly not offering customer service at all.

[sdowney717]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm

ubuntu makes it fairly easy to get web sites working for streaming video.

I can only hope that dell sells a lot of ubuntu systems and that this pushes web developers to give to linux full support.
There are still too many broken sites that dont work for linux.

[brim4brim]

they dropped today...?

Uncertainty leads to a drop in the market. Most people don't know what Linux is or think it is for geeks still so the share price will drop until they release them and everything is okay again.

Its also bad for Dell's relationship with Ms to do this.

I think its great and I'm using a Dell now because of the great customisations. My next laptop will now probably be a Dell with Ubuntu.

[hanexar]

A good or a bad things? I'm afraid of


* Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, games won't work, kid whines, kid gets Vista.
* Kid brings home Dell Ubuntu, system clunks to a halt due to bugs, kid dumps it for Winblows..
* Dad brings home Ubuntu, dad cannot work since his software isn't supported on Linux
* Wife brings home Ubuntu, wife can't configure her Citrix client, wife therefore can't work from home, Winblows to the rescue.

I also don't feel like having here a rush of angry people yelling at the community, thinking we are MS support service...

But I guess it will mean better hardware support for us, and a better support for Linux apps.

Time will tell.

[aysiu]

Nobody is going to "bring home Dell Ubuntu" unless they know what it is, just as no one would shell out money for an Apple computer only to find out later their Windows-only software and Windows-only games don't work on Macs.

[TheMono]

Just a thought here - Remember how the dell site used to have "Dell Reccomends Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium" plastered all over it?

It's gone.

I think that that says a lot in itself...

[PartisanEntity]

Some members are being a little too sensationalist and pessimistic :)

[jkblacker]

I was browsing the UK outlet store today (for a cheapo machine with good specs to do a fresh ubuntu install on) and it actually told me that "Dell Reccomends Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Professional", no joke.

[icechen1]

I was browsing the UK outlet store today (for a cheapo machine with good specs to do a fresh ubuntu install on) and it actually told me that "Dell Reccomends Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Professional", no joke.

Yes,Vista is going down!

[FoolsGold]

I think the most appropriate term would be... "cautiously optimistic".

I think Dell would be thinking the same way too, it's an experiment for them, or at least that's the thinking.

EDIT: Too many thinks here, you think?

[B. Gates]

I am not scared. My operating system will still rule the world!

If not, I'm sure I can find a way to buy Canonical out. :)

[lepz]

Quick run for cover. we been rumbled :mad:

[FoolsGold]

"They stab it with their steely knives... but they just can't kill the beast"

[FuturePilot]

This is great news!

I've been saying for a long time now that Vista is the beginning of the end for Microsoft. I'm not saying that they will disappear, but they're going to get a huge wake-up call. This proves it.

[TheMono]

"They stab it with their steely knives... but they just can't kill the beast"

Welcome to the Hotel Dellbuntu?

[punkybouy]

Ran across this interesting little tidbit of information.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6610901.stm

[aysiu]

punkybouy, you're not the first to see it. Welcome to the discussion!

[H264]

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018303&intsrc=news_ts_head

"They will run Version 7.04 of Ubuntu Linux and will be available through a dedicated Linux Web page on the Dell.com site where buyers will be able to configure and price their machines."

I think it would be a good thing to keep the two OSs separate by different pages... But would I be able to download windows drivers for the hardware so I could use windows? (not that I want to)

Regardless, choice is good for everyone.

[Mateo]

I'd be curious to see what kind of computers they offer. I won't buy anything unless the graphics card has tv-out, it has a tv tuner, and a minimum 300gb hard drive. My guess is that they go after the low-end market. Presumably most of the people who buy the computer will do so because they don't want to pay for the windows license. this means they probably don't want to pay for high end hardware either. So I doubt i'll be buying a dell.

[steven8]

I'd be curious to see what kind of computers they offer. I won't buy anything unless the graphics card has tv-out, it has a tv tuner, and a minimum 300gb hard drive. My guess is that they go after the low-end market. Presumably most of the people who buy the computer will do so because they don't want to pay for the windows license. this means they probably don't want to pay for high end hardware either. So I doubt i'll be buying a dell.

That's the spirit Mateo! :( C'mon, buddy, this is a great moment for not only Ubuntu, but Linux as a whole. 1000's of developers have worked for years for nothing more than the love of what they do. Finally, they are going to get some recognition for their labors!! Dell is SO huge, people will see what Linux has to offer and realize there are more options than the boys from Redmond.

Congratulations Linux! Congratulations Ubuntu! This rocks!!! :guitar:

[Raval]

The reason Dell decided to offer Linux


The second largest computer maker in the world said it had chosen to offer Linux in response to customer demand.

Earlier this year, 100,000 people took part in a Dell survey. More than 70% of respondents said they would use Linux.

Full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6506027.stm

70% of 100,000 is 70,000 even if half of those people bought a Linux pc thats 35,000 additional units Dell would be selling.

At the moment Dell is now the second largest PC seller and sales are dropping. They need the added sales.



Dell earnings miss market targets

Dell is in the process of revamping its management team
Computer company Dell has reported earnings that missed analysts' targets and warned that profits would remain under pressure in the coming months. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6410279.stm)

Dell is also trying to gain grown in China and I believe The Government endorses the use of Open Source, thats what I heard and they use Open Source OS's in schools. I think this was one of the reasons M$ wanted PC sellers like HP and Dell to add the "recommend Windows" text on there websites.



Dell targets China's PC potential

Dell is looking to grab a hold of the Chinese market.
Dell has unveiled a low-cost personal computer, aimed at the huge swathe of internet novices in China. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6474209.stm)

[steven8]

The reason Dell decided to offer Linux



Full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6506027.stm

70% of 100,000 is 70,000 even if half of those people bought a Linux pc thats 35,000 additional units Dell would be selling.

At the moment Dell is now the second largest PC seller and sales are dropping. They need the added sales.



Dell is also trying to gain grown in China and I believe The Government endorses the use of Open Source, thats what I heard and they use Open Source OS's in schools. I think this was one of the reasons M$ wanted PC sellers like HP and Dell to add the "recommend Windows" text on there websites.

And it all adds up to a huge win for Linux!! :popcorn:

[The Noble]

This is incredible. If they get some good sales from the linux boxes i would be stoked, as we would be at the beginning of an emergence of Ubuntu into the general population. Hopefully Dell will have Ubuntu set up correctly on the systems they sell, preferably vanilla or without any "AOL Offers" preinstalled. Possibly within a year beryl will be mature enough to install at the get-go, as well as some codecs (mp3, libdvdcss) so the more average user won't be frustrated at the prospect of an illegal codec on their system. The only way this can succeed at the mass scale would be if CNR was installed and ready. Oh, I hope you have been planning this for a while Canonical!

[FuturePilot]

This is a good start to fixing this (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1)
:guitar:

[Raval]

And it all adds up to a huge win for Linux!! :popcorn:

True, I figure I put it out there one time because I have a feeling when the celebration is over many will want to know out of curiosity what exactly are the reasons Dell suddenly decided to offer Linux.

[Sunflower1970]

Didn't Mark Shuttleworth say there were two big announcements this week in the Q&A session that was posted a while back...?

So, what could be the second big announcement...? :)

[Raval]

knowing how big business works, when you have tight competition amongst the big players one tends to match or beat any offer his competitor offers.

So this MAY mean companies like HP/Compaq and Acer will follow Dell's move.

There is no license so once any hardware compatibility issues are worked out they can just put the offer out there and preload accordingly. Very little upfront cost beyond testing and marketing.

[siucdude]

Well, I am tired of building my own PC, as soon as the first is out for sale I am on that band wagon, I have waited 5 years for Linux to make this happen, UBUNTU has done it.

Remember its only the begining, so be patient as its going to be rough after the first few weeks.
\
But its the first step.

[weasel fierce]

this is a big step towards giving us a lot more hardware support.

Im happy

[hanzomon4]

Well this plus the new wifi kernel thingy gives me hope that in the next year I can comfortably buy a Linux laptop with out fear of stuff not working. I hope that Dell embraces consumer Desktop-Linux and not just Desktop Ubuntu.

Ironically I've been running Ubuntu on a Dell since 5.10, does this make me a trend setter?

[Talon2]

Great news!


It may be great news but don't throw caution to the wind.

I've follow the small computer industry since before IBM released the PC. Bill Gates has made a pile of money being a shrewd business strategist (an innovator he is not). He and Mr. Dell have been doing business for a long time. If I were Mr. Gates and I wanted to restrict the Linux oxygen supply I would support one of my large customers such as Dell doing Linux desktop preloads at this point. After a certain period of time Dell would then discontinue Linux desktop preloads offering various excuses. This would send a very specific message globally: Linux didn't cut it.

It would then be a long time before any other company would try the same. It could be a knock-out blow.

I've looked at the various angles and I haven't figured out how Mr. Dell is going to come out ahead by doing this. Dell is in business to make money. Show me how this is going to make money and we'll both buy stock in DELL. If non-technical users start buying these Linux machines and Ubuntu 7.04 is what is loaded in its current form then there will be hell raised. People expect things to Just Work (tm). Ubuntu 7.04 does not Just Work in many areas. 7.04, in fact, is the most annoying (buggy) version I've used. You can search all day long for solutions to some video, monitor, keyboard, mouse, wireless, modem and power mangement issues and the answers are just not there. Core parts of this os are just not ready for grandma.

I'd like to see this announcement be the start of something big but you can color me skeptical.

[hanzomon4]

Well hopefully since dell will be doing the installing we should get a fully working install.

[purdy hate machine]

Nobody is going to "bring home Dell Ubuntu" unless they know what it is, just as no one would shell out money for an Apple computer only to find out later their Windows-only software and Windows-only games don't work on Macs.

I assume that would be the same "nobody" I met in HMV yesterday complaining that his recently purchased Playstation 3 won’t play his V for Vendetta HD-DVD ](*,)

[Raval]

this is a big step towards giving us a lot more hardware support.

Im happy

Ahmen brotha! and a hail mary for winmodems

[aysiu]

I assume that would be the same "nobody" I met in HMV yesterday complaining that his recently purchased Playstation 3 won’t play his V for Vendetta HD-DVD ](*,)
Yes, that's the nobody I'm talking about.

[rhardie]

I was on Google today and this was in the news. I thought it was interesting especially since the Adobe Lightroom folks (digital photo imaging software released Feb 14, 2007) said Linux was not worth the effort.

http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=FFA8A600-2FFD-434F-8E3E-D01A616B309B

It says that Dell has announced they will include Ubuntu Linux as an option for their consumer desktops.

Exerpts from Computer Business Review Online dated April 2, 2007

"Dell announced at the end of March that it would sell some PCs pre-installed with Linux, after its IdeaStorm feedback web site was deluged in its first few weeks with requests for Linux PCs. After that it became a matter of which Linux distribution the company would go for."

"When asked which distribution of Linux Dell should prioritize on, Ubuntu was the most requested option," the company noted in a short statement on Tuesday. "Today, we are excited to tell you that Dell will begin offering Canonical's latest version, Ubuntu 7.04, as an option on select Dell consumer models in the US in the coming weeks."

"As of May 1 the pre-installation of Linux remains the most promoted suggestion, with over 130,000 promotions, followed by pre-installed OpenOffice.org with 95,000 promotions, and pre-installed Firefox as the default browser with 70,000 promotions..

Given the vocal enthusiasm of Linux and open source software supporters, it would be easy to dismiss the results as rabble-rousing, but Shuttleworth insisted that the companies have done their sums and are convinced the demand is genuine."

[Old Pink]

Get it done in the United Kingdom and you may have yourself a customer. :)

[miceagol]

Wooho, front page (http://go.vg.no/cgi-bin/front.cgi/0/http://www1.vg.no/teknologi/artikkel.php?artid=184725) of Norway's largest newspaper. :D

[macogw]

It may be great news but don't throw caution to the wind.

I've follow the small computer industry since before IBM released the PC. Bill Gates has made a pile of money being a shrewd business strategist (an innovator he is not). He and Mr. Dell have been doing business for a long time. If I were Mr. Gates and I wanted to restrict the Linux oxygen supply I would support one of my large customers such as Dell doing Linux desktop preloads at this point. After a certain period of time Dell would then discontinue Linux desktop preloads offering various excuses. This would send a very specific message globally: Linux didn't cut it.

It would then be a long time before any other company would try the same. It could be a knock-out blow.

I've looked at the various angles and I haven't figured out how Mr. Dell is going to come out ahead by doing this. Dell is in business to make money. Show me how this is going to make money and we'll both buy stock in DELL. If non-technical users start buying these Linux machines and Ubuntu 7.04 is what is loaded in its current form then there will be hell raised. People expect things to Just Work (tm). Ubuntu 7.04 does not Just Work in many areas. 7.04, in fact, is the most annoying (buggy) version I've used. You can search all day long for solutions to some video, monitor, keyboard, mouse, wireless, modem and power mangement issues and the answers are just not there. Core parts of this os are just not ready for grandma.

I'd like to see this announcement be the start of something big but you can color me skeptical.

Works better for me than Dapper did. ACPI is all fixed up (I can suspend, hibernate, and no longer overheat). My card reader works in Edgy and Feisty (though both took a tiny bit of fiddling). Wireless roaming OOTB is great. WPA support OOTB is great. 915resolution has an "automagic" setup on Feisty (PITA on Dapper/Edgy). It's muuuch nicer than the others.

I think Dell will be getting all the driver stuff setup before shipping, like they do with Windows. They probably will also be doing the mp3/DVD stuff.

[IgnorantGuru]

I've follow the small computer industry since before IBM released the PC. Bill Gates has made a pile of money being a shrewd business strategist (an innovator he is not). He and Mr. Dell have been doing business for a long time. If I were Mr. Gates and I wanted to restrict the Linux oxygen supply I would support one of my large customers such as Dell doing Linux desktop preloads at this point. After a certain period of time Dell would then discontinue Linux desktop preloads offering various excuses. This would send a very specific message globally: Linux didn't cut it.

If anything shady is going on (and I'm not saying it is), I would be more concerned that this is an attempt to drag DRM and other licensing and patent issues into linux. Hopefully the Ubuntu folks will stick to their values.

But on the face it looks like Dell is picking up on what people are asking for, so I'm willing to give them a shot.

[MinoltaLuvR]

It may be great news but don't throw caution to the wind.

I've follow the small computer industry since before IBM released the PC. Bill Gates has made a pile of money being a shrewd business strategist (an innovator he is not). He and Mr. Dell have been doing business for a long time. If I were Mr. Gates and I wanted to restrict the Linux oxygen supply I would support one of my large customers such as Dell doing Linux desktop preloads at this point. After a certain period of time Dell would then discontinue Linux desktop preloads offering various excuses. This would send a very specific message globally: Linux didn't cut it.

It would then be a long time before any other company would try the same. It could be a knock-out blow.

I've looked at the various angles and I haven't figured out how Mr. Dell is going to come out ahead by doing this. Dell is in business to make money. Show me how this is going to make money and we'll both buy stock in DELL. If non-technical users start buying these Linux machines and Ubuntu 7.04 is what is loaded in its current form then there will be hell raised. People expect things to Just Work (tm). Ubuntu 7.04 does not Just Work in many areas. 7.04, in fact, is the most annoying (buggy) version I've used. You can search all day long for solutions to some video, monitor, keyboard, mouse, wireless, modem and power mangement issues and the answers are just not there. Core parts of this os are just not ready for grandma.

I'd like to see this announcement be the start of something big but you can color me skeptical.

the knock out blow could backfire in billy's face, breaking his nose though.

Mr Dell could easily come out ahead in this. first off, they can tailor ubuntu to what ever pc hardware their installing on it, simplifying troubleshooting, and R&D. easier and faster than most OEMs can with windows due to windows closed source nature, and erratic design.

also less money in MS's pockets for licensing the installs out makes Dell more money on the hardware side of things.
your average person doesnt know the internals of windows, they do know about that lovely backup cd that comes with their pc's, that restore their installs back to default. never mind the license they pay for, and dont even get a real windows xp/vista cd.. without paying even more money out for that option.

also Dell can push a new line of products "Certified to work in Linux/Ubunu" which i can see alot of average people buying into.

what i find so funny in the linux/windows battle is.. Linux isnt ready for the desktop.. and yet its been an alternative desktop for years. and with every release gets better and better.

untill this install of Feisty 7.04 (AMD64 none the less) i'm using, i did a couple test installs of other ubuntu releases, and this is the first one to make me wipe out my very stable and long time running install of Dapper 6.06.

again one thing to keep in mind, if ubuntu comes pre installed from an OEM like dell, the desktops will all run basically the same hardware combo's, and if its on a dell laptop even more so, we all have hybrid boxes using tons and tons of various hardware configs, and i think thats why you see so many "core issues".

linux isnt for everyone.. but it is for everyone to decide for themselves if they want to run it or not.

cheers

[Sweet Spot]

I'll keep it short and simple. Quite frankly, this whole deal scares me. It can go in SO many ways, and so many conspiracy theories can be formed. What's scary about that, is that people (such as ourselves) already know this, and won't be surprised no matter which way it turns out.

As for everybody else *average, blank stare people*, it will just be another day, with just a bit of something for them to talk about, and make more presumptions over, and form more judgments from which will inevitably, keep them staring blankly into space.....

I'd love to give a real opinion on what I think is going to happen, but as I thought at the start, seeing too many directions in all of this, scares me. And I'm not being sarcastic.

[aysiu]

Seattle Post Intelligencer has an article that interviews a 13-year-old Ubuntu user:
PCs will run on free software: Customers helped prompt change (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/314124_dellfolo03.html)

[SyL]

Directly on Dell's website:
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/03/13/7985.aspx

dono whether someone already added this link...

:popcorn:

[Daveski]

Didn't Mark Shuttleworth say there were two big announcements this week in the Q&A session that was posted a while back...?

So, what could be the second big announcement...? :)

And this week is drawing to a close. Has anyone got any inside info? (or rumours?)

[jiminycricket]

More interesting news, albeit from a May 3 article.



Dell offered Linux-based systems starting in 1999, although it withdrew the portfolio after two years. The PC supplier could provide no clear reason why its products should succeed this time. All Dell would say was: "When customers win, Dell wins." The company said it would issue no sales targets for Linux systems.

Support — also as yet unpriced — will be provided by Ubuntu's commercial backer Canonical, but Dell will also answer users' queries on the software, the company said.

Maybe relates to this thread: How to handle strain of Dell selling Ubuntu laptops? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=425180&highlight=ideastorm)

[Daveski]

Perhaps this is the 'other' big announcent...?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6634195.stm

[in_flu_ence]

Perhaps this is the 'other' big announcent...?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6634195.stm

It says the mobile version will be released in late this year. Wonder if there is any phone going to use this OS or will it be a post-install OS that I can hack into my phone or PDA:P

[arkangel]

Speaking of that... it will be interesting to see how they address sleep and hibernate issues on their laptops.

Many people will learn how to set up a lappy correctly :lolflag:

[Sunflower1970]

Well here's a kink in this whole Dell + Ubuntu deal:

http://techiqmag.com/2007/05/08/dell-limits-ubuntu-linux-sales/

Dell is limiting sales of Ubuntu'd computers to 5 per person.


Indeed, Dell will limit Ubuntu sales to five systems per customer, according to fine print on the PC giant’s Web site. (See the lower right-hand corner of this Dell Web page.) That could frustrate anxious customers who want to load up on Ubuntu Linux for friends and family or small businesses. But The VAR Guy thinks the five-system limit is a smart move.

And yup, in the fine print there it is:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

[lazyart]

I wonder if they will run hardware specific to that line. What I'm getting at here is what if you just bought a dozen more and used the restore CD that you're gonna get anyway to make em all ubuntu?

[user1397]

Here will be the official dell ubuntu website: http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

I found it here: http://linux.dell.com/distributions.shtml

(sorry if this has been posted before)

[TrueJk7]

I didnt see this link yet

http://dell.com/ubuntu

I'm Stoked!

[miceagol]

Well here's a kink in this whole Dell + Ubuntu deal:

http://techiqmag.com/2007/05/08/dell-limits-ubuntu-linux-sales/

Dell is limiting sales of Ubuntu'd computers to 5 per person.


Check your link again. There's an update there saying that this applies to all PC's, i.e. it also applies to computers with Windows.

[aysiu]

Check your link again. There's an update there saying that this applies to all PC's, i.e. it also applies to computers with Windows.
It applies to all home users, most of whom wouldn't want to (or have the money to) buy more than five computers at a time anyway.

[Lord Illidan]

What would a home user need with more than 5 dell pcs anyway? Probably, it's meant to prevent people from reselling them illegally.

[Raval]

It applies to all home users, most of whom wouldn't want to (or have the money to) buy more than five computers at a time anyway.

yup! it only applies to home users. If anyone wants them in bulk on discount for a business (internationally too), contact me. matter of fact you need anything computer related contact me. it's only going to take one message to know if I'm full of crap or not.

[Daveski]

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS6709232381.html


Dell's release of Ubuntu-powered laptops and desktops is still expected to happen in late May.

Only a few weeks away then - you lucky US customers.

[jiminycricket]

In Canada, too, it seems now (yippee!) See: Fwd: Interesting article on Dell/Ubuntu combination (https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-ca/2007-May/002890.html)


FYI: I called Dell Canada to see if the Ubuntu
machines will be offered in Canada, they said yes, but no date as yet,
although they say it's a matter of weeks now, not months. It'll be
interesting to see what ends up being offered and at what price - I'm
assuming there won't be much of a cost saving over Windows, if at all,
but it would be nice to have everything work with Ubuntu.

I'm not sure if linking to mailing list posts is good netiquette so will remove if it's a problem..

[jiminycricket]

Dell Offers Three Consumer Systems With Ubuntu 7.04 (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/24/15994.aspx) ( direct2dell.com )


It’s finally here. Later today, Dell will offer U.S customers three different systems with Ubuntu 7.04 installed: the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook. These systems will be available at www.dell.com/open by 4pm CST today. Starting price for the E520n desktop and the E1505n notebook is $599; the XPS 410n starts at $899.

Hardware support will come from Dell. Beyond that, users can turn to the Linux section of the Dell Community Forum for help and also get the latest updates from our Linux team at www.dell.com/linux. Users also have fee-based options for operating system support through Canonical, including 30-day Get Started, One-year Basic and One-year Standard.

[aysiu]

Starting price for the Windows versions...

E1505 is $699
E520 is $369
XPS 410 is $899

[martinw89]

This is so amazing. While I agree with Mark in his interview, that there won't be a mass shift to Ubuntu, it's a major step forward to see a big player preinstalling a Linux distro. We can only hope that the market reacts and over the next few years more PC builders will offer Open choices.

[kleeman]

Starting price for the Windows versions...

E1505 is $699
E520 is $369
XPS 410 is $899

So the laptop is $100 cheaper with linux but the others are either the same or more expensive (???).

[tpischke]

That's pretty weak. Might as well buy the windows systems and set up a dual boot in that case. But at least the laptop is $100 cheaper. Results could be skewed by current offers too.

[tpischke]

Those numbers are right, double-checked them just now. One point worth noting is that the base windows systems have Windows Vista Basic. Adding Vista Premium adds $30.

Also, It doesn't seem possible to actually order a $699 E1505. Either something is wrong with the website, or they're reworking the prices right now.

E520 being over $100 more with Ubuntu than with Windows is interesting...

[tpischke]

Base Windows Systems OS

XPS 410: Vista Premium
E520: Vista Basic
E1505: Could not view base model - site under construction?

These prices don't make a lot of sense, unless we're footing some of the R&D bill.

[lyceum]

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12396/1023/

I still can't find them on Dell's site, but this link said they were coming out today.

[aysiu]

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12396/1023/

I still can't find them on Dell's site, but this link said they were coming out today.
I read something like 4 PM CST, which I assume is Central Standard Time... which isn't supposed to happen for another four hours.

[JNowka]

You have also got to count in the fact that they will not be installing all the bloatware that is commonly used by Dell when installing windows. Because they do not have this as a source of income, they may have had to up the price to offset their losses.

[martinw89]

I was thinking that about bloatware also. Additionally, they might have different base hardware configurations. Like, for example, starting with a Centrino set up instead of a Broadcom wireless card, etc.

[tpischke]

Well, as for bloatware, you can opt out of most of it on the Windows Systems, and that doesn't cause the price to go up. Don't see why that should drive up the Ubuntu price.

I am however very happy to see that the E1505 will be $100 less. Also, they dropped the price on the XPS to $849 from $899, making it $50 cheaper than windows. (assuming same hardware)

That leaves only the unexplained Dimension price, coming in significantly higher than windows. Since that's the cheapest model, it's a bit of a shame, since that's where the saving would make the biggest difference, percentage-wise.

[scottDkoDer]

It would seem Dell would have already realized compatibility and customer issues and came up with some kind of marketing strategy. Or maybe it's just seeing the already immense support base and people already using ubuntu that they're noticing a growing number of linuxers that understand the value of hardware and want a visty alternative. Either way, this may just be what will turn hardware vendors heads and prompt them to provide more support (esp. drivers) to the public community.

[scottDkoDer]

It would seem dell would already have realized compatibility and customer service issues and came up with some marketing strategy. Or maybe it's just seeing the immense support base and people who are using ubuntu that they're noticing a growing number of Linuxers who know the value of hardware and want a visty alternative. Either way, this may just be what will turn hardware vendors heads and prompt them to provide more support (esp. drivers) to the public community.
:o

[tpischke]

This just in:

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7075656310.html



Dell's new Ubuntu systems can be customized and purchased, after 4:00 PM CDT on May 24 at the Dell open system site. The Inspiron E1505n laptop pricing starts at $599. The Dimension E520n desktop's entry level price also begins at $599. The XPS 410n will list for $849. The desktop models come with monitors. The E520n package will include a 17-inch flat panel display, while the XPS 410n includes a 19-inch flat panel display.

[Swab]

It has begun! Right there on the dell home page. http://www.dell.com/

[aysiu]

This thread will be continued here:
Ubuntu Dells ARE HERE!!! (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=453602&highlight=dell)