Dell Drops Ubuntu PCs From Its Website 473
Barence writes "Dell has stopped selling consumer PCs preloaded with Ubuntu from its website, and doesn't know when they're coming back. A search for Ubuntu on the Dell UK website returns only one laptop — the Dell Latitude 2100 from the company's business range. Dell insists that it's continuing to sell Ubuntu systems, but only over the phone, and has no idea when — or even if — the Ubuntu PCs will return online. 'We've recently made an effort to simplify our offerings online, by focusing on our most popular bundles and configuration options, based on customer feedback for reduced complexity and a simple, easy purchase experience,' Dell told PC Pro. 'We're also making some changes to our Ubuntu pages, and as a result, they are currently available through our phone-based sales only.' The move comes after Dell put a page on its website advising customers only to go for Ubuntu if they were interested in open-source programming."
it doesn't make any sense because (Score:4, Insightful)
Microsoft Windows is really so much harder to use than Ubuntu. Everything on Ubuntu just works, and you have to fuss with windows to get it to do what you want, keep it from getting a virus, hunt all over the web to get software updates.....
I think the only reason Dell does this is because Windows is setup like a toll booth where you have to pay extra to get it to do anything useful or keep it running. With the Ubuntu Boxes they don't sell any add-on software because Ubuntu already has everything it needs to work.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Insightful)
I think the only reason Dell ...
Don't forget that computer retailers like Dell get paid a lot of money to pre-install bloatware, e.g. all those trials, links to subscription services, etc. Even if the customer never buys any of these, Dell doesn't get that money for Ubuntu PCs.
Wouldn't be surprised if MS made an offer to "more prominently" position Windows or grant Dell some "MS premium platinum reseller" PR-badge either.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Insightful)
Dell could simply adjust the Ubuntu PC prices to compensate for the missing bloatware revenue. Of course, they probably would sell even fewer that way. But with Dell's just-in-time supply chain, it really shouldn't matter whether any particular models sell well because there's no inventory buildup or waste to worry about.
As for Dell's claim of reducing complexity... it's a single link on the side of the page! At the risk of sounding cliche, I think it's more reasonable to assume that there is some supplier exclusivity contract in play from Microsoft.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Informative)
I think that's what they do, when i bought my sister's Inspiron 10v with Ubuntu last year, the price was only about $20 less for the Ubuntu model IIRC. Mind you the factory-supplied Ubuntu installs are still stuffed to the gills with crapware, i just wiped it and reinstalled from scratch since it needed upgrading anyways.
And I remember clicking on a link about how to choose your OS and reading that you should "choose Windows because $typical_marketing_spiel, or Ubuntu if you're into open-source programming." |:-|
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
This was on dell.ca and buried pretty deep in their product info pages.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:4, Informative)
I went with Dell for my sister's laptop because they had the cute little netbook she wanted and it was cheap. I was aware of the Linux-only laptop resellers but the Inspiron 10v looked like a damn good deal and my sister was in love with it so I didn't shop around.
More recently I was looking to get a new laptop for myself and I did check LinuxCertified, EmperorLinux, and every other Linux laptop seller I could find (including Dell, who had only 1 model with Ubuntu at the time), and found a common pattern - I would be paying out the ass if I bought from them.
I ended up paying the Microsoft tax on my laptop because I would have had to pay $200-$500 more to get a similar laptop from one of the Linux boutiques, and when you're shopping on a $600 budget that's a lot of money.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
As for Dell's claim of reducing complexity... it's a single link on the side of the page! At the risk of sounding cliche, I think it's more reasonable to assume that there is some supplier exclusivity contract in play from Microsoft.
I'm not so sure. It would take very few people ordering Ubuntu because they hadn't understood the difference for the support costs to outweigh the extra sales; this would explain their move to sell Ubuntu only over then phone, since it allows people to buy Ubuntu PCs if they really want to while preventing any possible misunderstandings.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Bullshit. Have you bought a new computer with Windows pre-installed in the last decade? You don't get an actual Windows disc, you get a "system restore disc" that wipes everything to the factory-default state. All they have to do is offer to sell those "very few" upset consumers one of those for whatever the price differential was, and suddenly Dell gets its bloatware commissions, too. Win-win for everyone except technology!
Re: (Score:2)
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Interesting)
From what I understand, Microsoft also offers "rebates" to hardware computer vendors that are primarily or entirely Windows only. It's the loophole in their consent decree (rebates instead of discounts).
It is conceivable that the public exposure Dell's Ubuntu pages made caused one of two scenarios (or a combination of both):
(1) Someone at Microsoft pointed out to Dell that their Ubuntu efforts (especially with Linux becoming more widely known) was flying in the face of Microsoft's rebate terms.
(2) Someone at Dell feared that the news exposure their Ubuntu offerings were gaining would cause backlash with Microsoft, and thus minimize or eliminate what "rebates" they were getting on Windows preloaded systems.
More information (with appropriate login) can be found on Microsoft's pages located here: Microsoft OEM pages [microsoft.com] where such wording as "This campaign is designed to help you communicate the value of Windows 7 Professional ... OEM Software Rebates Accelerate your OEM Sales and earn rebates!" (direct and full quote (from the rotating text at the top), including the use of ellipses) can be found.
"Help you communicate," has been determined by others to mean "Dont offer competing operating systems such as Linux so you dont "confuse" buyers with any option other than Windows" - such statements (and such a definition of the meaning) can be found by searching the web - often attributed to Microsoft themselves. Makes Dell's statement kinda suspicious in who actually came up with it.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Insightful)
Windows works for people who know Windows and have no need to invest time in anything different. The faults we find in Windows don't concern them enough to switch to something not Windows.
Re: (Score:2)
They can't invest time in learning something new because they are too busy removing crap.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The other weekend I was staying at a hotel on work related business. When I was checking out the hotel guy asked me what kind of work I did and I said I was a computer programmer. He started asking me about a windows server problem they were having, and I said I only know Linux and that the company I work for specializes in it.
At this point he told me that he had just switched permanently to Ubuntu, and that he was really enjoying the experience. He made the switch after his pirated copy of Windows stopped
Re: (Score:2)
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft Windows is a conspiracy between the hardware manufacturers and Microsoft to make you have to buy new hardware every couple of years. Best example was going from XP to Vista. XP ran fine. Vista came out and ran like a one legged man in a marathon. Everyone had to buy new hardware to run it.
Think about it: Do you really need a quad-core processor with 8GB of RAM and a 1.5 TB hard drive to browse the Internet, watch IdiotTube (AKA YouTube) videos and fap to porn?
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft Windows is really so much harder to use than Ubuntu.
I don't know how this got modded insightful but, as someone who has computers with Mac OSX, Windows XP, _and_ Ubuntu, I'm going to have to say that's so utterly wrong that it's actually funny. I like Ubuntu and I look forward to the day that it truly hits the mainstream but it is not, in any way, easier to use than Windows. It may be the easiest of the Linux distros to use (I have no clue if it is since it's the only one I've ever played with to any degree); it may be easy enough for the average person to use; it may be incredibly easy for a hardcore computer user to use, but it is not easier to use than Windows.
I don't like Windows, at all, but let's be serious...
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Usually, if you use the graphical system configuration tools, it will prompt you for the root password.
The terminal can be faster and easier to use, really, even for a newbie. It can also be easier to describe in written form or verbally how
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
What power users find easy and what average users find easy are different things. This perception difference is what has holds Linux back, more than anyt
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I sell machines with Ubuntu on them. To yoga instructors and flight attendants and 85 year old women. It's easier. Universally, across the board easier. Every single customer says so. You don't have to trust me, but I trust them, because they pay my rent. I mean, if you're comfortable being out-geeked by an 85 year old great grandma, okay, but don't blame the machine.
Payment for repository access? (Score:4, Informative)
However, you are installing a random package from a random website and you don't know if it will work or if the dependencies it needs are available.
Windows operating systems remain supported, and dependencies of applications designed for them available, for longer than a typical Linux distribution (even Ubuntu LTS) remains supported.
The package manager gives you a centralized and searchable listing of packages, and most of them are sure to work with the system, unlike a random .deb off the net.
Does the package manager provide a means for payment for the privilege to download and use an application? Not all non-free applications have viable free clones.
What apps are like these but free? (Score:5, Insightful)
i would like you to name one app that does not have a free alt.
The following are proprietary commercial programs available for PCs running Windows. What is the closest equivalent to each that is distributed under a free software license?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't tend to game on the PC like I used to, so I don't have an answer for any of your games. So, yes... windows is probably a stronger arcade... though I've been more impressed with what Flight Gear can do than I ever was with the Microsoft Flight Simulator. Like many, I've moved my gaming to the Wii, or other consoles.
Hulu and other services provide instant viewing on Linux just fine. The Roku device which allows Netflix instant viewing is Linux-based, but for some reason they continue to deny access
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Wine works well for x86, not so well for non-x86. As netbook makers introduce ARM powered models to save battery, "play all your games on Wine" won't be the easy cop-out that it used to be, at least until DOSBox gains some sort of dynarec.
But you listed Windows applications... and those won't run on ARM either.
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:4, Insightful)
Try doing tech support sometimes. Your view of Windows is tainted by your own proficiency with it but I assure you: the average person cannot use Windows, and no, you can't be said to know how to use Windows with a malware-filled machine any more than somebody whose car is full of bumps and signs of crashes can be said to know how to drive.
Re: (Score:2)
we also can't forget that Steve Ballmer himself said they Microsoft is pointing all guns at smartphones and tablets and will not be out done this time around. The way I read that was that they'd be back to paying companies to put Windows 7 and Windows Ph
Re: (Score:2)
I've used a lot of OSes in my time, and there is no way Ubuntu is easier than Windows 7 (a major improvement over XP) on anything but the security front. I tried the latest Ubuntu LTS and it actually seemed a downgrade of the Ubuntu a few years back - a lot of things t
Re: (Score:2)
Windows is setup like a toll booth where you have to pay extra to get it to do anything useful or keep it running.
Not exactly.
It's mainly for educating users, I mean consumers.
Educating users that software is not cheap and must be bought to do anything useful.
It's better to teach them as soon as they start using computers, so they'll continue paying when they'll be more experienced, the more the merrier !
And in the same process, they learn that free software is a bad thing:
this software is free, and this one costs $30 ? Sure, give me the one at $30, its cost surely means that it's better !
Anything that is good
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:4, Informative)
Microsoft Windows is really so much harder to use than Ubuntu. Everything on Ubuntu just works, and you have to fuss with windows to get it to do what you want, keep it from getting a virus, hunt all over the web to get software updates.....
I think the only reason Dell does this is because Windows is setup like a toll booth where you have to pay extra to get it to do anything useful or keep it running. With the Ubuntu Boxes they don't sell any add-on software because Ubuntu already has everything it needs to work.
I've been using Ubuntu since 2006 and this claim is, frankly, laughable. Go to the shop and buy some shrinkwrap software - chances are it won't work on Ubuntu. Now buy yourself a new webcam, printer and scanner; unless you checked beforehand at least one of these is likely not to work, and it's unlikely that any of them will work perfectly. These issues might seem trivial to someone who's used Ubuntu for a long time and either knows what works or at least knows to check, but for a new user it's a big deal.
Second, Ubuntu users are generally assumed to be computer-literate and to have deliberately chosen Ubuntu, which implies that they know the ins and outs of Linux distributions and technologies. This leads to help files that are unintelligible to anyone who doesn't know a thing about Linux - amarok is "a qt media player based on the KDE 4 technology platform", for example, and if you want to install a new chess program you can choose between "X11" and "Gnome" versions. (What does that even mean?). Similarly, help files and forums have people running shell commands and editing configuration files - that's just voodoo to a totally new computer user, and if nothing else ingraining a "just run whatever the forum tells you as administrator" mindset is not good.
Contrast this with Windows: if you go to the shop and buy new software or hardware it's almost certain to run on your computer with nothing more than a few clicks to install it. And if you run into problems the instructions and help files assume no computer literacy - and every man and his dog knows how to use Windows, so there's no shortage of people to help you.
I like Ubuntu; I use it every day and have done for four years. But denying its faults - and it has plenty - is enormously counterproductive. For you, Ubuntu's lack of available software has turned into "[w]ith the Ubuntu Boxes they don't sell any add-on software because Ubuntu already has everything it needs to work"; for one of the replying ACs the lack of hardware support has become "[t]he 'my wi-fi doesn't work under linux crowd' just need to be more careful and not buy shitty wi-fi cards". These are legitimate problems, and denying them can only set Ubuntu development back and alienate people who have tried the OS and had problems.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
And that is a lie otr you are sarcastic (Score:4, Informative)
Ubuntu work out of the box as much as windows work out of the box. But side step a bit away from the box, and WHAM ! Ubuntu hit you square in the face (more like Linux in general). Windows is much more forgiving. I haven't also to "hunt" software update on the web. Certainly not for the windows OS, only for games.
I am sorry, but you are seeing this comparison windows vs Ubuntu with what I call a "linux rosy glasses" very biased. As someone which don't care for either windows, or Linux I can only tell you to remove the pink glasses (well not 100% , I still prefer Linux/Ubuntu very very slightly due to work related reason, but that is beside the point here). I would trust my parents and family with a winbox, I would not trust them with ubuntu, even if they get used to the OS. Too much stuff I would have to help them with for which one would have to hunt down obscure forums. Like installing DVB-T.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Do you seriously think people don't do that?
Re:it doesn't make any sense because (Score:5, Informative)
"Run As Administrator".
But his eyes would probably still glass over at that too.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
"Give the computer special permission to do certain potentially dangerous things." Doesn't sound very complicated to me.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Do you really think sudo is ever mentioned in the user-interface ? It maybe what is going on in the back, but in the user-interface it just says: enter your password to perform administrative tasks
Which works just fine, thank you.
Also I don't know why you are complaining, because Windows Vista, Mac OS X have something similair.
Re: (Score:2)
Typing this on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS using Google Chrome. Why Chrome? I used 8.04 and Firefox for about a year, year and a half and loved it. Then one day Firefox updated to 3.6.6 and Flash quit working.
Sorry, but that sounds like a selling point to me. Heck, it would save me the trouble of having to install FlashBlock. :-)
Re: (Score:2)
And you totally gloss over the dog slow part. hmmmmm
Interestingly, after I hit submit, Ubuntu popped up with a Firefox update to 3.6.7. Flash still doesn't work and it is still dog slow compared to Chrome. Hmmmmm
I would almost like to have downgraded Firefox to an earlier version that "just worked", but it it tied into Ubuntu almost as bad as IE is in Windows. Hmmmmm
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
ya rly
Here's how my comparison stacks up, personally. (I consider anything that requires the console to fix in Linux but not Windows permanently broken for the average user):
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
You have to use the console on OSX to do stuff too and nobody complains. Showing hidden ".dot" files, get the javascript debugging console in safari, etc you need to drop to the terminal.
I doubt it's an average user problem and just your personal problem.
Recently been searching for a new job (Score:5, Interesting)
I have been on a recent job hunt. Granted, as a LAMP developer. At each interview I asked, is it possible to use a non-windows desktop. Answer: Yes. Mac or Ubuntu didn't matter as long as you could do your job.
These weren't small companies either although they weren't the type to run IE6 either.
There is a slow but steady march towards opensource and for the really old, it is the same march that made Microsoft a household name.
There was a time when if you asked for a DOS machine at work, you would have had to be working in the technological vanguard to get it. Because HERE we use mainframes kid, not this new fangled dos/windows 1.0 stuff. that is kid stuff, for hobbyists.
Dell? Missing the boat. But then, they are being surpassed on every front. I can understand why Dell doesn't want to do Ubuntu, they aren't about giving away free customizations. Sure your dell laptop can be pink, that will be 50 euro's thank you very much. All for a different colored piece of plastic. But when you are at the absolute bottom price wise your are just asking to be picked off by the next guy who can go even cheaper.
I predict that before to long, there will be a chinese company, currently supplying the big names in the west, who starts selling direct. And then Dell will be left with overpriced hardware that doesn't offer anything different.
Re: (Score:2)
I
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Excluding CPU and Ram variations, Dell offers what, a dozen desktop platform and a half-dozen notebooks ? Each one of those sells several million units. Don't you think it would be rather trivial to book ONE GUY (of the 65000 or so people they employ) to do Linux testing on each distinct model ? Hell I could probably do it all in a week or two.
Dell's treatment of Linux overall has been a joke. I've never seen any decent SKU offered with Linux, only the most craptacular bargain-barrel ones like these "la
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Recently been searching for a new job (Score:5, Insightful)
And you couldn't get Ubuntu to do/act/feel just like your chosen version of Linux?
I wouldn't hire you either.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Why take the old site offline (Score:2)
Ok, not having RTFA, I really don't see the point in taking down a working website, which I didn't even know how to reach without typing in the URL directly, because you are working on a new version?
And wasn't Dell once all about configurability? Now they try to dumb down the configuration options. Seems to be like they are messing with their original core business model.
Sounds like Asus (Score:5, Informative)
At a major Taiwanese PC tradeshow, the CEO of ASUS abruptly canceled his presentation about new Asus products. Asus immediately began towing the line regarding Microsoft products and co-promotion following that. Dell's recent promoting cohabitation with Ubuntu sounds like exactly the same thing.
http://blogs.computerworld.com/microsoft_strikes_back_at_linux_netbook_push [computerworld.com]
Re: (Score:2)
http://www.beincorporated.com/press/pressreleases/02-02-19_msft_complaint.html
"... through a series of illegal exclusionary and anticompetitive acts designed to maintain its monopoly in the Intel-compatible PC operating system market and created exclusive dealing arrangements with PC OEMs prohibiting the sale of PCs with multiple preinstalled operating systems."
I guess when the 'request' is made, you stop... or they are just revamping for the next Ubuntu OS
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Ahhh yes, the ol' Intercontinental Ballistic Chair.
Sucky computer selection when they were available (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Not a big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Think about what you just wrote. So you think it is just about time installing Linux? No.
* For one thing, some of us don't want to pay a Microsoft Tax. If I don't plan on using MS-Windows on a computer, I should not be forced to pay for it.
* If a computer is available with Linux, it implies at least SOME amount of Linux support- even if it is just a compatibility guide.
* I wouldn't want to use Ubuntu, anyway, since there are (for me) much better Linuxes. So if they offered a computer with NO OS installed, I would be just has happy.
You can bet that Microsoft is behind the scenes again, pulling strings at Dell to squash any notion of freedom or choice.
Re: (Score:2)
You can bet that Microsoft is behind the scenes again, pulling strings at Dell to squash any notion of freedom or choice.
That's one theory. Mine is that probably half of the Ubuntu purchases were followed by a support call (and subsequent return) by the purchaser because the machine wouldn't run new game x / quickbooks / excel / itunes / whatever.
If you're thinking, no, the general public is smarter than that, try working in a games store for a year, especially over Christmas. The number of returns of XBo
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You are more confident than I am. I used to believe that surely either market pressure or government intervention would bring an end to the Microsoft tax and allow consumers choice and to see what they are actually purchasing (line item). But it has been so many years, I have lost faith.
The only thing more annoying than purchasing a machine with MS-Windows you don't want, knowing that money is going to support the monopoly that takes away your choice, is buying a supposedly Linux machine, only to find out
Shame . . . (Score:2)
The only reason I bought a Dell netbook a few months ago was because I knew it had fairly guaranteed Linux support. I even requested an Ubuntu install, despite the fact that I figured I would end up doing a clean install. Effectively, I was turning down a Windows license even though it had no effect on the total price.
The spokesman went on to deny... (Score:5, Funny)
...that Microsoft had told them that if they continued to market Linux PCs, they would, quote, "rip them a new one", unquote.
Re:The spokesman went on to deny... (Score:5, Informative)
And almost EVERY page on Dells site says "Windows® . Life without WallsTM . Dell recommends Windows 7." Even on the Linux related page I was trying to read, a damn Javascript popup appeared that said that "Dell recommends IE8".
Even when I clicked on a Linux Mini 10, it immediately placed the "Dell recommends Windows 7." on every single following screen (not to mention that the price for the Linux version was exactly the same as the MS-Windows model, and with nothing else included".
Nothing like feeling welcome.
Yet Another Misleading /. Article (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.dell.com/ubuntu [dell.com] is still functional in the US.
Re:Yet Another Misleading /. Article (Score:5, Insightful)
For now.
They don't offer any with 10.04, and two of the four models they offer still have 9.04. Doesn't seem like they're too keen on it.
But can you buy a Dell without an operating system (Score:5, Insightful)
That is what I really want. I can buy a Dell without a monitor, so why not without an operating system?
I have my own monitor already, and my own OS. It doesn't make sense to force me to by either of them.
Re: (Score:2)
"It doesn't make sense to force me to by either of them."
Sense to you, or sense to Dell? Your choices are buy or not buy.
"Buy with reduced delight" = "buy" from the Dell perspective.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
You can. Just tell them that you'd like it without an OS, reduced my current latitude's price by €90 or so
Sales (Score:2)
How many Ubuntu PC does Dell sell compared to Windows ones?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Probably not that many:
because they won't let people buy them [theopensourcerer.com]
if they refuse to sell them then their sales figures will be low.
simplify? (Score:5, Interesting)
'We've recently made an effort to simplify our offerings online, by focusing on our most popular bundles and configuration options, based on customer feedback for reduced complexity and a simple, easy purchase experience,'
Funny. I still see different websites based on whether I select "home", "small and medium business" (I love that- who says "I work for a medium-sized ____ company"?), or "large enterprise" or "public sector" (of which there are SIX subcategories!)
There are 11 laptops in the "home" section. There are 10 Lattitude "E" series laptops and 8 more in the "Specialty" section for enterprise users. 2 "precision" workstation laptops offered to higher education.
Hang on, I'll just quote from the side of the product selector when I selected "higher education":
33 different laptops, ladies and gentlemen. 33.
How many does Apple sell? 3 Macbook Pros, 1 Macbook, 1 Macbook Air? Granted they come in a few flavors (different screen resolutions, for example)...but the basic laptop chassis itself is the same and a 15" macbook pro has always been a 15" macbook pro. Not a Macbook Pro 2310 and then a Macbook Pro 2340 etc.
Dell is like GM; you can buy the same car with 4 different hood emblems and slightly different trim/headlights/taillights.
And people wonder why Apple is raking in money hand over fist. Perhaps it's because they have a clear product lineup? Sometimes you have to stop trying to sell to every person on the planet.
Re: (Score:2)
Another reason why Apple is raking in the customers is because of their concise, dedicated and friendly support staff. With Dell unless you spend ungodly amounts on a so-called Gold Technical Support you're going to be stuck with a dude in India that probably never even saw the computer you just bought.
Re: (Score:2)
Also, the names are weird. With the macbook you have to
Re: (Score:2)
Isn't Dell History? (Score:2)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/07/01/2321230/The-Ignominious-Fall-of-Dell [slashdot.org]
So who cares what they ship?
Or are they not so dead after all?
no 64-bit ubuntu laptops? (Score:3, Informative)
A cryin shame. (Score:2, Interesting)
A lose-lose situation. At least it reduces (however marginally) the Dell proprietary hardware in circulation...
No Dell, Oh well... (Score:5, Informative)
buy from someone else
http://system76.com/ [system76.com]
http://zareason.com/ [zareason.com]
Dell's Attitude (Score:5, Insightful)
That's ok (Score:2)
I dropped Dell from my shopping list a long, long time ago.
Made up their mind much? (Score:2)
Does Dell have the brain of a turkey? It can't seem to make up its corporate mind. Over the years, they're selling Ubuntu; now they're not; yes they are; no they're not; and on and on.
Dell testing the waters ? (Score:5, Informative)
"We should whack them, we should make sure they understand our value
"HP discontinued its Linux SKUs beginning on November 18th. This is based on joint marketing effort [groklaw.net] that spans six months to promote low cost Windows SKU's with $30 extra channel incentives that focus on white box resellers"
It'll be interesting watching the MicroAstroturfers try and put a positive spin on the above statements.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1872/dellbeforeafter.png [imageshack.us]
Re: (Score:2)
I agree with Dell (Score:2)
Microsoft don't want Dell to sell Linux :) (Score:2)
Shurly, Microsoft don't want Dell to sell you a computer with Linux
I tried to buy one yesterday (Score:5, Interesting)
16:27:12 Alan Initial Question/Comment: I can't find your laptops with Ubuntu installed
16:27:23 System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
16:27:23 System Connected with Makrand_Karante
16:27:23 Makrand_Karante Thank you for contacting Dell sales chat. This is Makrand Karante,your Sales Advisor. In order to Help you better can you provide me with your email address and Telephone number incase we get Disconnected I can either come back to you by phone or email.
16:27:39 Alan hello
16:27:50 Alan I am looking for laptops running Ubuntu
16:27:53 Makrand_Karante Hi Alan
16:28:03 Makrand_Karante we do not have that option available yet
16:28:15 Alan oh
16:28:32 Alan when will they be available, I don't want Windows at all
16:28:53 Makrand_Karante we do not have the related information here
16:29:36 Alan that is a bit of a shame, I will have to go somewhere else to get a laptop then
16:29:53 Makrand_Karante is there any thing else that I may assist you with today?
16:30:07 Alan well not really. I just wanted a laptop running Ubuntu.
16:30:19 Alan Do you have any without an operating system at all?
16:30:28 Makrand_Karante I am afraid no
16:30:36 Alan oh
16:31:23 Alan so if I want a laptop from Dell I have to buy windows
16:31:58 Makrand_Karante Yes
16:32:12 Alan ok, thanks for your help
16:32:29 Makrand_Karante Thank you for contacting Dell Sales Chat and allowing me the opportunity to assist you. Have a wonderful Day ahead.
16:33:25 System The session has ended!
Couple of updates. I am in the UK, so that was through the dell.co.uk site, I don't want one from the US because it would have the wrong keyboard and I would be stung with customs charges and it would take a long time to get here and I like instant overnight consumer gratification.
If you are tempted to go ask similar questions of the Dell online chat thing then go right ahead with the following conditions:
1) You must take a credit card out of your purse/wallet, rest it on your keyboard and be totally prepared to use it, if they find you a suitable laptop.
2) Do it once, don't repeatedly bother them.
3) Be polite and respectful, the Code of Conduct applies.
Re:I tried to buy one yesterday (Score:4, Interesting)
I guarantee you that the information won't make its way back to Dell, because I can also guarantee you that the online chat service is 100% outsourced. The flow of information in those arrangements is often mostly one way.
They never really wanted it to work (Score:5, Insightful)
When it was announced that Dell was selling computers loaded with Ubuntu, I went to their site and looked. I looked hard, and didn't see anything. Then on another site I found a link to an obscure page on the Dell website that you wouldn't find in any other way.
And there, I saw that they were selling old models of their products, with only the low-end hardware choices, for a more expensive price than what they sell the new model with high-end choices and Windows. To the point where even a person who would want to buy a Dell computer and install Ubuntu on it would buy one preloaded with Windows and install Ubuntu himself.
And now they're going to say they're pulling it because it didn't sell enough. Of course it didn't, they purposely made it that way; it's like they wanted it to fail from the get go.
Ubuntu on the wrong products (Score:3, Insightful)
I bought (through my employer) a dual-screen Dell workstation last year. I run Ubuntu on everything - my laptop,. my personal desktop, etc. But the only products Dell offered Ubuntu on was low-end econoboxes. I finally resorted to buying it with RedHat Enterprise Linux. However RHEL did not meet my needs - I tried it for a while but because of the long version cycle it just couldn't be brought up to date with things I needed for my work - not to mention being less user-friendly for this GUI-obsessed guru. (I've been using the hottest GUIs I could achieve since my days using graphic terminals and programming 3D in FORTRAN. I built my own RS232 switch once to allow me to run three terminals on the same serial line, so I could have three screens - back in 1981. One for output, one for debugging output, one for coding.)
After putting up with RHEL for several months I finally switched over to Ubuntu 9, and now I'm running 10. I"m sorry, but I need this year's software. Among other things, I needed OpenOffice.org 3.2 for a project I was working on. I'm also a Compiz addict, and RHEL did not support a number of packages required by Compiz.
I never understood why Dell refused to provide Ubuntu on anything but their toy systems. It probably has to do with internal politics, and possibly something to do with their contract with RedHat. IMHO the lesson here is not that Ubuntu couldn't sell - it is that Dell did not understand the market.
Re: (Score:2)
I never understood why Dell refused to provide Ubuntu on anything but their toy systems. It probably has to do with internal politics,
Um, no. It has to do with that being the big selling point of Ubuntu aside from the fact that it's free. The Linux community has spent hyears bragging about how much better their OS is on older/light weight hardware than any OS out there. This presents an image to the public that isn't inline for users in your position but don't blame Dell for it.
I disagree. I've run OS/2 and Linux, and love the fact that it runs on older or lower end hardware, and runs well on them. But that simply makes me want to run it on the latest and greatest to see what it can really do.
If people want to take advantage of the newest and fastest hardware, wouldnt it only make sense that they'd want to use one of the fastest operating systems they can on it? Or vice versa?
Perhaps the real reason why is because such boxes (that arent being sold with Ubuntu) would compete wi
As long as a canonical driver list is provided (Score:3, Interesting)
As long as a canonical driver list is provided so we can get Ubuntu to work properly, who cares if they don't sell them with Ubuntu. I haven't seen enough of these Window-less computers that were any cheaper than the Windows Home versions were.
Can't Flash ROMs from Linux (Score:2)
These companies that sold PCs which officially allowed Linux on them never really supported Linux. The profit margins in supporting Windows are large enough, but the relatively tiny revenue from Linux sales doesn't scale up along with the costs of extending support to Linux. Especially when Linux vendors like Red Hat and Ubuntu receive most of the support requests that don't go to the public community.
But that means we're stuck. I've got a Compaq EVO D510 minitower that is still a perfectly good PC for a We
Microsoft strikes back at Linux xxxxxxx push (Score:5, Interesting)
Microsoft strikes back at Linux netbook push [computerworld.com]
just as this article was about netbooks, the new buzz word to kill off in the name of Windows is tablet and to some extent smartphone. They'll have a very tough time with the smartphone but the tablet sector is just getting started and Android isn't even out of the gate on that platform yet.
I smell lots of marketing deals forcing exclusivity with Microsoft once again.
LoB
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Much as I'd like to agree with you. Evidence?
Re: (Score:2)
Evidence? A smoking gun in this case would be pretty difficult to find unless there are leaked emails or documents showing pressure from suppliers. If Dell is smart about this, they will not come out and say anything inflammatory. In the end the reasoning behind the decision is not even that important.
Personally, I thought it was just a matter of time, as this was primarily a marketing experiment to cash in on a perceived hot commodity (Linux).
noo...it means (Score:2)
NEXT year will be the of the Linux desktop!
Yes, it will. Stop looking at me funny!
year (Score:2)
year ...should have bought a Windows.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Only one version of Ubuntu® (Score:2)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Basic
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 32-Bit
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 32-Bit
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 32-Bit with Downgrade Rights Service to Windows® XP Professional
Genuine Windows Vista® Business 32-Bit
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic 32-Bit
Re:really old MS FUD issue (Score:4, Insightful)