Dell To Offer Ubuntu Laptops Again 218
An anonymous reader writes "TechCrunch reports that Dell will be officially re-entering the Linux laptop market. Beginning this fall, it will sell a 'developer edition' of one of its Ultrabooks that comes pre-loaded with Ubuntu 12.04. Dell first started offering computers with Linux installed in 2007, but they dropped the products in 2010. This spring, a skunkworks effort called Project Sputnik was announced, and now, after the completion of a short beta test, the Ubuntu laptops have been given a green light for commercial sale. Canonical has been working alongside Dell to help make this happen."
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:5, Informative)
Dell has never stopped selling Ubuntu machines (Score:5, Informative)
Even now, there are some notebooks [dell.com] available on their website, and you can probably get even more options when you ask them on the phone.
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:5, Informative)
i should note, for on-topic's sake, that the dell laptop i'm writing this on -is- running ubuntu 12.04, but I put it on there, not them.
from the Project Sputnik FAQ:
You and everyone else, apparently.
Re:Is this announcement from Dell, or Canonical? (Score:5, Informative)
It most definitely did happen, but not in all geographies. Asus ships Ubuntu on a number of machines (including those EEEPc models), both online and in retail. Sorry that it is not available in your location - Canonical are working on expanding the reach of Ubuntu with Asus, Dell, and other OEMs.
-- A Canonical employee
It's still a Dell. (Score:2, Informative)
I actually feel that Asus and Toshiba build much nicer laptops at about the same price point, but I'm sure someone will disagree (after all, this is
Re:Cool! (Score:5, Informative)
On February 9, 2003, Curtis was caught attempting to buy a bag of marijuana on Manhattan's Lower East Side.[2] Curtis was arrested and charged with criminal possession of marijuana. Due to recognizability of Curtis, word of the arrest spread quickly through the media. A chain email of the story even cropped up as it was forwarded around the internet using the iconic parodied phrase "Dude, you're getting a cell!"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Curtis_(actor) [wikipedia.org]
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:5, Informative)
Did you ever actually look for the Linux laptops on Dell's web site? I did, and it wasn't like they plastered them on the home page. It's not like it was even a choice when you were configuring your system. You had to go to a special sub-site with few or no links from other pages. You really had to know where it was to get to it.
Trust me, people weren't buying Linux machines by accident.
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:5, Informative)
When I bought mine you had to go looking for the Ubuntu machines page; when you got there it explained very clearly, in non-technical language, that if you don't know what we're talking about you don't want one: go over here to buy a Windows machine. They thought that out ahead of time and were very clear about it.