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."
Two steps forward, one step back (Score:1, Insightful)
Will it be any cheaper than Windows? (Score:5, Insightful)
Last time I looked at one of these Linux laptops, the price was higher than the $350 Windows laptop I saw at staples. Therefore it saved me money to buy the Windows version, download Lubuntu, and install a dual boot, rather than support Dell Linux offering.
Re:Can't wait.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes it is popular, and that's part of the reason so many of the linux faithful hate it. Despite whatever many linux users claim about how it's the true best choice and everybody should use it, a good number of them like it specifically because it gives them computer hipster status. Ubuntu's popularity is a bad thing to them. if "the masses" use something, it -must- be bad, since the masses are idiots.
that said, rational discussion follows:
Having used both cinnamon (about a month) and unity (going on 3 months now I believe), I'll go out on the limb here and mention I actually prefer unity. for all the complaints i hear of "tablet interface", I swear I wonder if people don't realize you can resize the unity bar and unity icons. my unity bar and icons are only slightly larger than the windows 7 taskbar on the computer next to this one. Also, considering that on modern displays, horizontal screen space abounds and it is vertical screen space that is at a premium, I don't mind the taskbar on the left at all. I dig it actually.
I'm not saying I don't have any problems with unity, but 12.04's version at least (never tried any of the previous versions) isn't bad. I also applaud canonical for producing the first linux interface i've used that really feels as polished and modern as the competiting interfaces from apple and MS. sure maybe it's got a little knock on it here and there, but at least they're trying. good ole gnome 2 is rock solid and reliable but god is it boring and sterile. it feels like state-of-the-art circa 2001. unity has some character at least.
cinnamon is an interesting gnome3/gnome2 hybrid, but it was buggy as all fuck when last i used it in mint lisa. maybe it's better in the new mint? haven't tried mint again since I went to ubuntu 12.04.
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:2, Insightful)
Dell is the fourth largest PC vendor in ...
a declining PC market.
Re:Two steps forward, one step back (Score:4, Insightful)
1) It's highly unlikely that anyone looking to buy a Windows laptop will accidentally type "Dell Linux Laptop" into Google. Prove to me that it can happen by accident.
2) That link only shows how to buy rack-based server hardware with linux. Even back in 2009, when Dell did sell consumer based machines with linux, they had a huge section of the website about linux, but it was all server-based information. You could spend an hour clicking link after link through the Dell linux site without finding the consumer products. Actually finding a link to configure a dell laptop or desktop model with linux pre-installed was nearly impossible. I know... I tried.