Dell Begins Pre-Installing Linux On Range of Precision Laptops (phoronix.com) 139
"While Linux-preloaded laptops have been available for years from smaller companies, and have represented a fraction of their own sales with the much-admired XPS 13 developer model, Dell now offers a range of Precision models pre-installed with Ubuntu Linux," writes Slashdot reader Freshly Exhumed. Phoronix reports: At the start of May Dell announced an Ubuntu Linux option for their entry-level ~$700 Precision laptop while now they are closing out May by offering up Ubuntu 18.04 LTS on their higher-tier Precision laptop models. Ubuntu Linux has landed for the rest of Dell's current generation Precision mobile workstation line-up with support for the Precision 5540, 7540, and 7740. The Precision 5540 offers options of Xeon E or 9th Gen Core CPUs with up to 64GB of RAM and options for a NVIDIA Quadro T2000. The Precision 7540/7740 meanwhile are more powerful mobile workstations with supporting up to 128GB of ECC RAM and latest generation processors. The Precision 7740 model can also accomodate NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 series graphics. Additional details can be found via this blog post by Dell's Barton George.
So... (Score:1, Troll)
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"Society is important because of Ubuntu" -- President Bill Clinton
Re:So... (Score:4, Interesting)
Really?
Because I needed a replacement for my aging ThinkPad. I borrowed a loaner Inspiron from my repair guy, because it's what he had on hand. I was impressed with build quality and Linux performance (Debian 9 Stretch for a week on it), so Dell got added to my list of current viable makers for my needs.
I bought a Precision 7730 with Linux a couple days ago (and got a free Windows license in the deal because they won't sell you the nVidia card without one--but they will give you the OS free). I did have to call and speak with a sales rep, but if you're doing this for work, that's no biggie.
And holy meow is it a sweet machine. I specced it on the lower end (only 16 GB of ECC RAM) but the chassis takes up to 128 GB. Only issue is that Intel says that particular Xeon E-2176M only handles up to 64 GB?
I'm not particularly tied to any one vendor for my personal workstation.
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
Correct. I don't have any traditional towers running anymore.
If I need mobile horsepower, I'm a big fan of my phone (Galaxy S9+). I've got a $10 Bluetooth keyboard from Omoton that works great. If I need more horsepower, that's why things like SSH exist.
There's not a big need for a really lightweight laptop these days for my uses. My phone has that niche covered, and I can do real, actual work on it. So my laptops wind up as highly portable desktops/utility servers.
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If I need mobile horsepower, I'm a big fan of my phone (Galaxy S9+). I've got a $10 Bluetooth keyboard from Omoton that works great. If I need more horsepower, that's why things like SSH exist.
A laptop lets you downgrade to a less expensive data plan and/or reduces UI latency compared to ssh -X over cellular.
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My Thinkpad even has a giant whale battery thing sticking out the bottom.
My ancestors lived in the forest and killed animals with rocks. I can carry a laptop in a backpack. It won't be difficult.
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People who want Linux don't want to buy from Dell or ASUS or BestBuy or whomever and people who want to buy from Dell or Asus or BestBuy don't want Linux. We've seen this tried a few times now and fundamentally Linux hasnt changed in any of those attempts.
You should really try to understand people and their motivations better.
When I got fed up with Apple and finally decided to replace my 9yr old MBP there was no other consideration for me other than moving to Linux. I specifically want something that I wasn't going to have to fiddle with though and "just worked" and Dell made the top of that list as they've been supplying Linux desktops and laptops to companies for ages.
So I picked up a XPS 13 pre-loaded with Ubuntu and have been happy with it since. I did h
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I've been all-*nix, mostly linux since the late 90s, and I like ASUS. I'm using an ASUS monitor right now, never had any problem.
When I got a Nexus 7 years ago, I was impressed with the build quality and I'll definitely prefer a product from ASUS to many other brands if the price is the same. If I need another monitor, I'll probably look at them first.
Dell has been popular with Linux users for laptops for a long, long time. If you want a stick pointer for the mouse, you can get Thinkpad or Dell. Both work w
1992 was the year of Linux on Dell (Score:3)
Dell for Linux? Right. (Score:3, Interesting)
Dell sold me a laptop that can't even reflash its own BIOS using the documented method for doing it using the BIOS itself. The BIOS also can't work correctly with grub (which isn't Linux, btw). It also doesn't work with Linux.
Here's what their "tech support" had to say about it: pay us and we'll look into it, maybe, but we'll definitely take your money:
We are sorry to know that you are disappointed with the machine and also with the support. I am afraid I like to bring it to your attention that this machine was shipped with Windows 10 Home 64 bit Operating system.
The issue you reported is related to Linux. Please be informed that the warranty on this computer is applicable only to hardware with the operating system shipped with the computer. I understand that you do not run Windows on this computer but kindly be advised that the warranty is applicable only to Windows 10 OS. Hence, the issue you mentioned is considered as Out Of Warranty which can be helped by our Out Of Warranty Support Team which is a paid support.
Apparently they think it's legal to warrant the OS, and not the hardware. Whatever. I don't have the resources to fight it.
Dell has a long history of using parts that barely work on Windows. I don't trust Dell to make a Linux laptop, period.
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Every few years they do this experiment, a big name OEM offering systems with Linux pre-installed. Every time it has failed because nobody wants it, partly because of the sucky user experience but also partly because it doesn't offer anything to the average user. Sure Linux has reached a point where you can do web browsing, email, word-processing and spreadsheets but big f'in deal, pretty much every personal computing device in the last 10 years could do that just fine. "It can finally do the bare minimum"
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Every few years they do this experiment, a big name OEM offering systems with Linux pre-installed. Every time it has failed because nobody wants it, partly because of the sucky user experience but also partly because it doesn't offer anything to the average user.
No, that's not what's going on. Every few years OEM's announce offering systems with Linux pre-installed because every few years, they need to re-negotiate their Windows licensing fees with Microsoft. Offering Linux pre-installed is a threat to Microsoft that they need to keep their prices dirt low, or else!
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On this Dell Inspiron laptop from 2015, I use not Linux but TrueOS/PC-BSD. It works pretty well except for WiFi, meaning it has to stay on the table and can't be taken to the sofa. Other than that, everything else works fine (don't mind that the trackpad doesn't: my typing experience w/ live trackpads has never been good).
Whatever the shortcomings of Linux, the difference now is that Windows 10 has really devolved. Some years ago, it was still usable, but every update has made the system slower and slo
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It could just be a side effect of a lot of recreational web browsing switching from desktop to smartphones, combined with Microsoft's failure to "get" mobile. Among visitors to your website using a device with a physical keyboard, how much has the usage share changed?
Re:Dell for Linux? Right. (Score:4, Informative)
For what little it's worth, their support is awful even if you actually did buy your laptop from them with Linux pre-installed.
The XPS 13 Developer Edition we bought as an experiment was a disaster (on the level of "worst laptop we've ever owned") and the abysmal support has convinced us we can't trust Dell for any other professional equipment for a while either. We're continuing to investigate alternatives to Windows 10 in case Microsoft follows through with their current plan to EOL Windows 7 next year, but whatever the final answer is for our business, Dell won't be part of it any time soon.
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That's funny. The XPS13 non-Developer Edition we bought ran Linux better than Windows 10.
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Their Ubuntu installation itself generated system error messages after every boot literally from the first update (immediately after turning the laptop on for the first time) onwards.
The laptop itself had severe problems with battery performance, and lost system settings resulting in problems with Secure Boot and the like.
The trackpad was so over-sensitive that you had to turn off certain gestures or they'd be triggered because your hand did... well, almost anything.
The keys were so light and short-travel t
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See, I had the opposite problem with Dell. I got a Precision running Ubuntu a couple of years ago, and Ubuntu always ran great. However, over time one of the hinges started to freeze up. It got harder and harder to open, and then the hinge popped out part of the plastic case, since it's logical to just rest moving metal parts which can apply a lot of torque on plastic I guess. That allowed the charging port to come lose, and that in turn caused a short which fried the motherboard.
I expect my hardware to las
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Ours didn't make it a year before the first failure, and then went wrong the same way again just weeks after it was finally fixed (which in turn was months after we first contacted Dell support, on a business machine with supposedly next-day service). It really was in is-this-a-joke territory.
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For what little it's worth, their support is awful even if you actually did buy your laptop from them with Linux pre-installed.
The XPS 13 Developer Edition we bought as an experiment was a disaster (on the level of "worst laptop we've ever owned") and the abysmal support has convinced us we can't trust Dell for any other professional equipment for a while either. We're continuing to investigate alternatives to Windows 10 in case Microsoft follows through with their current plan to EOL Windows 7 next year, but whatever the final answer is for our business, Dell won't be part of it any time soon.
Really? I love my XP 13 DE that I got to replace my old MBP so I could leave that eco system. Well built, easy to work on yourself if needed (other than pulling the SSD to make a backup factory image before I started messing with it, I haven't need to work on it).
Out of the box I had an issue with sleeping where when I closed the lid it wouldn't sleep, but would freeze up and get really hot with the fans screaming. Most annoying is that it was only sometimes when it would do it.
My initial call was annoying
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We never got to any dedicated Linux support.
After multiple months (on a business laptop with supposedly next-day on-site service) they finally sent someone over. Seems like it had lost all the factory BIOS/UEFI level settings and reverted to some default setup were after not being used for a few days and having the battery go flat. The guy who came over was obviously outsourced and did know what he was doing, replacing various components and changing various settings back until it would boot again.
But then
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The main things are just the ones I mentioned in my comments to other replies -- basically, a few hardware features that didn't work very well, but mostly the catastrophic failure due to some sort of fundamental flaw with battery discharge and boot settings, combined with support more incompetent than any I have experienced in multiple decades of professional computing.
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Dell sold me a laptop that can't even reflash its own BIOS using the documented method for doing it using the BIOS itself. The BIOS also can't work correctly with grub (which isn't Linux, btw). It also doesn't work with Linux.
Here's what their "tech support" had to say about it: pay us and we'll look into it, maybe, but we'll definitely take your money:
It's useful to know nothing has changed. More than a decade ago, I bought a Dell computer that had a spare drive bay, but was missing some proprietary parts that would be needed to actually install a second drive. Their tech support told me I needed to purchase extra parts. As sold, the computer was unfit for its intended purpose. I cobbled something together from aluminum cans and tape which was able to hold the drive in place, but I never bought another Dell, nor suggested Dell to any company I've worked
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So install windows 10 on it, update the firmware to a supported level and call support if needed. Then remove windows install your OS and use the damn thing. If updates are required in the future I've had no issues on any of my dells using fwupd to update the firmware. On ubuntu it is:
sudo service fwupd start
sudo fwupdmgr refresh
sudo fwupdmgr update
Wait until it boots back up into your DE.
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Well, whether you trust them or not, I've been running various Linux distros on many different Dell Latitude/Precision laptops for many years and have not had ANY issues with incompatiblity. The last issues I recall were many years ago, with the Broadcom wifi that required sucking the firmware/driver from the Windows driver package. Everything now works right out of the box, and has for quite some time. Of course, your experience with Dell support is 100% on-the-money. If the serial number shows the system
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Something sounds fishy here...
The BIOS can't/won't flash from the BIOS itself but they refuse to fix it because you have installed Linux?
If that situation is true, then you could install Windows 10 on it, fail to flash, and get warranty service. It is not like installing Linux changes the hardware or the BIOS. Changing the BIOS is what you want....
This seems like FUD. An Anonymous Coward claims that running Linux has voided the warranty on their laptop... the best I can come up with out of this situation is
Firmware (Score:4, Interesting)
Dell sold me a laptop that can't even reflash its own BIOS
It's 2019, now. Unless you're into extremely old-vintage computers (that you then unwrap in front of a HD webcam on a youtube channel with "Retro" somewhere in its name) or recounting a couple-of-decades-old anectode, "firmware" is the word you're looking for.
Most of the modern firmware are UEFI-based, lots of modern Windows 10 based laptops don't even have a BIOS/Legacy compatibility mode built in.
using the documented method for doing it using the BIOS itself.
You're definitely doing something wrong. Nearly all modern UEFI-based firmware are totally impossible to update in another way BUT from the firmware itself.
By design UEFI firmware drops a bunch of privileges, among other the capability of accessing and flashing the firmware, before booting into the OS.
By the time Windows is up, there's no write access to the flash.
The "Windows"-based updater isn't an actual updater at all, it's mere a nice GUI that uploads the payload to the firmware and asks it politely to perform the update on the next boot.
After a reboot, while the firmware is still running with flash write access, it loads the payload it receives performs a bunch of checks and signature verification and proceeds to do the flashing itselfs, before dropping the privilege again and booting into the OS.
This whole process is called an "Update Capsule", and some recent Linux distros have started supporting it natively. /boot/efi/)
You can also pick the update file from the firmware as long as:
- the file is stored on a FAT32 partition on a USB-stick or on a disk (you could use the FAT32 EFI boot partition that's normally mounted in
- the firmware is running in privileged more (The easiest is to cold boot, though some ultra portable tend to boot straight to the OS without going through the firmware boot menu. You'd need to select to boot into the firmware menu on next reboot from the OS' reboot menu).
- you got the exact upgrade file corresponding to your machine tag.
But the TL;DR is : even Windows upgrades the firmware from the firmware itself and not from the OS.
The BIOS also can't work correctly with grub (which isn't Linux, btw).
- again, you laptop very likely doesn't even have a BIOS/Legacy compatibility mode, you need the EFI version of grub. (or any other EFI boot loader. or sthraight the Linux kernel when the EFI support is compiled in).
- if your laptop is configured to boot in "Secure mode", you can't boot straight into grub (nor straigh into the Linux kernel in EFI mode neither). You either need to install the encryption key that where used by your distribution to sign grub (see "MOK") or boot into a microsoft-signed "stub" that will then in turn chain to grub.
- most UEFI firmware uses a boot table written in flash that list all the bootable EFI files inside the EFI boot partition and how to boot them.
You'd need to register the Grub EFI as a bootable target.
Either from the firmware own interface, or most modern Distro installers do it for you.
as an example openSUSE's Tumbleweed is a distro that supports EFI executable, ships with a shim that passes signature checks and takes care of chaining into grub and does most of the tiny tweaking to getting you a bootable entry into the UFEI's boot table.
- as a first test, try to boot a distro like "System Rescue CD" on an USB Stick, just to check that the normal EFI boot procedure works.
- just to be sure, you bought a business-line model of laptop, right? Like a Lattitude one? Not one of the "some random chinese stuff quickly rebadged by slapping a dell-logo on it" like most "family-oriented" crap from most manufacturer ?
Grub and co. (Score:2)
Damn straight. I'm using a Dell. The built-in firmware updater says the (checksum verified) file is invalid. No further diagnostics available.
That usually happens when you're trying the wrong firmware image for the wrong machine (e.g.: two models that have more or less the same name, but actually have differing innards. Happens much more often with consumer laptops than enterprise laptops, but even two lattitudes with slightly different processors could have differing innards).
The best way would be to check the product code that is displayed in one of the info screen of the firmware setup, and search using that, not by product name.
Or something i
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"Windows 10 Home"
When you buy from Dell (or anyone really), always buy from their business side. The home user side of the business is trying to get the lowest price point, so you get hardware with poor open source support. The Home side of these businesses are targeting people who don't care about or understand computer architecture and design. "Home" computers almost always come with "el-cheapo" chipsets and/or Windows driver driven peripherals.
I always buy the business grade stuff with an NVidia graphics
Re: I donâ(TM)t even know why I come here any (Score:1)
Re:I don't even know why I come here anymore (Score:1)
> I swear, Slashdotâ(TM)s user level of toxicity rivals that of Facebook. I donâ(TM)t think Iâ(TM)ve ever seen a positive comment about anything. I bet one day a post will be made about cancer being cured and someone will make a comment about âoewhy didnâ(TM)t they do this earlier?â.
Yep .. unfortunately .. and I don't know why slashdot has allowed it to degenerate to this.
In a completely unrelated news story (Score:2)
https://it.slashdot.org/story/... [slashdot.org]
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The article forgot to mention that you have to download and explicitly install the malware. Unlike windows where all you have to do is view a web page.
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Yes, it's in completely unrelated news. If you read the actual article it's an APT toolkit, designed to do custom attacks on individual targets. That kind of high end hacking tools for military/industrial espionage, sabotage, corporate blackmail, bank heists etc. would exist whether or not random peeps were using Linux or not. If most people used Linux you'd probably see bot nets and cryptolockers and whatnot targeting the general users, but that'd come on top of these threats.
Mobile Precisions (Score:1)
Finally! (Score:2)
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Not yet, I'll bet that the year after Huawei Linux comes out, it will be the year of Linux on the desktop, especially once the government of China make it compulsory because M$ is an American company and a national security risk in China and on yeah, Huawei Libre Office (well at least in China, no way they can resist sticking it back to the USA for the Huawei attack and killing the M$ golden goose, well, how could they resist that bit of revenge). I'd bet that over the years it will become harder and harder
Screw Dell (Score:4, Informative)
Buy a System76 from a company that's growing and cares about Linux on the desktop, have your own private YotLD.
Re:Screw Dell (Score:4, Informative)
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Or just buy a computer and install Linux on it, if Linux is what really floats your boat
You also get the fun of hot and miss hardware support, lack of vendor support for said fun times, and the pleasure of paying for some other operating system you don't want.
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Consumers don't feel it (Score:1)
Noooooo ..... (Score:1)
The only reason Linux is so good is because no one knows about it. See on Slashdot today? Literally Dell pre-installs Linux followed immediately by a story about Linux malware. https://it.slashdot.org/story/... [slashdot.org]
You forgot the unsaid 7th rule about fightclub, look scary so no one wants to join fightclub.
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LOL. Users running unknown scripts installing malware is an argument against Linux? I knew you were retarded, but I didn't realize you were that stupid. OF COURSE the computer will run a program when the user explicitly tells it to, that's what computers are for, you numbnut!
If you can trick a user into running random crap, ANY system is vulnerable.
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Games (Score:2)
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Linux support isn't my Dell problem (Score:2)
This is great, but in my recent experience, Dell is completely unable to actually fulfil orders. And orders made through their website just vanish or get cancelled without any explanation or notification. And their sales folks can't answer any questions about when things will actually ship, or why the orders are vanishing.
Except orders for monitors; their UltraSharp 27 U2718Q is lovely, and they do seem to handle those orders properly and within a reasonable amount of time.
Also, the massive ThunderBolt dock
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This is exactly the kind of thing I'm concerned about.
We've also been bitten by the Dell supply issue, but that appears to be primarily because of Intel's inability to keep up with demand.
But having spent a lot of time manually futzing around trying to get Linux to work on hardware, only to find a problem at the 11th hour that I would never have even considered to check for beforehand. It's extremely frustrating, especially when you make the discovery right when you're trying to do something critical.
Step in a right direction (Score:2)
I am happy that Dell is going into this direction, however with regard to Dell (not Linux dedicated though) I had some issues with a Bluetooth driver - kept reaching a state of close to 100%CPU usage - I hope that a dedicated Linux machine will not have any drivers issues.
I've been using laptops with Linux for a while now, mostly Lenovo (former IBM - not associated with either), their hardware selection is the most friendly for Linux, however it's unlikely I'll continue with them after their latest "bonus [arstechnica.com]
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Despite all of the above the biggest problem is that there are no Linux laptops available with AMD unfortunately, and this would be my key selection criteria - I know, one can always install one, but it's nice to have peace of mind knowing that hardware is being Linux friendly out of the box.
Seconded.
A dozen years late (Score:2)
New in 2019 ? (Score:2)
I'm 99% certain that Dell pre-installed Linux on machines over a decade ago. They even reduced the price (not as much as people thought it should be) because no Windows license was included now and then there was very minimal "support" after the sale was completed that people frowned upon.
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Replying to myself, yeap.... Found a C|net article that refers to Dell installing Ubuntu on machines back in 2007 and that this was their 2nd attempt, with a previous one being in 1999.
This isn't news (Score:3)
Dell has been doing this for YEARS. How is this news?
I can think back at least 16 years and being able to order Linux on various Optiplex and Precision models. Even if you didn't want to run RHEL or Ubuntu, you save almost $100 or so on the "Windows tax". Hell, some models even offered FreeDOS as an option.
And those of you hating on Dell: stop buying the low-end shit lines (Inspiron, XPS, etc) that are meant to compete with the low-end race-to-the-bottom shit computers from other manufacturers. Buy Optiplex, Latitude (NOT the 3000-series, though) or Precision. They have a solid, quality build and hardware/materials, are easy to service and upgrade, run Linux GREAT, and the tech support is an entirely different division so support is better.
I order a few Precisions from Dell with Linux every year, and have for ages.
Reviews? (Score:2)
It's one thing to throw Linux on a piece of hardware. It's another thing for said version of linux to run *well* on that hardware without unexpected hiccups.
Do all the hotkeys work? Does HDMI work? Does audio through said HDMI work? etc etc.
I learned the hard way that Linux sucks bollocks on Gigabyte laptops. The closest I was able to get to a fully functioning laptop was to use PopOS, but even then there were all sorts of annoying roadblocks that I had no idea *could* be a problem (like audio working
Re:So, instead of pre-installed garbage, you now g (Score:5, Insightful)
So, instead of pre-installed garbage, you now get... pre-installed garbage.
Whatever anyone may personally think of that, even if it were true, at least it's pre-installed garbage that a) doesn't cost the user in license fees and so b) doesn't pad Microsoft's pockets.
Even if you hate Ubuntu (assuming you aren't just in a hate on for Linux in its entirety) you can replace it with whatever distro you want in the knowledge that the computer shouldn't have any hardware that the kernel doesn't like. So whatever distro they choose, even the worst one, is a step up in cost and usability.
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I tried buying a laptop through Dell and it turned into a banking fiasco with Dell blocking my card.....
"This has to start with a story about Dell. I had just arrived in Paris and needed to buy a laptop that ran Linux and was preferably environmentally friendly. Greenpeace had Dell as third in their environmental list with a c+ and I knew they also did laptops for Ubuntu so I went to Dell France, searched Linux, and went to buy an Inspiron 15 3000. Except the transaction didn’t go through because my
Re:So, instead of pre-installed garbage, you now g (Score:4, Insightful)
"This has to start with a story about Dell. I had just arrived in Paris and needed to buy a laptop
So you tried to make an online order of an expensive item delivered to a place that's not your billing address. Everybody red flags those as probable credit card fraud, first your bank then Dell then Dell again even through you got the bank to override their default. As long as it's on credit Dell will be the one paying the chargeback, that's why they said it's okay if you do it by bank transfer. Big charges are okay if it's for services like a hotel or you're physically in a store but you're just blaming Dell for a fairly standard fraud prevention practice.
2FA (Score:3)
So you tried to make an online order of an expensive item delivered to a place that's not your billing address. Everybody red flags those as probable credit card fraud, {...} but you're just blaming Dell for a fairly standard fraud prevention practice.
Also, two-factor authorisations are a thing and that's precisely why lots of banks either warmly recommend them or absolutely require them on some transaction.
(e.g.: 3D Secure used to be "the thing" a long time ago. Nowadays, most of the banks I know of have transitioned to specific smartphone 2FA apps or dedicated devices.
Some banks still send you a warning and ask you to confirm for borderline cases)
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Banks (Score:2)
2FA sucks. I use randomly generated passwords with KeePassX.
KeePassX works with Banks and Credit cards ?
And can be used to confirm that you're using your own credit card and that it's not stolen ?!
Ever had your phone crash.
Yup, they take loads of abuse (I have some sport-y hobbies).
Hey where are my backup codes.....
On the backup server, along with all the other critical data from your phone?
Though one of the banks insist on using a physical letter with some QR-code-ish thing, you need to fish it to re-activate the log-in app, and you might not be geographically in the same location (not at home).
In my experience of 2FA it is another type of vendor lock-in and I am already subjected to enough of that.
A well executed 2FA that foll
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You can't blame Dell, it was your fuckup.
First, you should have informed your bank before the first attempt. It isn't good enough to ask the bank if there is a problem afterwards, because there isn't problem; you simply have to tell them first when making a big purchase while traveling. If you're traveling, you absolutely must tell your bank that part first, so that when you then call from overseas to tell them you're about to make a big purchase, they're more likely to be confident it is you.
Second, when t
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Have you tried to register your trip with your bank in advance, so that they would expect you to be in France at the time?
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So most manufacturers have proprietary drivers for their laptops, stuff like power management and special keyboard shortcuts that the OS doesn't support natively.
What happens to those on Linux? Does Dell's Ubuntu install come with special Dell software, or do these laptops simply lack those functions?
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Most of them work. I bought almost ubuntu preinstalled precision laptop about 6 months ago, but bought a 15 inch XPS and installed ubuntu myself. I'm not sure how this is news. The only thing that didn't work was the fingerprint reader and honestly, I don't want it, but their pricing deal made it cheaper to get that than to customize one to my specs without it. On Ubuntu 18.10 I had to tweak some things to get resume working with nvidia drivers installed. On ubuntu 19.04 everything just works (except the fi
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I too thought that finger print logon was not interesting, until out of curiosity I installed it on Ubuntu Mate. I really like it. Whenever I need to sudo, it's just a quick swipe. Especially under Linux, it's a nice feature! Login isn't the killer feature, the sudo 'swipe' is.
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On Linux, that stopped being the case about 15 years ago.
And on other OSes, things like power management almost always works better if you're not stupid enough to install drivers from the vendor.
The company that makes the keyboard, or whatever your device is, did not create the IC that the driver interfaces with. They selected which USB-HID device to use, and designed all the plastic and the circuit board. But not the part that the driver talks to. The driver that that company gives you has been adulterated
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That hasn't been true for maybe 15 years, probably more. Back since the Core days at least. The drivers are essential because that's how the manufacturer sets up all the thermal management and power saving stuff specific to that machine.
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And it's not just good for Linux users. These laptops might be a better choice for *BSD and other open source operating systems. I'd rather not pay for a windows license on a machine that will never boot windows again.
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Linux has gotten much, much better about notebook support, but I'm really curious about which notebooks support BSD distros at a workable level.
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Thinkpads work well, because everything is standard.
Most Dells will work too, but check the specific wifi adapter for drivers if you want that.
Everything else should work.
Except fingerprint readers, Thinkpads included.
There are a few weird models of Dell that have problems, but most are standards-based for everything major.