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96 Comments
- LondonDude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+41Surely the whole point of using an OEM is because you want to buy a system that is guaranteed to work?
- gyrfalcon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+25How the hell do you get same when you should have typed seem?
- totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -1/+24I call this number, I'm immediately talking to another TSP, this one
greets me by saying "Welcome to the Linux Experience by Dell..."
Ok, thats pretty cool :D - LANjackal, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22This is the second Ubuntu Dell review I've read where the PC shipped with nonfunctional hardware. The previous one, at MaximumPC, had a non-working soundcard. I must say that I agree with the previous post - if Dell's shipping PCs that only partly work, I might as well just stick to installing and running Ubuntu myself instead of getting Dell to do it.
- alpinweiss88, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21"Warning, quite a read but worth it" It wasn't very long at all, I read it in about 2 minutes. And I am not so sure about "well worth it" either. He bought a Dell with Ubuntu, had a hard time getting to support for his CD burning issue, had to mess with Nvidia drivers, and that was about it. The conclusion was that Dell didn't really have their support set up before selling pre-configured Ubuntu systems. Not a big surprise, they were most likely waiting to see how sales took off before investing a lot in it.
- GRTWHT, on 10/10/2007, -2/+19If you're going to refer to others as retards, you should really think about punctuation, grammar, and at least some vague concept of spelling in your own comments.
- o0joshua0o, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13It really didn't seem very long to me. I guess I'm used to reading longer things...like books.
- SimonGray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Of course it is Dell's fault. Dell shouldn't sell hardware that isn't properly supported by the software they sell along with it. You don't see Dell selling Windows computers without including all the hardware specific drivers as well, do you?
- rolosworld, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8sames to me he misspalled it.
- OneAndOnlySnob, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9What's the deal with the anti-Linux troll comments on Digg these days? This used to be a tech site.
- GMorgan, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6In any case the drive that is picky over media will be equally so under Windows. That is just a ***** drive rather than a problem with Ubuntu.
- jamangold, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Wow. Some people are just ***** insane. Please start taking your Haldol again.
- fluxion, on 10/26/2007, -0/+4its easier than you'd think. people often type words by pronouncing them in their head, and typing out the corresponding word. it's easy to mix up seem/same in your head, pronounciation-wise, and end up choosing the wrong word.
yes, i know this seems like something that only applies to mentally challenged people. but try waking up early for work one day and typing out some stuff on the intrawebs before your coffee as (edit: see! i meant to say has, this was not intentional!) kicked in, and it very likely you'll end up doing stuff like "go too the store then, n00b", "i spelled coffee all over my lap", "somewhat stole my car yesterday", etc.
and now you know, and knowing is >have< the battle - davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3seriously though, it's always best to do it yourself, if you can (whether windows or linux or something more adventurous). I think these are just signs of an old company doing something new. There will be a few hiccups but hopefully they're learning from them and will have them on par with the windows boxes they're shipping...whatever level Par may be to them ;)
- xspinkickx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4The thing I don't understand is if Dell decided to off the 8600GT as an upgrade, they could of made a friendly call to Canonical, or emailed Mark Shuttleworth and said, hey we are going to offering the 8600GT as an upgrade, would it be ok if you guys did us a favour and updated the package so the 8600GT is supported in the nvidia-glx package. I am sure Mark would of said yes (really would he say no to the largest OEM who are selling Ubuntu machines and selling canonical support??), as well as the maintainer of the package. I have used the latest nvidia driver provided from a third party repo. Dell could of done the same, it seems like the people who are running the linux experience know nothing about debian based distros. The 8600GT fiasco could of been avoided with a simple phone call, not to mention if there is an issue with the optical drive you are putting into the machines why are you even bothering to sell the damn things, if you end up replacing them??
I am glad dell is selling linux, but they need to get their act together. - Gavagai80, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Why would you imagine that there are any skills in common between using an operating system and building a computer? There aren't. I haven't a clue about hardware and don't care to waste time learning because it's not interesting. Linus Torvalds has said basically the same thing (well I think he has more of a clue than me, just less time), and Linus uses pre-made major-brand computers. Perhaps Linus is a dumb noob who isn't smart enough to use Linux, and thus shouldn't be marketed too?
If Ubuntu doesn't "just work" for you, that means you (A) bought incompatible hardware (B) have no familiarity with *nix and try to do everything the windows-way, or (C) make things too hard, such as by compliing from source. If your problem is (A) like the only problems I've had in recent years, then Dell is helpful. Otherwise it isn't. Though at this point Kubuntu just works on my HP desktop, since I worked out the ATI driver problem a year ago, I'll certainly favor Dell for my next purchase in order to limit incompatability risk. - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3This does seem to be a reason for concern. Has anyone had a good experience with Dell / Ubuntu computers? Hopefully their drivers and support will mature quickly.
- allywilson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3...Did anyone else go and start downloading BZFlag after reading that article?
- rayraym0fucka, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Well said sir ;p
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Did you read the article? The author was very impressed with Dell's Ubuntu tech support, but very annoyed how the Windows support guys were telling him to run EXEs and click the Start button etc. even though he told them repeatedly that he was running Linux. After he'd got through to them, they didn't even give him the Linux support number (he had to look on the internet for it).
- Chandon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Actually, Mac users have their own kind of Jobs. The annoying kind.
- macoafi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2My friend Mike hasn't had any problems with his Dellbuntu that weren't my fault. I suggested he try Compiz Fusion. That didn't go well, especially with us 250 miles apart where I can't stare at his screen and see what's wrong and him being a bit of a newb (with the exception that a CS degree means he understands building from source perfectly well).
- Wyzard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Ubuntu 7.10 is likely to have a new GUI configuration tool for X that supports setting up dual monitors.
- Sairgem, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I always love jackasses like you who preach that Ubuntu isn't a "real" distro. Let me guess, you run Gentoo, am I right? Elitists are cute.
- linuts, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Me. It took three weeks for my Inspiron 1420N to arrive because I chose a different colour (WTF?) but *everything* works OOTB. I'm very pleased with what Dell has provided.
Things that I wish I knew first:
If you reinstall from the provided CD, then not everything will work unless you get certain updates. This includes the WiFi and the CD, so getting those updates may involve a few gymnastics. See here for info: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=509408 If you reinstall from the rescue partitions though, this is all taken care of for you though (this assumes you haven't borked you disk).
Due to work, I have a lot of time invested in Red Hat and Fedora, so Ubuntu isn't for me despite how well it works. This is not a reflection on Ubuntu, which impressed me immensely. Fedora on the other hand has a few problems. Current release can't be installed from the CD/DVD (it can't find the CD drive after the initial boot) or from WiFi or LAN (neither cards are detected correctly) which left me with installing from an external USB. I have the 1440x900 display, and this was just as fuzzy as hell even though the resolution and sub-pixel rendering was set correctly. CD and networks still didn't work after the install, which makes updating the system very laborious and unattractive, especially as you don't know if it would work at the end of it.
Current Fedora beta/rawhide is a different animal though. Correctly detects DVD, LAN and display at install and post-install, so at least you have something to work with. Haven't got WiFi to work yet, although that may be ignorance on my behalf, and haven't tried to get the sound card working either.
I have to admit, I bought the laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed because I was expecting the hardware to be easily supported, and for that I am disappointed. However, as it works well in Ubuntu, its only a matter of time before Fedora catches up.
Bottom line, if you want Fedora on this its not for the feint of heart (yet). What Dell has provided though is flawless, so I am happy. - MWeather, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2step one when troubleshooting Ubuntu over the phone: sudo apt-get install openssh-server
- Chandon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2> I just switched to Ubuntu and it is not ready for "retard nation" to use it
Based on what? Lots of people seem to like to make that comment, and very few of them are willing to back it up with anything legitimate. 90% of the time they try to back it up with "my unsupported hardware didn't work". The rest of the time it's "I broke something following poor instructions on ricemyubunu.com" except for the (apparently extremely rare) case of "I couldn't figure out how to do something because the dialog box works differently than Windows XP so I gave up in 20 seconds".
I've got a gaming box with Vista on it, and if I evaluated Vista the way you guys seem to evaluate Ubuntu, I'd have given up with "OMG! This is too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop, I give up" like 20 times by now.
Watch:
Signed drivers? OMG! That's too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop.
Activation? OMG! That's too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop.
New control panel layout? OMG! That's too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop.
No drivers for my old laser printer? OMG! That's too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop.
UAC! Turn it off? OMG! That's too complicated, Vista obviously isn't ready for the desktop.
But evaluating an OS like that would be lame. So I don't say that. Instead I say that Vista has some design issues. Which it does. So does Ubuntu. But they both provide the technical functionality necessary for a desktop OS. - fluxion, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2i can imagine Purple Haze jamming in the background while he says that
- OnymousHero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2*Raises hand* ... 2 or 3 clicks via synaptic later and it was installed :D
- justinjstark, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Quite a read? The thing was about two pages.
- AlKo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Well, it does suck that you have to use the most current nvidia drivers to get support for the 8600GT. I had the same problem when I installed my 8600GT. I personally used Envy to load it... and yes, I know some people think it sucks... but it worked fine for me (crosses fingers that it doesn't break with Gutsy).
Dell isn't alone though on non-Windows support (or lack thereof)... basically tech support is most done by script readers with a Windows script, they're not really listening. My girlfriend spent 4 hours on the line with Epson trying to get Mac support for a printer. - pastaq, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Envy seems to be the only thing that gets my 8800gts to work. Even Nvidia's own utility causes xserver to fail.
- abhiroop, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Exactly. If I was buying a laptop now (although I'm VERY partial to HPs) I'd go for a dell, because in my mind I'd see it as the easiest way to get a fully functional ubuntu installation. Otherwise may has well get the microsoft version, and install ubuntu on it. I mean its always a good idea to have MS around (gaming, etc...) and the price difference is almost negligible.
- link5280, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1When you order, Dell states support is provided by a third party, which also requires an additional fee. Anyway, they shouldn't allow a customer to add hardware that isn't supported.
- Wyzard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm curious what nVidia driver they're using. I was under the impression that the 100.x drivers support all the 8000-series cards, and the previous drivers don't support any of them -- both on Windows and on Linux. So it seems odd that this box had a driver which could support an 8300 rather than an 8600.
But yeah, they probably shouldn't have offered the 8600 card as an option on a machine that doesn't (out-of-the-box) have a proper driver for it. - Wyzard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1And also for people who don't want one.
- marx2k, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You must be high
- RyeBrye, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6Funny, my impression was that was their entire userbase already.
- da5id, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Because 95% of Dell customers never burn a CD.
- georgtsipot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Clearly the machine worked as advertised. 1. He should have bought better blank CDs 2. Open source nv driver also works. 3. The "ubuntu way" of proprietary driver installation doesn't support this card because it's new, and ubuntu does not update its software, except for security reasons. For the "ubuntu way" he has to wait till October, for the new ubuntu. Nvidia does support his card though, and he installed it. 4. He doesn't say anything about sound, mic, camera, usb, wireless, may we suppose that they also work? What a crybaby!!
- abhiroop, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1isn't it verbatim?
- da5id, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1942 words to exact -- about the length of a grade school essay. S-)
- GuitaristTom, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2wtf dont digg him down that was funny... politically correct *****
- georgtsipot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What's the nonfuntional hardware? The blanks he bought (not from dell), or the card that worked with the open source driver as advertised? Proprietary drivers are not available by the ubuntu package management because of ubuntu policy of updating every 6 months. They are available through nvidia though.
- Wyzard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You can't (or at least, definitely shouldn't) move and resize partitions while they're mounted and in-use. To manipulate the OS partition, you have to shut down the OS and boot from something else (like a CD) instead.
- oobuntu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i downloaded the nvidia drivers from their site and ran the settings gui - it allows multimonitor support very simply. this was a desktop pc with a dual port video card
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Actually, it's more about Dell's support, and the components that Dell offer on their Ubuntu machines...
- diggitdawg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"could have", and not, "could of"
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Not liking an operating system's default theme is a really stupid reason to hate the actual OS...
- srg13, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I think it was more that the Restricted Drivers Manager didn't support the card. He should have been able to grab the driver from a repo, or from nVidia's website (the former being the better of the two)
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