What is Digg?230 Comments
- theMurdocVolta, on 10/12/2007, -21/+180[Store] Look honey it has the new Operating System "Ubuntu" and its such a deal.
[Home] That was so easy to setup, but I cant Install iTunes, I'll call Tech Support.
[Tech] Have you tried re-installing it, or unplugging your computer?
[Geek Squad] Looks like the Hard Drive need to be bigger, we have that.
[Your 17 year old kids friend] Linux doesn't support iTunes, your going to have to go online and download an alternative 3rd party application.
[Finally] Huh?! - borninda818, on 10/12/2007, -22/+133All these years of thinking Dell is the enemy come to an end today. The ONLY enemy is MSFT.
- Tweakedenigma, on 10/12/2007, -7/+92Good on Dell they have all my business from here on out.
- ldog, on 10/12/2007, -7/+80I'm a fedora user(hence the logo), but I welcome this decision. Good for Dell, Good for Ubuntu. Good for Linux users.
Anything but windows or SLED. - mercurysquad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+69Why do I feel victorious when I had nothing to do with this? :D
- drag, on 10/12/2007, -4/+71""I think having a company like Dell that will specifically write drivers for Ubuntu on the PC's they sell means that people will have a much smoother and easier transition to linux then they would if they just grab a CD and replace Windows on their current PC.""
Dell doesn't write drivers. Linux drivers are written by Linux developers, X.org developers, and hardware makers working with those developers (aka Intel).. for no-cost, optionally. What Dell will do is _test_ the drivers and pick hardware specificly to work well with Linux.
When a new laptop is released to the public 9 times out of 10 it will have nearly full support from Linux out-of-the-box. However the support won't be perfect and it may only be aviable in newer kernels then the ones your distributions uses. For example Linux version 2.6.23-rc4 may support your webcam.. but it's not going to help you out much if your distribution ships 2.6.18.
Then there are often nagging issues with details like power management or stability with specific combinations or specific variations of hardware. Linux developers themselves can only test what hardware they own. If you are the first person to use a laptop with Linux on it then it's going to be tough going for you if your not very familar with Linux.
So Dell will test and find bugs in the software and hardware. Then they will file bug reports and help out Linux developers make specific hardware work as well as possible. They will also put pressure on chipset makers because they will only ship hardware that they can get good support for. Then they will make the patched and updated drivers aviable to their customers while the changes get incorporated into future kernel versions. They will take care of the customers by doing this for a year or so then when the next version of Ubuntu after that gets released then all the fixes will be incorporated into the kernel so users don't have to muck around with driver cdroms or anything like that anymore.
Keep in mind that with the Linux kernel it's much much easier for driver developers to write drivers and have those drivers incorporated into the latest kernel developers.. then after the drivers get incorporated into the kernel proper then _backport_ those drivers to older kernels.
It's much much more difficult for a company to make a driver for something like 2.6.18 or so then try to update it to the latest kernel.
So the best approach, with Linux, is to have open source drivers and work with the kernel developers to get those drivers incorporated into the kernel as quickly as possible. - Philodox, on 10/12/2007, -2/+65yes! I can't think of a distro that deserves it more
- aussieNickuss, on 10/12/2007, -10/+63I think having a company like Dell that will specifically write drivers for Ubuntu on the PC's they sell means that people will have a much smoother and easier transition to linux then they would if they just grab a CD and replace Windows on their current PC.
- ilikefun, on 10/12/2007, -6/+50IM IN YOUR DELLZ INSTALLING BLOATWAREZ RIGHT NOW!
- coredump0x01, on 10/12/2007, -2/+44Ubuntu or not it's still Linux. And if this Dell deal results in Linux Desktop marketshare to grow then we may finally get through to game studios and software companies (Adobe Photoshop, etc) to port their apps to Linux, It'll be fantastic for Linux in general and not specifically Ubuntu.
- JQP123, on 10/12/2007, -9/+46My advice to Linux fans, don't start the party just yet.
We could be witnessing the start of something very big for Linux. We could also be witnessing Linux's last stand for the desktop. Only time will tell which is the real case. As always, the decision rests in the hands of the consumer.
Scenario 1: Large numbers of consumers purchase a Ubuntu machine and love it. Support is a manageable issue for Dell, they make money, everyone is happy, the year of Linux on the desktop has *finally* begun.
Scenario 2: Large numbers of consumers purchase a Ubuntu machine and hate it. Support is a nightmare for Dell, they lose money, raise the price of Ubuntu machines to compensate or discontinue them altogether. Linux on the desktop is dead, dead, dead.
Scenario 3: Consumers ignore the Ubuntu machines for the most part, relatively few machine are sold. Dell discontinues Ubuntu for lack of interest, Linux on the desktop is dead, dead, dead.
Scenario 4: Die-hard Linux fans purchase just enough Ubuntu machines to keep the product line alive at Dell. Linux on the desktop remains pretty much where it is today --- the OS of choice for geeks and communists. Linux on the desktop meanders along in the background; however, fans lose talking points regarding vendor discrimination against Linux. - coredump0x01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+35The fact that they stood up to Microsoft and did this IMO makes them substantially less evil.
- stmiller, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34Now the question remains: will the machines be priced the same as a machine with Windows? Or do we get a MS Tax-free machine?
- omarciddo, on 10/12/2007, -27/+59I doubt those at Redmond are going to get too much sleep tonight.
- Tenoq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29I'd love to say the same! Good on Dell for going Ubuntu though.
You'll have my support too when you have appropriate servicing & spare parts available in Australia. - etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -5/+32Fantastic news - Ubuntu was the logical choice for De... transmission interrupted: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0.
- mercurysquad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29Duh. It's not like there was some sort of inherent hatred for Dell. Now that they're gonna ship Ubuntu, that does make them better than before.
- HerrEisenheim, on 10/12/2007, -8/+35Don't be so proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to pre-load Linux is insignificant next to the power of bloatware.
Coming Soon from Dell: The first Linux systems with bloatware. - sabrebutt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24This was added to Dells website yesterday.
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=2F0A15EB21C7E5DDE040A68F5B285AAE&cs= - zacinece, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25# Fabián Rodríguez Says:
April 30th, 2007 at 20:23
Well, I am an employee (Senior Ubuntu Support Analyst) at Canonical Global Support Services. We were specifically asked to wait until now before disclosing this.
seems credible to me - fkr3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23Blog news? Don't you know who Fabien Rodriguez is????
He's some Canadian guy ... - aussieNickuss, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24@ drag
I have absolutely no idea how drivers are written or who writes them, all I'm saying is that having Ubuntu come with a Dell means it most likely gauranteed to work perfectly from the start and there'll probably also be support for those not savvy with linux. - GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24Stupid mouse. I was supposed to digg you down hdtvdust but my MS mouse is playing up.
Anyway I think it's fair to say that a major OEM supporting Linux is a worry to MS, simply because it will increase the amount of OSS compatible hardware out there. - noseeme, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21Another small step in chipping away at Ubuntu Linux Bug #1. :)
https://launchpad.net/bugs/1 - DrinkPaint, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23I am going to buy a Dell laptop with Ubuntu
BECAUSE I'M AWESOME!!! - bonked, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21Considering that Canonical has obviously been in talks with Dell, I'm assuming they will be the go to for support.
- Mandeep, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22So this still leaves the question...is Dell going to support users who buy Ubuntu on their laptops or do these users have to go online and get community support?
- Shananra, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21probably about the same, the crapware usually pays for the windows license. If they're cheaper, the savings are likely to be marginal at best.
- jcasebmw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19Good job Dell. This is OSS history in the making guys. Linux is finally becoming more "mainstream".
- jownz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20@theMurdocVolta
AmaroK is an excellent substitute for iTunes. The project has come a really long way over the past year!
http://sourceforge.net/projects/amarok/ - Philluminati, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18An Enemy of my Enemy is actually my .... New hardware supplier.
- marnaq, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17I don't think they are allowed to call it Ubuntu if they add bloatware.
http://www.ubuntu.com/aboutus/trademarkpolicy - JQP123, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20"I'm running Kubuntu, and I'm not a communist. Nor do I think I'm any geekier than many Windows XP users."
A non-scientific survey conducted by an unknown authority suggests that due to the declining quality of education, a significant number of people couldn't recognize communism if it bit them on the ass. Also, this same survey shows that the average Linux users is in fact 26.739% percent geekier than the average XP user.
In other words, lighten up a little. - aussieNickuss, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18@ coredump0x01
Not just more support for Linux but also might finally show game developers that they should begin investing more in cross-platform developments and not just focusing on Windows. More game support for linux would probably also mean more support for Macs. - nickisgod1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16not a huge fan of the buntus, but i will still buy this for my next laptop just to show support. good for dell
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17Even if it's the same price, due to no pay from bloatware... I would rather have my $$ not given away to a company that I am not buying software from. Support Linux!
- demortes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Just don't call their tech support.
- BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16"""AmaroK is an excellent substitute for iTunes. The project has come a really long way over the past year!"""
Indeed it's better than that - many of its users consider it the best featureful music player on any platform :)
I wouldn't replace amarok with iTunes if someone offered me money to. - Shananra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I never thought I would ever say this about Dell, but I hope they're successful with this. At the same time, this could make or break Linux- if they screw this up it'll tarnish the name for quite some time.
- oobuntu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Quote from blog: "To all those ending up here - sorry. I had to take this down until further notice, I am still not sure why. Just to be clear, bandwidth never was a problem. Thanks for understanding."
- Theli, on 10/12/2007, -7/+22I'm running Kubuntu, and I'm not a communist. Nor do I think I'm any geekier than many Windows XP users.
My choice of OS doesn't make me into a stereotype. - jimmarch1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16The reason they're going with Ubuntu is simple: it's by far the biggest distro available that has a corporation's complete backing YET is free as in "no cost to download and install".
Novell's support of OpenSuse is shaky, Red Hat's support of Fedora is shaky. Both distros are really long-term beta-tests for Suse and RHEL.
Ubuntu's basic business model is unique among major distros. That's why they got the nod here. Dell needed to do business with a corporate entity on support yet they wanted to cut costs.
Plus Feisty is pretty damn good :). - Philluminati, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17
I don't care if it costs the same as a Windows machine all I care is that I explicitily DO NOT give ANY money to Microsoft. - Haplo, on 10/12/2007, -10/+24A real victory for OSS would be if people stop writing Microsoft as Micro$oft (or other "funny" names) and stop playing the pathetic zealot. If you don't like Microsoft and you consider OSS better show it to the people by using it and show a happy face instead of writing like a fanboi with issues.
OSS can only become mature if its user base start to behave like adults. - reb42, on 10/12/2007, -5/+19bye-bye MacBook!
- ZippidyDoo, on 10/12/2007, -10/+24Mmm blog news. Must be accurate.
- KevinJim, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15"Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side-effect." -- Linus Torvald.
- ilikefun, on 10/12/2007, -5/+17yeah, or they can just go to geek squad. i'm sure they're very knowledgeable about ubuntu
/sarcasm - mercurysquad, on 10/12/2007, -10/+22Will be priced higher than windows machines.
- dragazis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12As a Mac user, I whole heartedly welcome this. Sure it's great that it's going against Microsoft, but it now gives people a new option to turn to in terms of operating systems and that can't be anything but good. Hopefully more computer manufacturers will take note and jump on the bandwagon. I've also been interested in buying a linux laptop as a my next one for some time now, so if the price and spec's are right, I'm sold.
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