Dell doesn't dump Ubuntu
"Totally committed to providing customers with choice"
AS SOME READERS have pointed out, Dell is still flogging PCs loaded with Ubuntu.
Dell's Ubuntu's pages may have been a bit ropey. And the marketing man we spoke to perhaps knew not his backside from his elbow.
But thank the lords of the Interweb for spinners, eh?
Here's what Dell's EMEA PR manager has to say on the matter:
"Further to your report yesterday on your site, we would like to confirm that we are totally committed to providing customers with choice on our Inspiron notebook and desktop systems by offering Ubuntu on certain Inspiron desktop and notebook models - Inspiron 530n desktop and Inspiron 6400n notebook.
Desktop systems are currently available as per usual, however we are currently updating our notebook Ubuntu offering - thus the short gap out of availability - and this is now available on our webstore. We apologise for this short delay in refreshing the offering and be assured Ubuntu will continue to be available on both the Inspiron 530n desktop and Inspiron 6400n notebook as normal going forward.
Again, we would like to re-affirm our commitment to offering our customers total choice by offering Ubuntu."
So there you have it. µ
See Also
Dell
Dumps Ubuntu
Comments
Low Demand
Hi,I would like to point out that on both UK site and french site there is a small warning on the right when you try to configure a laptop :
Please be advised that there currently is an extended delivery time of approximately 2 weeks on Dell Inspiron™ 6400n with Linux/Ubuntu Notebooks.
And on the french site :
Fort de son succès, ce système connait un délai de livraison prolongé. Cliquez pour Plus de détails.
The english part says only there are delays however the french site says that there is TOO MUCH demand that is causing the delays. That would indicate that the dell guy that said there is too little demand is brain dead or the french site is lying!
French site :
http://configure2.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=fr&cs=frdhs1&l=fr&oc=N1164015&s=dhs
Choice?
The Ubuntu options are so well hidden that the only way anyone would ever be able buy them is if they already know dell sell them, and are specifically searching dell's site for them. This does not give any kind of choice to the average user who has never heard of linux and thinks windows is just another essential part in every computer.If they really wanted to promote choice, they would have a clear, easily visible option for Windows or Ubuntu with an obvious link to an impartial comparison of the two, which points out both advantages and disadvantages of each.
Choice? Not of CPU maker...
I note that Dell are "Totally committed to providing customers with choice", according to their spinner.Why then doesn't this extend to a choice of CPU-maker as well as OS for these laptops pre-loaded with Ubuntu? For religious reasons I prefer to have an AMD CPU as the beating heart of my system, but Dell only (apparently) provides me with a choice of Intel CPUs.
At least, that was the (lack of) choice I was offered when I followed the link...
Anader example of MS marketing trick
This is next example of marketing trick (Linux server loose to ms servers, vista is very well selling os, open source is violating 350 billion ms patents, and so on) sponsored by Microsoft.why dell is flipflopping
they are limited in the number of machines they can ship without getting harassed by Microsloth.ubuntu linux and AMD are working more closely together than Intel is. if there are hooks and special features in the 440bx chipset and the i810/915 subset including 945, then Intel is not willing to open them up to Ubuntu Linux porters and programmers.
furthermore, ati and nvidia are getting more OS drivers than Intel will develop i810 OSS-compliant drivers.
the problems with 7.04 and nvidia cards will be eventually resolved, though in new Intel graphic sets that went from 440BX to i810 ti 915 and up, went on to nVidia, leading to guess that nVidia is a subset of the original 440BX subset that was incorporated into i810 chipsets along with a native video controller ie 82810 and above, specificially the DC-133 CGC [Chipset Graphics Controller].