Direct2Dell

I have an International Credit Card, with visa sign on it. Can I use it to buy a notebook in the U.S. and have it shipped to my current address in the US? Thanks!

 great lol..thnks.

Ditto

Johnny Canuck wants ubuntu.

Canada wants ubuntu! WE PAY WITH BIG DOLLAR! 

Amazingly enough, here we are 6 months later and there's no word from anyone about Dell offering Ubuntu on equivalent models in Canada.

The question has been asked half a dozen times in this post, and there have been replies from Dell staffers all around them, but nobody will address the issue of selling these units in Canada.

Maybe I can ask an easier question instead:  Is there a way for a Canadian customer to buy an equivalent unit with (gag) WIndows installed, and then wipe it and reconfigure as an Ubuntu box?  Personally I would prefer to have the same configuration that Dell offers in the US (restore partition, etc.) rather than just do my own Ubuntu installation from scratch.  What are my options?

I'm still amazed that Dell's dropped the ball on this.  The market for Linux in Canada can't be that small.

I´m live in Brazil I´m a proud 1501 owner.

 The problem here is the price of the equipment. I paid us$ 499,00 (in US) for a 1gb AMD X2-50 notebook with vista premium. In Brazil, a similar notebook costs US$ 2000,00 or US$ 2500,00 .

However, i ´m using Ubuntu and ist fits perfectly, wireless too.

Definitly,  next time i travell to US i´ll buy a Dell laptop, if it come with linux.

n. 

Hello,

 In a Dimension 9200 ,  I've installed  Kubuntu 7.04  almost everything all right but Sound, Kmix said it can found a mixer.

  ¿Can anyone help me?

Thanks,

Hugo.
 

I was getting ready to go through the gauntlet of having to buy a machine from a whitebox vendor (selecting individual components to make sure they'll be working ok under Linux) when I noticed that Dell has changed its attitude towards Linux.

I'm now ordering a XPS 710 from Dell - please note that the ONLY reason I'm now choosing Dell is the change in attitude.

I just hope that this isn't just a temporary change in attitude.. like it has been on previous occasions.

Might I add my +1 to the request for these systems being made available in Europe?

I suspect many of the potential customers over here would even take them just as they are now, without localisation or any other fancy stuff above what Ubuntu offers out of the box.

So, please do extend this offer to the european market. How long have geeks like us stared in envy at shiny, well-designed Dell hardware that would only run smoothly on windows; plus you had to pay for the dreaded Windows license...

Here's your chance to make geeks happy around the world... 

question to send the product ID and other necessary information for

autodetection to the Gphoto project when they release a new camera (or

even BEFORE they launch the new camera!!). In that way people can

easily see which camera's will work with Gphoto and base their

purchase on this information. If the manufacturers send this

information before they released the new model, this would mean the

camera can be recognized on Linux distributions the day of the camera

launch!"

It's very simple for the manufacturers of digital camera's, they just have to publish for each new camera 3 small lines of text. For example:

name: Canon PowerShot A570 IS

product ID: 0x314c

distributor ID: 0x4a9

(2 lines may even be sufficient, as the distributor ID will not change I guess)

This small thing to increase end user experience on Linux AND other operating systems that also will be able to benefit from this information only requires some big vendor like Dell to require digital camera manufacturers to publish this few bits of text before they can deliver their product to Dell.

I wish they'd include a nicer GNOME theme in Ubuntu, its so ugly when compared to Windows Vista or Mac OS X - it's like they're still stuck in the last generation, when grey toolbars and menubars were cool.

Beryl and XGL are cool, but it's gotta look cool overall, or it'll just look half-baked.

I just wanted to give a tip'o'the-hat to the Dell crew for offering linux, and for choosing a user-friendly distro.

Keep up the good work. 

Dear Dell: please partner with Fluendo to provide legal licensed codecs pre-installed on Ubuntu machines.

That would definitely put Dell ahead of the competition. 

This is a great step forward! I'm not a Linux geek, just a regular guy who needs a reliable, low-cost computer and can't stand Windows.

Looking forward to when you offer these computers for sale in NZ, depending on your offering there I'll be one of your first customers!

Remember one of the major strengths of Linux is its price. In the US you will be able to sell a few to Linux fans, but most normal people can probably afford a Windows computer. Once you start selling globally your sales should leap ahead, especially in South Africa where Ubuntu originated! If sales are poor in the US don't drop the line. The vast majority of your potential customers are NOT in America.

You will achieve few sales without positive publicity, which will involve a marketing campaign, and the use of positive statements like "We are not offering support for these propriety formats for legal reasons but you can easily get it working from this webpage" rather than making it sound to an average reader who doesn't understand Linux like he won't be able to play any of his media files with it. This will immediately turn off many customers.

The Ubuntu computers should also be far easier to find on the www.dell.com website, they are not obviously marketed anywhere on the front page or the main laptop page. If you don't already know they exist and use a search engine you will never find them. 

Congrats Dell. We wish you the best success in this endeavor.

Perhaps you all can explain this...

One model has the same basic parts layout, but has a GMA950

The other has a GMAX3000.

One model is Windows only- the GMAX3000 model.

The Linux driver is the SAME driver for both chipsets and the X3000 support is actually supposed to be robust, etc.

What gives here, guys?
 

Is Linux Ready for PrimeTime?

Nope!

Let's look at the barometer here.

The most signficant attempt in history to introduce Linux to the general population (who presumably can't afford to shell out a few hundred bucks for Microsoft Vista) is shipping with virtually no mainstream multmedia support!

That certainly doesn't bode too well.

What it really shows is Dell doesn't understand the PC market and hasn't learned the obvious lesson Walmart already learned.  That Linux (uh, any of the 60 odd mainstream distributions out there) is quite simply incomplete when compared to mainstream alternatives (Microsoft and Apple).

Watch for this to flame out and be reduced to smoldering embers in about a year and a half.  Dell's business model simply doesn't play well with low volume niche-plays.

Well, I have my stickers watting for it, I did have my DELL with Feisty and did run wonderfull. This one is not more with me, but I hope have a new laptop soon. If any one need they stickers of "powered by Ubuntu" check the System76 Page

Congratulatiosn Ubuntu and DELL
 

Hello !

 When is it possible to buy one laptop with Linux in Sweden ? Please inform me about that.

Regards, Urban, Sandviken, Sweden.
 

I look forward to see Linux-powered Dell systems here in Brazil!

Estou ansioso para ver computadores Dell com Linux aqui no Brasil!

As a computer tech, I laughed at first when I heard that Dell would be pre-installing Ubuntu Linux.  I thought that it was either a joke, or a publicity stunt.  But, I have read over many of the pages involved, and I am relieved to see that this is a measure that is indeed being taken quite seriously.  At the Texas Public School system where I work, I have a lot of older Optiplex GX 1 and 110 machines in my office that were recently replaced by newer machines.  I have found Ubuntu installs wonderfully on them with as little as 128 MB of SDRam.  Other than a few quirks with wireless cards, I have had absolutely no hardware issues.  But, even the wireless can be straightened out if you're even a little patient.

At home, I have 3 machines with Ubuntu Linux on them.  I have 2 homemade machines, one a 3.2 GHz Cele with 64 Meg ATI graphics, a 3.0 GHz P4 dual core with 128 GeForce graphics, and a very old Jetbook.  I have not had a single glitch with any of the graphics, and the 3D rendering works very well on the faster machines.

In short, I think that Dell has made the best choice in Distros for their Linux machines, and I wish them the best in their future endeavors in this department.  Who knows?  This may be the circumstance that changes my opinion on Dell machines.  My applause, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Please ! I need a brand new D830 with a Debian based distribution (You got it ! I meant Debian :-) Ok ... Ubuntu is nice also !)

 

Hi it is nice to see some positive potential support from a major manufactuer for Linux compatiple hardware. What I am looking for is simply an affordable linux campatable Laptop or Desktop that has good native support for multiple versions of linux out of the box, if it can run the evil os as well that could be handy at times also. Easy native wireless and modem networking is a must without propriety drivers please.

Primarily I see the value in this for me is in knowing that the hardware would just work with most modern distros, I would envisage that I would probably end up with a multiboot system with different Linux versions in multiple partitions.

My next need is for systems that would support intensive graphics and rendering and clustering under Linux. So to put it simply I need an entry level laptop and desktop with wireless and modem support and entry level desktops through to top performance graphic workstations with modem and wireless that I know support Linux and have excellent stability and performance.

I see tech support for new users as a potential problem for Dell perhaps
that is actually where the a new income stream could be built?

Sell sytems with limited or no support and offer pay for optional customer support packges as oppossed to selling or charging for operating system
install and setup?.

Regards

Michael

New Zealand 

Absolutely brilliant, I do hope this strategie works out well for Dell. An I would love to buy these Ubuntu-preinstalled PCs in Germany as well!

Go Dell, Go! 

Well, congratulation on offering Ubuntu on Dell Computers...IT WAS ABOUT TIME...the truth, and this is just my opinion...Vista is SO demanding on RAM and Hard Disk memory that I am no willing to give Windows so much of MY computers just to have the their latest version of Windows runing...I am going to stay on Win 2000 and XP (I haved Ubuntu installed in a virtual machine on my computer to start learning how to use it...) Until I can buy another PC with either NO Operating System OR Linux installed...

Any aproximate idea on when can we expect Linux based Dell computers on Latin America?, Greeting...

Okay, most of the comments here are about how to get these machines outside US. So when/how it'll be? I bet there's way bigger demand for these outside the states.

Greetings for EU ;-)

 

A suggestion...

First,sorry for my english...then:

we know that one of the reason which let a consumer choosing windows instead Linux is the great lack of game.Dell,you,er..could(optionally?) sell your linux based pc with a basic (ie. three months) cedega product (you could speak with transgaming) like is usually done for antivirus. It will be simple for the Desktop target customers.

two months ago I bought a dell notebook.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a refund for Vista. I'm using Fedora, but voted for Ubuntu (we use redhat servers at work). If I can not get a refund, can I donate the license to DELL so that they don't have to spend money to buy it for another user? :-) 

Greate stuff, Dell! I´m amazed that you made this happend so fast!

Hoping for a basic laptop like the HP 7300 or Toshiba L30 with alot of battery time for a small penny.

Thank you!!!! Always Open Mind. Now we have a second choice (Linux is the first one :D). My next laptop will be a Dell. :D

Good Job

Thanks Dell.

"My only request, could we be given the option of Kubuntu as another option, and possibly Xubuntu?"

All you have to do is go to a terminal and type:

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

or

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

or

sudo apt-get install edubuntu-desktop 

This will give you Kubuntu, Xubuntu, or Edubuntu. Problem solved.

My only question is will those buttons on the front of my E1505 still play my music, videos, pictures, and such without booting up the computer?  If so, will this software be based on Linux?  Maybe you could use a scaled down version of 'Linux Media Center Edition' for this feature which is based on Ubuntu anyway...? 

B.T.W.  Using a Dell Inspiron E1505 right now. 

How long would it take for latino american customers to get one of these Linux noteboos/desktops on LA stores?

If I have an international Credit Card, Can I get a notebook from USA Store, and get it delivered to my home, through Fedex/UPS?

 Thanks 

Good call. All of this seems reasonable, unoffensive, and a good start. I like the strong support for free drivers. I'll probably buy an E1505 laptop myself. It might be nice to increase the span of hardware available on the E1505 eventually -- I would greatly prefer a WUXGA (1920x1200) LCD, like on my 3-year-old XPS, or even an UXGA (1600x1200) like on my 6-year-old Inspiron 8100.

Many people do, unfortunately, accept proprietary drivers. You should consider options for people purchasing laptops with non-free (or even unsupported) hardware, running Ubuntu, with an appropriate warning. Unsupported hardware may be important for people dual-booting (which is also useful to support). Again, these are long-term suggestions. What you're doing now is an excellent first step.

Just so you're aware, many GNU/Linux users are also thought leaders, and you're winning our mindshare by doing this. Even though we're only a few percent of the market, we control maybe 3-4 times that share in purchasing decisions. In my case, I decide what laptops most of my Windows-using coworkers, friends, and family buy. These will be heavily tilted towards Ubuntu-compatible (but not preloaded) Dell models now.

Good News!!

Dell, Europe is waiting for your pre-installed linux systems.

Once we'll have that option, I will personally suggest Dell to friends and other people.
 

I like the 1505.  Fits in my price range, and does what I need it to.  I'll certainly be on Dell.Com on Thursday, Visa card in hand!

It will be fun to show it to my buddies at work.  It will also mark me as much more technically advanced than the other people I work with.  I was going to buy a laptop back in April, but I'm waiting around for this one.  It better come with a penguin sticker!

 I really think Dell will be happy with how many get purchased in the first week.  Many of us have been waiting a long time for a major OEM to release a Linux laptop, and we will do all in our power to support it.
 

Linkage to a purchase page would be helpful.

I really think the majority of *untu users are not too terribly concerned with jaw dropping grade A tech support. If we're not the intended audience for these systems then charging over $900 would be understandable.

Light weight, sorta slick looking & cheap gets my vote.

My only two issues are:

1.  Noobs that don't understand the concept of codecs and why they aren't included - these are people who aren't just inexperienced, but those lacking in common sense.  I expect the inexperienced to probably figure it out, but those lacking in commonsense to whinge about "Linux being stupid".

2.  These aren't being offered in Australia - I would buy one if they were.  Not happy Jan. 

Thanks very much to all for addressing my concerns.  I look forward to purchasing a Dell/Ubuntu laptop.

 Best regards.

@Yuri

Hopefully you are aware that OEM copies of Windows are non-transferable.  Even if you throw away the computer that came with OEM Windows, that copy of Windows is "used up."  You are not legally allowed to use it again.  You can only re-use boxed retail copies of Windows.  So, if all those licenses came with computers, you DID need them and you will need to pay for them again when you buy new computers.

First, thank you! I've wandered through the lands of laptops for a few years now, and had already been strongly considering buying a Dell. That you're going with a good 'tech-geek friendly' distro like Ubuntu just solidifies the deal.

My only request, could we be given the option of Kubuntu as another option, and possibly Xubuntu?

Like so many others have asked for, when will this be available in Canada?  The sooner it's ready, the sooner you get my C$. 

Looking forward to buy one in Holland! I'm using ubuntu on my desktop for sometime (i'm not tecnicall at all) and i find it realy easy to get used to. At the moment i'm trying to buy a (new) laptop without OS (and install ubuntu (a friend will help me)) but till now I was'nt able to find one. Every laptop come's with windows. I would like a low budget Dell laptop with Ubuntu.

Tums up for dell (but i'm afraid I cant wait for the introduction in Holland) 

@ Dell Tech Support

 We'll help you! At least as best as we can. You'll need access to look stuff up on the web and chat with folks in the open source community. You'll also need to be able to test stuff out on machines in your lab. With that, and your own internal knowledge bases and wiki's, you should be able to put the community's resources into context. I doubt that the majority of new customers ordering these machines will go directly to Dell support first, as these early adopters probably want the hardware compatibility guarantee more than anything else. I hope Dell will make some training available for you. They'd be falling on their faces not to. I would suggest sending Techs to LUG meetings at local universities & colleges (on clock of course!). There is a lot that we in the community need to do to help; not just you folks at Dell, but any commercial entity willing to commit to this level who actually seeks our guidance.

 Cheers!!


 

This is great!

I'm so glad Dell decided to offer an alternative to Window. I wish you a lot of sales.

 

This is great moves in the right direction. Here's my hoping this will get Dell to put the leans on Creative to release _anything_ to at least get a beep out of my X-FI soundcard in my Dimension 9200.

Currently they have spent 2 years saying they'll release a driver at some point, and thus far not even a closed source binary, let alone technical specs or *gasp* an open-source option.

My Dell still has no voice...let it speak at last!
 

I'm very pleased to see this initiative from Dell bear fruit.

There's only one thing...

We *will* see it actually get *mentioned* in print marketing materials, and on the front page of your consumer website, *right*?  Big Business has a tradition of saying "sure; we'll give you this thing you say you want", failing to promote it *properly*, and then pulling it, saying "well, nobody actually *wanted* it.

Pardon my cynicism, but it's not out of the blue; this sort of thing happens all the time.  Dell's general-consumer rep isn't all that hot right now to begin with -- customer support people who sound like they belong on the Simpsons, and the like -- the degree to which the opinions of geeks and other opinion leaders ought to matter to you guys is pretty high...

Best of luck with this.
 

For printers you probably want to look at how HP does things.

 
For their 'winprinters' they released and help to maintain open source daemons for managing them. HPOJ was original and such, but the modern ones are http://hplip.sourceforge.net/

 This way pretty much any distribution has built-in support for the majority of HP printers.

http://hplip.sourceforge.net/supported_devices/combined.html

Of course having a 'real' postscript printer would be better, but those tend to be more expensive and it's hard to justify that for casual printing.  

Will this all be available in the UK?

Whenever I go to the Linux related pages and hit nSeries Laptops and Desktops the site just 404s on me..

As some others asked, will it be available in Canada in a near future (within approx. 6 months) ?

Thank you 

If I choose a model that is supported by both Windows and Ubuntu, but choose the model with Windows installed (since I sometimes need to boot into windows) and install my own version of Ubuntu, will my experience differ from someone who chose Ubuntu pre-installed?

I'd like to say that I only need Ubuntu, but maybe 5 - 10% of the time I do need to boot into windows.

I'd love to buy a laptop that is well supported (esp by vendor) for Linux. Unless there is a dramatic savings by choosing Ubuntu, I will likely get XP or Vista as the pre-installed OS. 

Kudos, Dell! I am very impressed, this feels like a serious effort to make something happen.

To the naysayers: all this whining and negativity makes you sound like fools who will never be satisfied. This is a big step, appreciate it for what it is and recognize Dell for getting it started. 

@Mainstreamuser

No, this does not mean that you'll never get it working correctly. A quick Google search for instructions on installing the codecs and an install of Automatix will get you on your way. The catch is that you are "supposed" to pay for those codecs, which Dell is not currently doing, so you'll have to get them  on your own.

The entire process will only take a few minutes, even reading the "HowTo" from ubuntuforums.org. 

 Welcome to Linux!
 

This is such a serious boost to LINUX and its community, THANK YOU DELL!

I wonder if they will retrofit drivers for like the DELL 1390 wireless for better UBUNTU support? 

>>Jerry said:

   Personally I have no interest in buying any of these. Each of these appear to be locked into bottom of the basement models no one would be interested in buying. I was ready to buy an XPS system with an 17 inch monitor or the Dell M90 with the works, knowing that GNU/Linux runs on these systems extremely well and a lot better then windows does.

   Dell seems to be content only providing the machines Microsoft has told them that they can provide as to discourage customers from buying quality machines with Linux preinstalled.

   The biggest shame of this is that Dell is paying Microsoft for each of these machines that it does sell with GNU/Linux, And if they sell well, Dell will run back to Microsoft and buy more licenses under the pretense to the world that they are for Suse, but actually for Ubnuntu.

 Another disappointment to Linux community

Thats three in a row

1. First you agree to offer Linux then back out

2. Then you agree to offer it again, but run to MS and buy licenses for selling ubuntu, with the pretense that they are for Suse

 3. Now you offer Linux on crap model systems.
 

Good Riddance
 

No longer a Dell customer or supporter. I prefer to buy from a company with balls, rather then one that is a wuss for Microsoft.
 

well for the needs of the rest

http://getautomatix.com

and then your non free blah will be sorted

nuff said

@mainstram user: Installation of those proprietary tools and codecs should be fairly easy, though you'll probably have to google for it. I'd suggest using key words like "ubuntu", the codec name, and "how to" for starters. Try it now to see if the information is easy to find, way over your head, or in the realm of the doable for you. But considering that lots of other people will want to play mp3s and various movies and such on their Dell Linux laptops (and desktops) it is virtually guaranteed that you'll find such "how to" info within weeks or even days.

And I applaud Dell for offering Linux at last. I hope that Dell's hardware choices put enough pressure on hardware vendors for them to open their specs. We all win (including Dell, of course).

Great! :)

I hope that you can talk to some hardware manufacturers and get them to release open source device drivers, or specification for their hardware.

@mainstream user: The Dell Linux wiki should provide details to set up your future laptop for playing proprietary codecs, in a language you, as a mainstream user, can understand.

 If not, the Ubuntu wiki is always available as well as a number of third party apps, one used by Michael Dell himself, which installs such codecs for you.
 

Mainstream user:

No, you'll be able to play mp3s and such.  They are not included in the default distribution due to ridiculous legal issues.  Feisty Fawn (Ubuntu 7.04) makes it easy to install the necessary codecs to play audio and video.

See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/7.04Tour for more info.

@mainstream user

Those do work with ubuntu. They won't be included by default, just like windows.
 

Kudos!!!

Thanks for new Linux machines.  I recently bought an Ispiron 6400 with Vista Basic -- which I quickly wiped out and installed Linux. On my second distro and two weeks later I managed to get the Dell1390(broadcom) wireless card to work with NetworkManager/ndiswrapper. Another week later for the ATI video card.  But now it's working, I am connecting to Exhcange (at work) with Evolution and also connecting to the network drives on the Windows network. I am really happy with the computer right now -- it's working great with good performance from the Duo core.

Here is a crazy idea:  how about a trade-in/upgrade promotion to get the official Ubuntu flavor?
 

Wow, this is the real deal?

By the way, a little bird told me that one of the systems to get Ubuntu was the 1505.  I want!

@mainstream user:

 In the past the proprietary codecs have been a problem. With the latest version of ubuntu due to licencing issues it is not included by default. But when you click on a file requiring a codec, ubuntu automatically downloads the correct one for you. It is the best that it could possibly be.

It looks like hey are offering no more than a typical System76 unit would with an Ubuntu install. The fact that they are a larger OEM provider and have a few strings to pull will only help us, the end user, to have better hardware support on many machines now and in the future.

@mainstream user
That's not right. The won't be out-of-the-box support for formats like MP3 or WMV [but OGG!]. But if you click on a mp3, a window pops-up and asks: "Wanna install MP3 Codec? [...] restricted [...]

[YES] [NO] "

If you click yes, it downloads the codec with any further action. Then you can play MP3s with Totem (Video-Player). Same for WMV, MPG and so 

@Steve

I doubt that they will put Ubuntu in E1705 for the moment. They would have said.

However, I will buy one item of the smallish 1505 just to say "hey Dell, I was not joking when I voted for Ubuntu!".  Then I will buy (for my family) some other pieces when better items are available.  Come on Dell, don't be lazy!

Oh... wait... I'm from Italy, so I'll have to wait anyway.

@mainstream user -

Ubuntu has about the smoothest learning curve of any Linux distribution out there. I've seen people who can't even use Windows without getting help figure Ubuntu out. If you can use Windows, you can use Ubuntu.  The multimedia codecs shouldn't be a big deal, Ubuntu should pop up a notification asking you if you want to install them if you try to open those files that need them.  As long as you have an internet connection you can download the codecs, one-click easy.  Also, if you ever have any other questions or concerns, check out the Ubuntu Forums. Most of the people there are really nice and willing to help out with anything.

 Has anyone else noticed that this page is creative commons'd? That's just awesome right there. : )
 

Great job, Dell!

I have been watching the development and am very excited about the options so far.

Hardware vendors are key and I hope more of them will provide the hardware documentation so open drivers can be used as this certainly makes the most sense and broaden the offerings in time to even more laptops and desktops.
 

@mainstream : When you Buy a Windows Or Mac machine , you don't have any support for audio or video codecs either ! Windows comes with their crappy WM formats , and apple did better with the most standards formats ( MPEG) . Linux comes with royalty free formats : vorbis & theora , so those can be played without any installation.

For MPEGs & WMs formats , ubuntu asks you if you want to install them from the internet when you need them. This allow Ubuntu to avoid paying using patented formats.

This is the first time it has been so easy to install coecs in linux !  

SO IT IS EASIER TO INSTALL CODECS ON UBUNTU THAN ON WINDOWS OR LINUX.  

Working with hardware vendors to solidify (or create) their Linux device drivers is a dream come true for those of us from the Unix world.  Many thanks for all your hard work in this area!

I am looking forward to buying a new Dell laptop with a Linux that I don't have to install myself.

Regards,

Thomas P. Donnelly

Captain, USNR (ret)

Dell, I have a Dell laptop from work. And you can be sure that I will install ubuntu onto it [like on my home desktop :-]. You can also be sure that when I buy a personal laptop it will also be a Dell. You have my full support from now on! Nice work!

 Rob, Belgium.
 

Fedora Core 6 runs fine on the Dell XPS 710. After installing FC6 all that
was needed was the NVIDIA driver, which was easy to fetch and install, and configuring the sound card, which took five minutes using the sound card detection utility and  then changing sound preferences.

 http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html

Using the NVIDIA X Server Setting utility it was easy to set my dual cards to SLI mode.

Thanks for this initiative!

If you make them available in Europe i'll by my next Laptop from dell ;)

Maybe nvidia can be convinced by dell (and the pressure from amd)  to open their driver...
 

Great to read about this initiative!

Suppliers always seem to be afraid about supporting linux.

"The peripheral options offered with Ubuntu will be a subset of what is offered with other operating systems."

What does that mean? That we'll have problems when plugging in a TV card, an extra network card, or USB device, or any other device that was not supplied by Dell?

@ mainstream user: of course you will. Just take a look at my comment. Its fu... uhm .. very easy to install codec-related packages, even my dad, who was a windows and DOS guy for many years told me last sunday he's turning into a real Ubuntu-fan, it took a bit of his time but he got the "proprietary" codec stuff working without the help of above mentioned sites!

And he's NOT the ultra-techie guy - like me - he just wants his computer working!

cu, w0lf. 

@mainstream user:

 This was the beauty of choosing Ubuntu 7.04. When you open a file that needs a proprietary codec, you are given a simple prompt (a Yes or No) to download them.

They are not installed by default because some Linux users feel very strongly against anything proprietary. 

Way to go! Its about time a major producer sold computers with Linux pre-installed.

Glad to see you guys are actually going to go through with it.
 I was afraid that you would get cold feet.

I have not bought a new computer in many years because I am sick of giving money to Microsoft for an operating system that I do not need or use. Looks like my next computer will be a Dell. 

"At this time, we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs that are not already distributed with Ubuntu 7.04. These include MPEG 1/2/3/4, WMA, WMV, DVD, Quicktime, etc. We are evaluating options for providing this support in the future."

That is too bad.  I was even hoping for some proprietary software for playing DVDs, like LinDVD.  

My only question is will those buttons on the front of my E1505 still play my music, videos, pictures, and such without booting up the computer?  If so, will this software be based on Linux?  Maybe you could use a scaled down version of 'Linux Media Center Edition' for this feature which is based on Ubuntu anyway...? 

B.T.W.  Using a Dell Inspiron E1505 right now.  

@mainstreamuser:

 Well, in case this isnt just a bit of troll baiting but serious, I'll be answering seriously:

Generally, Dell made a real good pick with Ubuntu when it comes to usability for mainstream/non-geek users as it is to some concers even easier to administer than Windows. Those codecs you mentioned (the stuff which lets you access your dvds/movies/mp3s/etc) Dell can't deliver due to legal issues, but you can install those easily (and I mean easy as in foolproof easy) with some mere clicks and entering your system password to ok the action.

And you can find yourself lots and lots of ubuntu support all over the internet, in plain non-tech language as ubuntu is used by a lot of non-techs and from what I read most of those people are really enthusiastic about their systems especially when they are long-time windows users who finally got rid of their chains ;)

@mainstream user

"we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs" means:

You doubleclick a mp3 file, Ubuntu asks if you want the codecs to be installed for you, you enjoy your music.

As for DVD a little google search  is still required to get extremely simple guides.

It's not a complete solution, but it seems to me better than nothing *and* going to be solved soon. Average Joe should feel confident. 

What about EU countries, are there restrictions...

Will there be a DVD (installation media) + partition editor...?

@ mainstream user - "When I see things like 'we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs' I assume that means I will never be able to get the laptop to work properly.  Will I have a steep learning curve?"

This depends on what you define as a properly working laptop. Properly working to me is that the hardware is functional and that the operating system, be it Linux, Unix, or Windows, will allow for usage of all the hardware. But from your context, I gather that you're looking at it from a purely software angle where it is the applications used that will determine the functionality. 

I can't speak for Dell, but I can assure you of one thing: There is a massive amount of material available within the online community of Ubuntu users. A great starting point is http://www.ubuntuguide.org followed by http://www.ubuntuforums.org. Furthermore, in the vast majority of cases it's as simple as Googling: [keywords] ubuntu.

For nearly all classes of applications, there are open source alternatives to commercial Windows applications. Everything from audio and video recording/editing/playback to office suites and financial management, and all points in between. The quality varies, but a lot out there is good. In more than just a few cases, the application is superior to a comparable commercial Windows or Mac OS offering. Additionally, it is also possible to run Windows on Linux using VMWare and run Windows applications and games within Linux using programs such as Wine, Crossover Office, and Cedega. Yes, there are even commercial Linux applications. You will have many options and ways of tackling the problem.

As for proprietary codecs, there will probably be a commerical offering via Linspire's Click 'N Run in the near future which will likely cover DVD playback. Right now, Fluendo has licensed codecs already for MP3, MPEG 1/2/4, WMV, and AAC.

You've already had to deal with a learning curve with one operating system - Windows. Now that you've got that under your belt, learning a relatively user friendly Linux distribution such as Ubuntu should be a painless undertaking. As long as you take advantage of the best resources out there, namely Dell, Canonical, and most of all, the Ubuntu community, you shouldn't any problems getting most of your day to day tasks, and even some odd ones, accomplished. There are millions of people out there you can ask, just don't be afraid to do so. Most of us like to help, even if some of us out there would rather tell you "RTFM (Read The Freakin' Manual)".

I've spent a long time with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. I love and loathe all of them for various reasons. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. Out of all of them, I've gotten the best balance of cost, customization, performance, stability, and security under Linux. I've tried many versions of Linux over the last five years or so, and Ubuntu is the only distribution I would recommend to someone who is just now considering testing the waters.

To see Dell offer Linux on the desktop again, this time with Ubuntu, goes to prove that this company is out to reinvent itself and stay relevant in the world technology market by listening to and offering its customers real choices in all aspects of their purchases.

Kudos to Dell and best of luck to you should you decide to travel the road less traveled.

"I want a Linux laptop but I am not a techie--not even slightly techie.  Will the laptop work for me?  When I see things like "we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs" I assume that means I will never be able to get the laptop to work properly.  Will I have a steep learning curve?  If so, I guess I'll have to pick between Windows and Mac."

 Installing the proprietary audio and video codecs isn't that complicated in Ubuntu 7.04:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats

In the past, when Dell had a no-operating system included computer for sale, the cost was very close to the Dells with operating system.  When there was a sale, the Dells with OS were often cheaper or a better value because of memory or monitor promotions.  I am pleased to see Dell testing hardware with Ubuntu, but if the machine doesn't cost significantly less, it just isn't going to change the world. 

If I could save $50 buying a no-OS or Ubuntu Dell, I would do it.  But I know how to install Ubuntu.  If the cost is almost the same, or the promotions make a Windows Dell a better deal, why would I give up the ability to dual boot if I'm not going to save some money in return?

Please DELL make your Linux Dell Client available in Europe
right after the inital launch...

We too are really looking forward to a choice like this !

I thank John and Matt for their numerous updates over the last few weeks. Although I'm a die-hard Fedora fan (I already run Fedora Core 6 on a Latitude D610, an Optiplex GX260 and a Dimension 4700) I'm very excited about the upcoming annoncements regarding these Ubuntu-based machines.

As one of the largest OEM, Dell has the power to send a powerful wake-up call to those of your suppliers (let's not be afraid of naming and shaming them... Broadcom, ATI are you listening?) whose inertia has made it tough to shop for compatible computers for my OS of choice. Your compatibility strategy gives me great hope, since it's quite compatible with the way it's done in the FLOSS world.

I'm in the process of shopping for a new notebook for my sister-in-law and I want her to buy one of these linux-compatible E1505 (if the rumour is accurate)... if you ever make them available in Canada. I certainly hope you will, sooner than later!

What sort of codecs problem i don't get it may be somebody can care to explain. I use Kubuntu Feisty and Kaffeine plays everything from WMV to AVI and DVD's and XMMS plays mp3 too. So just don't get it whats the problem. I have not installed any codec package, just the application with default install plays it all.

The only problem is playing video CD's  as it don't recognize .dat files.

Cheers

Cybeh 

Wow. Awesome. Though I actually wonder whether these computers will actually get to NEW ZEALAND!

I am a little bit anxious that companies like AMD or Nvidia don't just release better binary drivers made specifically for Ubuntu because of this Dell deal. This would hurt Fedora/Red Hat and Suse.

 I also hope that the money saved from the cost of Microsoft Windows can be paid as an optional donation to the Ubuntu team and/or another Open Source / Community based group (ie. Automatix).
 

i'm just wondering how long this will last. this isn't the first major oem offering of linux. and for the most part, it's been limited to a small end user group, usually run only on workstation class machines for specific applications. i don't doubt that plenty of people want linux on their desktop/notebook, but, since when does an end user actually know what they want?

 i wonder if dell's expecting a larger than normal return rate on these machines?

 just a thought..

Why choose Intel wireless cards _without_ FLOSS drivers when Intel has gone to the trouble of producing FLOSS drivers for:

All are available here:

http://intellinuxgraphics.org/related.html 

Can we expect Dell to deliver this option (GNU/Linux) to countries like say for example Mexico? I live in Mexico and I've already noticed that not all Dell models are available here for ordering online (which is a shame).

 I know several people in the OSS movement in Mexico who certainly would welcome such a move (including myself even though I don't consider myself part of any OSS movement).
 

will this be a US only affair. Or it will be world wide.

 I was hoping to see this comes to Malaysia.
 

This is great. I really like you are favoring opensource drivers. I hope this would make vendors change their mind and open their products specifications.

Sadly, I live outside the US. Dell only sells Vista computers here in Costa Rica. I hope these ubuntu laptops to be available in other countries soon, cause I'm definitively not buying Vista.

It will be neat to see a Dell laptop arrive without the 'Designed for Microsoft xxxx' sticker on it.

I wonder if we'll get to see a 'Designed for Linux/Ubuntu' sticker!!!! It better have a penguin :P

As some others asked, will those be available in Canada ? Well, I don't expect a release date, but only know if it will, in a near future (I will not wait 6 months).

Thank you 

Will these machines be available in other countries than USA? Like... Finland? :) Or at least can I buy same models (without Windows) here and install Ubuntu myself?

I'm especially interested in a tiny 12,1" widescreen laptops.

I really do applaud your move, but there's one thing you absolutely have to do: provide the firmware for the Broadcom cards.  It's relatively simple to set up the cards (a nice graphical setup wizard would make it possible to ignore the command line altogether then).  The cards should work fine, and with Network Manager, easily handle any network or setup.  The laptop will probably fail if you do not find a way to ensure wireless will work natively (ndiswrapper isn't really an option here, as you still need to have a driver in the first place)

As long as you make it clear to the users what they are _not_ getting, and clear instructions as to where to find information on how to get it working, I don't find it too bad and I can understand Dell not wanting to open itself up for legal attacks by distributing proprietary codecs and such in ways that may or may not be strictly legal. Its a toss up, but Dell is choosing prudence and I can't argue against that for them.

Although I am rather confused as to why mpeg 1/2/4 (mp3 codec _is_ non-free) are not being distributed. I thought that they were royalty free?

Finally i can say it...

2007 the year for Linux on the desktop.

 

Regarding the binary-only drivers for Intel wireless cards, I assume this only applies to the 3945 with its binary-only regulatory daemon?  Have you looked into the stability of the iwlwifi driver, which no longer needs the binary-only daemon?

Also, why can you not configure a laptop without a modem at all?  Many people do not need one, and don't want a binary driver installed for hardware they won't even use, particularly since that driver runs a real-time process that eats CPU and decreases battery life.

Finally, you might consider working with the linuxpowertop people to decrease power usage.  Given a few tweaks and patches, you could easily have 1-3 hours more battery life under Linux than under Windows.  20 minutes of tuning and patching gave me an extra 1-1.5 hours.
 

In reference to the lack of codec support:

It would be a really big plus for Linux users if Dell setup an RPM (installer) providing full codec support (dvd, avi, quicktime, etc etc). The average user will not work through several pages of HOW-TO's. Without this Dell + Linux cannot compete with Dell + Windows.

 

I used to have my reservations about Dell,  but if you actually come through and come up with decent laptop, I will be among the first to buy a laptop.

 
Congratulations for this magnificent effort, you are just what we needed to get Hardware vendors to take FLOSS seriously.

I really hope the release date is the 24th. I'm literally waiting on this to buy a laptop. I'd like a 17" screen, so I hope the E1705 is available along with the E1505. It seems like they're the same line, so one would hope that the E1705 will be available (and not left out because say ATI cards are 'required' for the bigger screen), but a (short) time will tell.

I'd hope that if the E1705 isn't available through the mainstream options, that there would be some leeway in the ordering process where I could deal with somebody who could get me the 17" screen with the Linux image.

This laptop isn't for me, so preinstalled Linux is key
 in case the machine has a hardware problem down the line (when I may not be directly around) and needs to be sent back for service and is thus reimaged. (I personally have been paying the microsoft laptop tax for the past 7 years and just installing Linux myself, but you obviously have to be pretty assertive when calling hardware support and that's the case)

I want a Linux laptop but I am not a techie--not even slightly techie.  Will the laptop work for me?  When I see things like "we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs" I assume that means I will never be able to get the laptop to work properly.  Will I have a steep learning curve?  If so, I guess I'll have to pick between Windows and Mac.

Thanks. 

Good job - please keep posting news, updates, opinions - anything is better than a brick wall.

My next computer might just be a Dell :) 

Hi THANKS A LOT for your efforts.

I wonder about the plans for outside customers.. we NEED an alternative, i don't really want to buy a windows laptop...

Hope to hear something about this soon.

I like the sound of all of this, particularly your choice of Ubuntu.  This is your opportunity to become the first large computer vendor to produce Linux systems in a serious way, not just as an attempt to strongarm Microsoft into lowering their licensing cost.  Please don't disappoint us.

Kudos Dell!

I just helped out a friend spec out a Dell E1505 just prior to the announcement on ideastorm so that he could dual boot.  I am looking forward to buying yet another Dell Laptop for my wife, with Linux pre-installed.

Now, if I could just get my broadcomm 4311 working without NDIS wrapper in all distros I would be a happy camper!
 

Thanks again! 

The blog mentioned Conexant modems, will this be available for all Dell users or only those who purchase a Dell notebook with it?  Also will these driver be licensed from Linuxant or a new driver?

Thanks and I look forward to purchasing my new D630 with Linux (hint hint! ;-)!

@ Clint Brothers

Thats the lamest old cheap shot next to rtfm but I am sure that next time you check it's all going to be Ubuntu since you volunteered to migrate all of Dell's servers immidiately for free :-)
 

What's ironic is the fact that this server is a Windows 2003 server.

 http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://www.direct2dell.com

Will you default the wifi option for laptops to Intel instead of the Dell branded wifi as the Intel wifi is much better supported.

It would also be good if you could make high spec laptops that use intel gfx. Normally your laptops are arranged so that cheaper/smaller/slower machines have onboard gfx and the performance machines have nvidia or ati. Obviously if running linux there will be a large group of people who want a performance laptop that is high spec but still uses intel gfx - allowing open source drivers for 3d.

Thanks for this forward step.

Thumb up for Dell.

I believe Dell decides to include some 'close source' driver is because the nature of Ubuntu requires Internet connection very much. And I hope that Dell will push the vendors to open the driver in short time.

And the decision not to include proprietary codecs also a correct move IMHO.

Dell will work with hardware vendor is the best news to all the Linux users I think.

The last important thing is , the price. Dell, give the customer  a lower price (at least 50 USD )  compared to the same spec preinstalled Windows.
 

I think you'll find that LEGAL proprietary codecs and DVD players are shortly (hopefully very shortly), going to be a lot easier for Dell to supply.  CNR.com have committed to release CNR for various distributions, allowing Dell to supply the required codecs and DVD support via CNR. :)

CNR.com states that the first distributions to be supported will happen in Q2 2007.  Ubuntu should be among those (as Freespire and Linspire are now based on Ubuntu), so there shouldn't be a very long wait at all!!!

I have to say, it does rather appear there is case of good timing going on here.

This is all very exciting, come on where are the Laptops for the UK?!!!

"For hardware options not offered with this release, we are working with the vendors of those devices to improve the maturity and stability of their associated Linux drivers. While this may not happen overnight, we do expect to have a broader range of hardware support with Linux over time."

Good call, Dell. Looks like you're making a lot of the right moves. *thumbs up* 

"For hardware options not offered with this release, we are working with the vendors of those devices to improve the maturity and stability of their associated Linux drivers. While this may not happen overnight, we do expect to have a broader range of hardware support with Linux over time."

 
:) 

Disappointing. Using proprietary drivers implies that your customers cannot replace the Ubuntu installation with a competing distribution of their preferred choice.
 

The original May 1st announcement said: 

"These systems will be available in the coming weeks to customers in the United States."

 I've read that this meant May 24th.  When will it also be available in Canada? And why exactly do you not offer the systems at the same time in the US and Canada?

Apart from using Ubuntu as the support arm, what kind of technical resources has Dell invested in to solve low-level system problems (kernel or Xorg related)? Have you hired some kernel/Xorg hackers? Have you provided the hardware you will be selling to kernel/Xorg hackers?

For hardware options not offered with this release, we are working with the vendors of those devices to improve the maturity and stability of their associated Linux drivers. While this may not happen overnight, we do expect to have a broader range of hardware support with Linux over time.

At this time, we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs that are not already distributed with Ubuntu 7.04. These include MPEG 1/2/3/4, WMA, WMV, DVD, Quicktime, etc. We are evaluating options for providing this support in the future.

At this time, we are not including any support for proprietary audio or video codecs that are not already distributed with Ubuntu 7.04.

.. which will work quite nice if you're following the information published eg. on the official Ubuntu website or one of its many country-specific headquarters.

A very good example for this is the Ubuntusers-Wiki and message board. Using their how-tos and install guides I could install those evil proprietary codecs almost without problems. The only thing that made a crapper was the audio output, but when I installed the alsamixer-package, it started to work flawlessly, so I guess some drivers were missing.

cu, w0lf.

I'm seriously appreciating this Linux push by Dell.  Certainly looking forward to the day I can install a Linux, and not have to worry about wrappers, unsupported hardware, unavailable proprietary drivers, and other compatibility issues.