Linux

Lots of folks within Dell are committed to Linux initiatives.  Ubuntu is a good example. Since we committed to offer it on certain consumer systems back in May last year, we've added many countries outside the US. Beyond just making it available though, we've also spent a lot of time to make it work right out of the box.

And that's why I wanted to take a few minutes to congratulate Dell's own Mario Limonciello for being named to the Ubuntu Core Development Team.   Core-Dev members have the ability to update packages in the Ubuntu 'main' and 'restricted' components.  Mario joins this elite team of developers based on the strength of his long-standing contributions as as Master of the Universe (MOTU), development of the Mythbuntu distribution, and the excellent work ensuring Ubuntu on Dell desktops and notebooks "just works".  Because 'main' packages are on every install CD, his work will benefit all Ubuntu users, not just Dell owners.

WITH GREAT POWER THERE MUST ALSO COME - - GREAT RESPONSIBILITY! Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) - The first Spider-Man story. (credit Wikipedia)

Good job Mario!

Several customers (notably feranick and aysui on IdeaStorm) and tech websites (Boy Genius Report, Gizmodo, and Mobile Computer Mag) have pointed out that 8GB and 16GB drives on the Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu Linux are not fully formatted. The manufacturing facility has only been partitioning the hard drives up to 4GB, leaving the extra space on the hard drive unformatted. This essentially leaves that space unuseable by customers until it is partitioned and formatted by the operating system. This problem has been corrected in our factory, and future shipments of the Mini 9 with Ubuntu Linux should have fully-formatted hard drives.

Update from Lionel: On Friday last week, John posted details on a fix for this issue.

For customers wishing to be able to use the extra unformatted disk space immediately, if you purchased a USB DVD drive with your Mini, you may use the system restore DVD included with your system to completely reinstall the operating system. The installation process will completely reformat the entire hard drive and reinstall the OS, allowing you access to the entire drive. If you use this method, be sure to back up any data you have on the system, as this process will overwrite all data on the drive.

We're working on a simple method for customers to use to format/reclaim the unused hard drive space without reinstalling the OS. As our expert Linux customers know, there are several methods for doing this. However, we're evaluating which methods are both the easy and safe to use. I'll post that information soon when we have a recommendation.

Since I'm back in the saddle again... while catching up on some reading, I came across a post from the VAR Guy that I thought was worth spending some time on. In that post, the VAR Guy notes that we advertised a Ubuntu-based Inspiron Mini 9 over the weekend in some newspapers. I've done a bit of digging, and think those ads are US-based.

Since we launched Ubuntu-based consumer PCs back in May last year, one of the most common requests is that we advertise Linux more. Recent examples include ideas like Show more Ubuntu Pride from user meoblast001.

I don't mean to make a bigger deal out of this than it is, but the fact is that this is a small step in that direction. It's a small step, but it is a step.

We offer Ubuntu on select systems in several different several different countries. see this post for an update on that front. And for the Mini 9 Ubuntu fans out there, in case you missed it, check out Anne Camden's blog post and vlog that covers the custom interface that comes with Ubuntu 8.04 on the Mini 9.

If you want to browse the Ubuntu-based systems we offer, go to www.dell.com/ubuntu

Christopher Tozzi's blog from Thursday reminded me of the announcement that I never made: Linux driver support is now available to Dell-branded wireless cards. We started working closely with Broadcom early this year on providing this support, as our customers have been asking for a Linux driver for our cards for a while now. As a result of this effort, Broadcom released an updated Linux wireless driver that supports cards based on the Broadcom 4311, 4312, 4321, and 4322 chipsets, which include the Dell 1490, 1395, 1397, 1505, and 1510 Wireless cards. This driver is included in the Ubuntu 8.10 release, and should be added to Ubuntu 8.04. It is currently only partially open-source, similar to ATI or NVIDIA video drivers, so keep this in mind when deciding if you want to use it. For those who want to try it out immediately, the driver can be downloaded from here.

We're currently offering the Dell 1397 card with the Studio 15 system with Ubuntu 8.04, and  the 1395 card is supported on our new Inspiron Mini 9. Please give us feedback on how well this driver works for you on any of our Dell wireless cards on our Linux Desktop mailing list.

Today we're rolling out two new laptops and desktops that are designed to meet the specific needs of small businesses, government and educational facilities operating on a limited budget in the worlds top emerging markets. Take a look at either Steve Felice's post or Kara Krautter's post on the Small Business blog for a bit more context on that front.

Note: Click on any of the images in these post to see larger versions of them. You can also see these photos and more by viewing this photo set at the main Dell Flickr page.

One thing of interest to a lot of our readers is that we will offer Ubuntu Linux as an option on all four of these machines worldwide. Regular readers of Direct2Dell know that we already support Ubuntu on select systems several countries.

These new Vostro systems will be introduced in more than 20 countries over the coming months—including Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. They will be available primarily through authorized channel partners worldwide and also directly from Dell. Pricing for the products will vary by configuration, region and country. Additional Vostro products designed for emerging markets and high-growth economies will be introduced in the coming months.

Update: I apologize to Direct2Dell readers. I made some mistakes in some of the following tech details. In those cases below. I used strikethroughs with updated text to correct them. Again, my apologies for the errors.

Today, we're offering two pre-configured laptops--the Vostro A840 and A860, and two pre-configured desktops—the Vostro A100 and A180. Both the affordable notebooks feature a sturdy compact design. The A840 weighs in at 5 lbs 4.48 lbs while the A80 weighs just about 5.7 lbs 5.42 lbs. 

Both offer features like The A860 features an HD screen with an anti-glare coating and Intel Celeron or Core 2 Duo processors. Both offer all kind of connectivity features including wireless, Ethernet and modem capability. Bluetooth is an option as well. The 15.6" Vostro A860 notebook will eventually be available globally, including the United States.

On the desktop side, both the Vostro A100 and the A180 are meant to tackle everyday business needs. The entry-level Vostro A100 comes standard with Intel's Atom processor. The A180 supports Celeron and Core 2 Duo Pentium dua-core processors. Like the laptops, both of these systems tha Vostro A180 can be ordered with Ubuntu or Windows Vista Home Basic as well. The A100 will be offered with Ubuntu and supports up to 80GB hard drives and a 16x DVD drive. Both systems The A180 supports up to 160GB hard drives, and either DVD or DVD+/-RW optical drives.

If you're interested to learn more about these products, take a look at this vlog with Kirk Schell from Dell Commercial Products Team. Besides giving an overview of these systems, he provides some insight into why products like these play an important role in reaching these rapidly-expanding economies.