News about Dell as it relates to Linux

 Dell Launches Inspiron Mini 9 Notebook, Sep 08, 2008

Dell on Thursday officially launched its long-awaited mini-notebook, jumping into the sub-$500 ultra-portable PC market where the computer maker will be battling Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Asustek Computer, and others.

Dell has launched itself into the nascent netbook market pioneered by the Asus Eee PC, which analysts predict will soon account for a third of all laptop sales.

Dell unveiled Wednesday two new laptops and two desktops in its Vostro range designed to meet the needs of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), governments, and educational institutions in emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.

Interesting to see that Dell’s answer to the ASUS Eee PC will ship with a choice of either Windows XP or Ubuntu 8.04.

Dell yesterday announced a brand new range of laptops ranging from ultra-portables to high-end desktop replacement machines.

The computer maker has launched two notebooks and a desktop with Hardy Heron, the version of Ubuntu Linux that was released in April.

One year after Dell became the first tier-one OEM to offer modern Linux preloaded on desktops, Dell hasn't blown up, its customers haven't revolted and the Earth still spins on its axis.

As Dell Inc. approaches its one-year anniversary of selling laptop and desktop computers preloaded with Ubuntu Linux, the company is continuing to expand the fledgling program to new computer models and markets.

Usually, the North American computer giants introduce their latest and greatest products to the U.S. market first, with Europe an afterthought. Not this time. Dell is bringing its latest Ubuntu-powered laptop, the Inspiron 1525, to the Europeans first. Americans will need to wait until later in February for Dell's newest Ubuntu Linux computer.

More laptop computers preloaded with Ubuntu Linux are coming from Dell Inc. in response to demand from potential customers around the world.

Dell has caught up to the Ubuntu release machine, adding the latest version of the operating system as a standard option with Linux-friendly laptop and desktop.

Dell has told DesktopLinux.com that it will be announcing later today, Dec. 19, that it will be releasing PCs with Ubuntu 7.10 (aka Gutsy Gibbon) as part of its Dell Consumer Linux lineup along with the ability to legally play DVDs.

Dell's efforts to reinvent itself this year through a dramatic break from its direct-sales model, expanded services and new enterprise offerings have shown positive early results, but some users have lingering concerns about supply chain management and support -- long-time issues for the company.

Dell has shipped close to 40,000 systems pre-installed with the Ubuntu flavor of Linux, according to multiple sources. By most accounts, that's a heck of a total for what remains more or less a fringe operating system.

At the beginning of November, Wal-Mart gave shoppers a chance to get an early start on their holiday shopping by offering a $199 desktop computer, both in its stores and online at WalMart.com

It's hard to believe that Dell is serious about its well-publicised program to put Linux computers on the global market when there are blatantly obvious instances where the limited range of Ubuntu notebooks and desktops are more expensive than their Windows equivalent. However, is pricing as important as some may think?

Dell launched the IdeaStorm web site last year as part of an effort to open up a dialog with consumers. The IdeaStorm respondents overwhelmingly called for Dell to embrace freedom of choice by ending the era of vendor lock-in and offering computers preloaded with the increasingly popular Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Speaking at a Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Michael Dell says that his company is seeing Linux update on the server end increasing faster than Windows. Recent claims by Microsoft alleging software patent infringements have also not affected Linux-based hardware sales.

Claims made by Microsoft that Linux violates its software patent have not affected sales of Linux-based hardware, according to Michael Dell.

According to the Q2 2007 Jon Peddie Workstation Report, AMD is still struggling with a minority market share, Dell is still on top, and Hewlett-Packard is still the number two workstation manufacturer. Buried in the details, though, is something more interesting: Dell is also the number one Linux workstation manufacturer.

Pssst, pass it on… Dell is selling Linux-based home PCs and laptops to its UK customers, but you’ll need a very good eye and probably a magnifying glass to find the systems on the direct seller's website.

As the only major OEM now offering pre-installed Linux, Dell is eyeing new markets and working with virtualization to increase the market for its Ubuntu clients.

Dell NZ can't say when the Ubuntu-packing PCs will make it to New Zealand - or if they will at all.

UK users will have to pay a premium for Dell's Linux PCs, despite Dell's claim to the contrary.

From Wednesday, UK customers will be able to buy two desktop models with the Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Dell Inc is developing consumer PCs that can run multiple versions of Microsoft Corp's Windows and Linux software at the same time, the personal computer maker's chief technology officer, Kevin Kettler, told Reuters.

Dell Inc said on Tuesday it has decided to expand sales of consumer personal computers loaded with the Linux operating system to the United Kingdom, France, Germany and China.

In an unusual move, Dell is asking its users what they want Dell CTO Kevin Kettler to talk about at next week's LinuxWorld trade show at San Francisco's Moscone Center.

Dell wants to see better software drivers for Linux so that the firm can ship more notebooks and desktops running the operating system, according to one of its software engineers.

There's been no major improvements in Dell's Linux software support, but there have been small, but handy, improvements in Dell's support offerings.

Dell plans on expanding the reach of its factory-installed Linux PCs to include small and midsize businesses and Europe, Michael Dell, the company's founder and CEO, said at a July 10 event in New York.

"Bottom line this was an oversight, pure and simple," a Dell spokesperson told DesktopLinux.com. "We will be posting a comment to IdeaStorm to that effect by tomorrow." In the meantime, Dell says that the prices have been reset to the appropriate prices.

Dell plans to sell computers with preinstalled Linux outside the United States as well as offer the Ubuntu Linux distribution to small business customers.

Dell will offer its Linux PCs for $50 (£24) less than the equivalent Windows PCs, the company has revealed on one of its websites.

Dell isn't resting on its recent consumer Linux PC laurels. The computing giant has added a new laptop -- the Inspiron 1420 Notebook -- to its Ubuntu Linux 7.04 offering. It is also replacing the Dimension E520 desktop with the new, low-priced Inspiron 530.

According to one poster on an Ubuntu forum, Dell refused to sell him an Ubuntu machine for his small, non-profit business.

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition calling on Dell to offer Linux-based PCs outside of the US.

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition calling on Dell to offer Linux-based PCs outside of the US.

Last weekend, Dell inadvertently removed the option to purchase extended warranties for its new Ubuntu Linux PCs, but the company said the option will be back Tuesday.

I think if Linux’s longtime supporters had a little more of the realism of Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth, Linux would have more than its paltry single-digit share of the desktop operating-system market.

At a time when much of the world is salivating with excitement over the release of Dell's new Ubuntu Linux computers in the US, it's ironic that the market in which Ubuntu originated, Europe, still has not received word on when the new Dell boxes will be available.

Dell's plans to sell consumer Linux PCs could hit a snag after the company admitted that the machines will not run popular video formats and might not work with cheaper printers.

On May 24, the rumors and speculation came to an end. Dell officially unveiled its three consumer systems -- the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops, and the Inspiron E1505n notebook -- that come with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution factory installed.

While the exact details concerning timing and availability of Dell’s Ubuntu-based hardware offerings are still emerging, an entry yesterday on their Direct2Dell blog outlined plans for support of the new OS. In particular, Dell will be launching a new wiki for users on their linux.dell.com website

Dell reportedly will release its new Ubuntu-powered computers on May 24.

LXer inquired about Google's advertising program to find out why Google ads show up with the words "Dell Linux Desktop", even though Dell hasn't yet launched its line of Ubuntu-based computers, and whether Google considers the practice misleading. Can Dell fix the misleading advertising problem?

The tidbit about the chairman’s new notebook was yet another sign that the computer maker is taking Linux seriously as a viable alternative to Windows.

The Linux world rejoiced when Dell announced that it was going to pre-install Ubuntu Linux on some of its consumer desktops. But then the Linux world was befuddled when Dell announced that it would be buying certificates for Novell SUSE Linux from Microsoft.

Dell has revealed the reasons behind its decision to delay the availability of Linux sold outside the US.

Linux and possible channel model are the latest significant moves by the beleaguered OEM.

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