Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Domains

Domain: dell.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to dell.com.

Comments · 2,769

  1. Re:Marketing blurb by vdboor · · Score: 1 · on Novell Delivers Device Driver Breakthrough
    The Article is a merketing blurb, anybody knows how it's actualy implemented?

    I wouldn't care if even whole the whole process is marketing blulb. It would still give enterprises a focus, suits a confident feeling, and directions for making Linux drivers available.

    It's really nice to see how Novell acknowledges get "getting source in the kernel.org tree" is the best practice, and fueling arguments for that. They also refer to DKMS, and acknowlegde they need the Linux community to make this a unified solution instead of a SuSE-only one. :-)

    So far this sounds like an interesting strategy, positioning Novell as partner that brings both parties together (Enterprises and Kernel.org developers). At the same time, the the development of Linux drivers also gets a lift.

  2. Re:Great! by MojoStan · · Score: 1 · on Apple Unveils New Macbook
    I'm not disagreeing with what I think is your point. The Macbook is a good value if you want all of the included features and don't need things like an ExpressCard slot, memory card reader, or more configurable options. But I can't ignore the errors and omissions in your "Score:4, Interesting" post.
    inferior Graphics (Intel GMA 900 vs GMA 950 in the Macbook)
    The page you provided a link to shows the Dell Inspiron 640m has GMA 950 graphics. If another page says GMA 900, then it's a typo or error because chipsets with GMA 900 do not support Core Duo/Core Solo/Celeron 4xx.
    the Macbook also comes with Bluetooth 2.0EDR, the Dell has no Bluetooth capability.
    Dell's internal Bluetooth 2.0EDR module is a £28.38 option. It's not that easy to miss.
    The Dell lacks:
    - Bluetooth
    - Remote
    - iLife
    - OS X
    - I explained the Bluetooth option.

    - The remote for Windows XP Media Center Edition is a £35.25 option. XP MCE 2005 is a £23.50 upgrade from XP Home (and £35.25 cheaper than XP Pro). Not everyone wants this option, but XP MCE does a heck of a lot more than Front Row.

    - Microsoft Works Suite 2006 is a £47 option and includes Microsoft Word , Works, Digital Image Standard, Money, Streets & Trips, and Encarta. DVD creation software is included with DVD burners (Sonic MyDVD is this case). iMovie HD isn't all that great IMO, but it's better than Movie Maker 2, which is part of XP. Works Suite doesn't have GarageBand and iWeb, but many would trade those for Word and Streets & Trips.

    - We know the Dell doesn't come with OS X. Isn't this redundant?

    From the Dell UK website, for £802(the link page here says £649, when you go to the configure page, the price jumps to £802, wtf?)

    Whichever of the two prices Dell.co.uk give you (£649 or £802) it's clear that the Macbook is very competitive price-wise

    The "3-year Basic: At Home On-site service PLUS online Multimedia training option" is selected by default. Without this service upgrade, the price is £152.75 less, so I suspect that's the cause of the price jump. That reminds me, no price comparison should be done on notebooks without including AppleCare (£199) and roughly equivalent support plans.
    The Dell is also bigger in every dimension. Heavier too.
    You're comparing a new Macbook that was released today to a Dell Inspiron that's in a different sub-category. The Dell has an ExpressCard slot, a memory card reader, and a larger widescreen LCD. The Dell has more options like a faster (2.16GHz) or slower (1.66GHz) Core Duo, a higher-res LCD (1440x900 UltraSharp), a better battery (80WHr), and low-price MS Office options (£105.75 for Office Basic). The Macbook has DVI-out, gigabit ethernet, iSight camera, and optical audio.
    (Ah just figured out the pricing difference on the Dell site, they 'automatically' select the highest service-level when you go to the configure screen... great.)
    You mention this at the very end of your long comment, after mentioning the price jump twice? wtf?
  3. Re:Huh? by sheldon · · Score: 1 · on Apple Unveils New Macbook

    You're right. I was off at $800... It's really $737. Did you factor in the coupon? $1037-300 = $737.

    I actually came up with $1037 by adding in the Intel wireless card, as it's better than the Dell one. Maybe some people would prefer a remote.

  4. Re:MacBook Vs Dell by necrognome · · Score: 1 · on Apple Unveils New Macbook

    I am a fan of Apple, but it's worth noting that you can configure Latitude D620 with a Quadro graphics card and 1GB of RAM for ~$1483. Yeah, you'll be running Windows, but the Dell weighs in at under 5 lbs. Ouch. 5.2 lbs is too heavy for me. The new MacBook is thin, but not light. Sigh.

  5. Re:MacBook Vs Dell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Apple Unveils New Macbook

    Why don't you start with this one.

  6. Great! by Nexum · · Score: 2, Interesting · on Apple Unveils New Macbook

    UK education prices are: £643 with VAT (£548 without).

    What a great deal for a Core Duo 1.83GHz CPU, decent other specs, software etc. plus the little Front Row remote.

    From the Dell UK website, for £802(the link page here says £649, when you go to the configure page, the price jumps to £802, wtf?) for the Inspiron M, you can get a slower CPU (1.66GHz Core Duo), same memory, same HDD, inferior Graphics (Intel GMA 900 vs GMA 950 in the Macbook). Same optical drive, except the Macbook is slot loading (nice). Both have 802.11g networking, but the Macbook also comes with Bluetooth 2.0EDR, the Dell has no Bluetooth capability.

    The Dell does have an extra inch on the screen than the Macbook, but is not widescreen.

    The Dell lacks:
    - Bluetooth
    - Remote
    - iLife
    - OS X


    The Dell is also bigger in every dimension. Heavier too. Whichever of the two prices Dell.co.uk give you (£649 or £802) it's clear that the Macbook is very competitive price-wise if you're a student. (We are comparing prices for students here, but I believe the price compares well without the student discount too.)

    Looks like a great little machine at a really affordable price. Very impressed, I was worried we'd see some price hikes.

    (Ah just figured out the pricing difference on the Dell site, they 'automatically' select the highest service-level when you go to the configure screen... great.)

  7. Re:Are you kidding? by magicchex · · Score: 1 · on New Windows Media Player Leaks
    because the big dumb vendors like Dell still don't offer a GNU/Linux desktop machines for end users.
    Not true.
  8. Re:Click the right button by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Can Ordinary PC Users Ditch Windows for Linux?

    Maybe he clicked this link instead of this link.

    Once again, choose the right link to get a linux PC that works perfectly out of the box.

  9. Re:Click the right button by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Can Ordinary PC Users Ditch Windows for Linux?

    Maybe he clicked this link instead of this link.

    Once again, choose the right link to get a linux PC that works perfectly out of the box.

  10. Re:Bureaucratic waste by tiocsti · · Score: 2, Informative · on U.S. Adds Years To Microsoft's 'Probation'

    http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/ desktops_n?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

  11. Re:The market has changed by dodobh · · Score: 1 · on Apple's Device Model Beats the PC Way

    http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/ dimen_lo?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

    The basic Dell box is 249 USD, including monitor and keyboard. The Mac mini does not come with monitor and keyboard. The cabinet itself isn't as large a volume as the monitor, so the size of the box itself is pretty much irrelevant.

    What you are noticing is that people buy at certain price points. They will not buy above that point. They also have lower price points below which they will not buy. For a lot of buyers, that band is between 500 to 1200 USD. For others, it is sub 500. Different markets.

  12. Re:Nice to see Intel stepping it up a bit. by MojoStan · · Score: 1 · on Intel Names Upcoming Chips
    The problem is that Conroe is designed to go into $800 Dell systems. Apple could use it for midline models, but for a $2000 machine they better be using Xeon/Woodcrest to stay competitive with other PC vendors at that price point.
    Don't forget Pentium Extreme Edition processors and workstation features like ECC memory, PCIe x4/x8 slots, and workstation graphics cards. After a quick check of Dell's Small Buseness site, the only current Dell systems I see that use Pentium Extreme CPUs are in the same price range as Apple's PowerMac systems. Example: Dell Precision 380 worstation (configured with Extreme Edition CPUs).

    I think Apple can still use Conroe (and not Woodcrest) at the PowerMac's current price point if they use Extreme edition processors and workstation chipsets that offer ECC memory, Quadro/FireGL graphics, and PCIe x4/x8 slots.

  13. Re:The PepperPad has been around for ages... by mrchaotica · · Score: 1 · on Pepper Pad, an Open Alternative to MS Origami
    Now, for something this big, why not get something that's cheaper and just better like say, the Dell Inspiron B120 for $499, with free memory and wifi upgrades?
    WTF, man?! You're complaining that the 2.3 lb Pepper Pad is too big, and then recommend getting a 6.41 lb Dell instead?! That just doesn't make sense.

    Now, I'll tell you the real reason why nobody wants the damn thing: it's too flat-out weird. First of all, it runs Linux (no flames please; everyone should be able to admit that most people don't use Linux). Second, it's got a strange keyboard that you probably can't touch-type on. Third, the tiny screen (relative to the overall size of the thing) is just stupid. And finally, it's slow. I don't care what kind of IPC it has; 624 MHz just isn't fast enough for something big enough to be a real computer.

    Now, you wanna know how to fix it? Turn it into a convertible tablet with a real keyboard, put in a bigger (10.4") screen, give it a decent CPU (e.g. 1+ GHz) and more RAM, and (as much as it pains me to say it) put Windows Tablet Edition (or better yet, Mac OS, but that's just a fantasy) on it.

    In other words, turn it into this, except with a swiveling touchscreen. That would sell!
  14. The PepperPad has been around for ages... by Swift+Kick · · Score: 5, Informative · on Pepper Pad, an Open Alternative to MS Origami

    This is not a new device, and has never really caught on, regardless of how many times you might scream it has Linux inside. It might be neat for those that just have the burning desire of throwing money away, and that's about it.

    See for yourself...

    - It was announced back in 2004, and Engadget mentioned it:

    http://www.engadget.com/2004/09/08/the-pepper-pad- 2/

    Then Tux Magazine reviewed it in April 2005, and it was still not available to the public:

    http://www.tuxmagazine.com/node/1000125

    Now it's available for sale, but for the price it's selling ($850), you can easily pick a cheap laptop with far more expandability for quite less.

    Do you think it's portable? Think again. Look at the dimensions:

    http://www.pepper.com/products/specifications.html

    12.1" x 6.6" x 0.8" (309 x 175 x 20mm)
    2.3 lbs (1043 grams)

    Now, for something this big, why not get something that's cheaper and just better like say, the Dell Inspiron B120 for $499, with free memory and wifi upgrades? See for yourself:

    http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features. aspx/featured_basnb?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

    Just my 2 cents....

  15. Re:Good luck by AstroDrabb · · Score: 1 · on MacBook Announcement Expected on Tuesday
    Microsoft makes a killing on their software from the majority of all the corps in the world running it for most of their desktops. You can get MS Home for less than $150. I said $100 for Mac OS X because there is only so much the average person will go out and buy Mac OS X for. The average person gets MS Home with their PC so the don't see the costs. My $100 was mostly for Mac OS X. Not all the extras. The $100 consumer version would be a little more lean. It would cost more for the current software bundle with OS X.

    I just want to see some price competition from Apple. I really think they can make a *huge* dent in the home market (which could lead to the big bucks corp market) if they just got more competitive on price. Most of my family members want a basic computer for no more than $500. For $500 you can get a very decent system from Dell. From Apple you cannot get anything. The closest you can get is spending an extra $100 and then you have just a computer with no keyboard, mouse or monitor. I would really like to know why Apple doesn't want to go after the home market. Apple has had to learn by now that the home market is not going to come to them unless they not only offer a better product, but make that product close in price to the competition. Take the iPod for example. People liked the features and style and the price was not much more then the other mainstream offerings. It became a no-brainer to spend an extra $50 to get an iPod.

    Take a look at this Dell page. This is the mainstream US market. For $300 you can get a very usable system with monitor. Apple can't touch anything on this page price-wise. I would like to see Apple have 2 offerings below $600. One low end similar in spec to the $300 one from Dell and one around the $600 price point. The non-Intel mini was a joke. The processor was slow and the dog-slow hard drive made the system really bad to use. I know two people that work that now "hate" Apple because they got mini's and complained how slow they were.

  16. Interesting by sheldon · · Score: 1, Interesting · on Apple Sics Lawyers on SomethingAwful

    Dell's Service Manuals are available from their support website.

    Dell Inspiron 6400/E1505 Service Manual

    Couldn't they just provide a link to the Apple manuals online?

  17. Re:Ah... that explains the cheap food by cartman · · Score: 1 · on Americans Are Seriously Sick
    That $1000 laser printer of yesterday lasted for 10 years. The $99 printer you purchase today (and that is really stretching it for a laser printer btw, you'll pay $79 for a bottom of the line hp inkjet, a decent laser is about $500 today) will last 2 years, tops.
    $99 for a laser printer is not "stretching it." You can find a $99 laser printer from Dell here. You can find similar deals elsewhere if you look around on the web.

    Whereas the very cheapest laser printer from anyone 17 years ago costed almost $1,000 and had 1/2 the resolution and 1/4 the printing speed. I remember purchasing the very cheapest laser printer I could find almost 13 years ago for nearly $700.

    Laser printers in general have remained reliable over the years. Granted that the old HP lasers were very reliable, but they were also very expensive, much more expensive than the cheapest $1,000 laser 17 years ago. I'll also grant that cheap inkjets are sometimes shoddy but then again they sell for $34 at Best Buy--a price far lower than any printer a decade ago.

    "17 yrs ago, the standard price for RAM was $50/meg and now it's $50/gig--a difference of 1000x." Again your numbers are a bit skewed, the price for ram today is double that.
    Indeed, I just looked up the prices, and $50/gig was a bit off (it's more like $85). However the $50/meg was not an inflation-adjusted figure so a fair comparison would be 75 Y2006 dollars per meg 17 years ago, versus 85 Y2006 dollars per gig now. That's nearly a factor of 1,000, before we take into account changes in RAM speed.
    Unless you suggest that the market should be given credit for advancements in technology, despite the fact that these occur all over the globe in a variety of economies and that technology progresses at a reasonably predictable rate regardless of market type.
    First, your original point was about price inflation and I was discussing that. Whatever the cause, prices for equivalent computer equipment have unequestionably declined rapidly over the years, and prices for most other things have declined gradually.

    Although the topic being discussed was price inflation, I do think that the market should be given significant credit (but not exclusive credit) for advancements in technology, insofar as many of the advancements were made by private industries (like IBM & HP) funding R&D and making gradual improvements in process technology. Obviously government-sponsored R&D has also played a significant role, however the government-sponsored R&D in computer technology has occurred almost exclusively in capitalist countries where there's enough excess resources for the government to fund that research.

    Technological advancements don't "occur all over the global in a variety of economies." They overwhelmingly occur in a few limited areas of the globe (Japan, U.S., Europe, Taiwan, & Hong Kong) where one kind of economy predominates. Those advances have not occured in (say) Cuba, North Korea, Belarus, Iran, or socialist India of the 1960's. Although some advances are now occuring in China, that's because they've abandoned their prior economic system and are adopting the successful one.

    Technology progresses at a reasonably predictable rate regardless of market type.
    I hope you don't intend that remark seriously, because it's clearly false. Technology doesn't progress at a predictable rate, and the rate of progress is vastly different depending on market type. For example, technology has progressed much faster in Japan than in North Korea, and much faster in Silicon Valley than in Havana.
    While it is true that slave labor is employeed in making chips
    Slave labor is not employed in chipmaking. Even the few fabs owned by Intel that operate in the 3rd world don't use slaves. I realize your use of the word "slave" was probably intended as an extreme exaggeration (the same way people say "Parking Nazis" in reference to garage employees), but still...
  18. Re:If Jobs really wanted people to switch... by spxero · · Score: 1 · on Boot Camp For Suckers?

    I know it's rather cliche to quote dell prices vs. apple prices around here, but here goes:

    Dell: $2,345

    Apple: $2,799

    These specs are pretty close:
    2.16 Core Duo
    1GB @ 667MHz
    120GB SATA
    DVD Burner, Wireless, Bluetooth, etc.

    The Dell also includes a 3 year hardware warranty, vs. Apple's 1 year. I didn't go that heavily into software, but the dell is availible for about $400 cheaper.

  19. I like my dell backpack by Nate+Fox · · Score: 1 · on Carrying Your IT Equipment With You?

    yea, backpack doesnt look as professional, but form follows function.
    http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.a spx?sku=310-6736&cs=19&c=us&l=en
    It's got 7+ different pockets/containers to put stuff. I've found that it works wonderfully!

  20. Re:Where can I get me a Dell with Ubuntu? by petard · · Score: 1 · on FOSS Is Not Free if It's Not Free From Complexity
    The point is that you can pay a nationally recognized company to build you a computer and install Windows XP on it. It's much harder to find a national OEM vendor that sells machines that have been preloaded with Ubuntu.
    .

    True. "OSes like Ubuntu" are indeed possible though. Dell doesn't do Ubuntu. They do Red Hat. You can get thinkpads with Ubuntu rather easily. Sears sells boxes with Linspire, as do others.

    Only if their time is worth nothing. If the time to learn how to get Linux working is worth more than the price of a copy of Windows XP and its successor, then the masses will choose Windows XP and its successor.


    IMO, you commit the same fallacy he does. Your time only needs to be worth nothing for this to work out if you assume that the skills you learn in the process are worth nothing. I'd argue that, depending on your local market, a solid understanding of "what's going on under the hood" is worth substantially more than nothing and more than pays back the value of the time you invest. And if the hood is welded shut (to steal an overused analogy) it's much harder to pick up those skills, whereas on an open system you have more freedom to do so.
  21. Re:What resolution? by Surt · · Score: 2, Informative · on The First Quad SLI Benchmarks

    2560x1600 is a nice resolution to use with the cinema display, or with the dell 3007.
    http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/ global/products/monitors/topics/en/monitor_3007wfp ?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~section=specs
    It's not too expensive a monitor, popular with gamers who have the kind of money to buy quad sli.

  22. Re:Can we lose the troll writeups? by Surt · · Score: 1 · on Seven Mobile ATA Hard Drives Compared

    Dell inspiron B's which start $150 cheaper than that come with 5400 rpm hard drives. A lot of businesses and home users buy those. I'm pretty sure dell sells significantly more of those than xps laptops.
    http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features. aspx/featured_basnb?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

  23. Worthless summary by linvir · · Score: 0, Troll · on Dell Ships Gaming Systems Sans Bloat
    How hard would it have been to make a link of the phrase You Spoke, We Listened?

    Or did Zonk remove it because the vocal morons would call it an ad?

  24. Can't beat Dell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Chinese Company Produces $150 Linux PC

    Dell Dimension B110 for $299

    Intel Celeron D 2.53GHz
    XP Home Edition
    256MB DDR Memory
    80GB ATA100 7200RPM Hard Drive
    48x CD/RW + DVD Combo Drive
    17" Monitor
    USB Keyboard/Mouse
    10/100 Ethernet
    56k Modem

    B110 link

  25. Re:It's all a waste of time. by FreakTrap · · Score: 1 · on Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Talks End

    "That and because you can't cuddle up to a computer next to the fire."

    Actually, I can.

    http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productde tails.aspx/axim_x51v

  26. Re:Dell coupon codes from Ebay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Apple Announced 17" MacBook Pro

    Dell XPS - better screen resolution and graphics.

  27. Weird pricing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Dell's Marketshare Decline Due to Intel?

    I bought one of the excellent Dell 2405FPW flat screen LCD monitors for myself over Christmas - I was (and still am) really impressed with it (truly fantasic - 1920x1200 native, super bright ... over 2 million defect free pixels, 5 inputs &c... really nice to use) and on the basis of my recommendation we have bought several at work (about a dozen so far and have just ordered more).

    Today I was checking out the prices for a Soundbar for it - it's a set of basic stereo speakers that clips onto the bottom of the monitor.

    Details here:

    http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail .aspx?TabPage=producthighlights&sku=520-10437&spag enum=&category_id=5961&brandid=56&k=&c=uk&l=en&cs= ukdhs1&mnf=&prst=&prEnd=&mnfsku=&orderby=&searchty pe=&pageb4search=&page=productlisting.aspx&instock =&refurbished=

    (sorry if the link is b0rked - blame slashdot b-)

    I'm in the UK (if that matters) - when I check the product from home, it's £35.25, when I check from my work PC it's £20.

    WTF? Is this normal? It's almost twice the price!

    I guess I'll be ordering it from work b-)

    Cheers all.

  28. Re:ALL consumer computers by major vendors are sho by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Dell's Marketshare Decline Due to Intel?

    If you support a lot of customers that use Dell, you can actually get parts directly through this site: http://warrantypartsdirect.dell.com/us/Program/ind ex.asp I get parts with next day shipping.

    You're billing someone for being on the phone... not sure if you'd still want to do it though. :)

  29. Re:I wonder about that. by wpmegee · · Score: 1 · on Dell's Marketshare Decline Due to Intel?

    1. Go to dell.com
    2. click small business
    3. click software and accessories
    4. click batteries
    5. find your D810 in the list
    http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail.a spx?sku=310-5351&c=us&l=en&cs=04&category_id=5438& first=true&page=productlisting.aspx

    Took less than 2 minutes of my time, what was your issue?

  30. PSSST by way2trivial · · Score: 2, Informative · on Dell Aims for Gamers with XPS M1710

    Up to 100GB 7200RPM or 120GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive lets you store and access abundant data on your notebook.

    http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productde tails.aspx/xpsnb_m1710?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~sect ion=specs#tabtop

  31. Nice try.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Mass Microsoft Defections to Apple Possible

    The Dell doesn't come with a core duo processor. This is probably a better comparison:

    http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx ?reconfigure=true&cart=ActiveCart&id=a33ad1fd-591d -47b0-b549-5cc6913636c2&ecomm=ecomm.dell.com&c=us& l=en&cs=19

    http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/6094001/wo/1Cd712L7qeTb2wiaUGA2zomFd V8/4.?p=0

    The Apple includes an ATI X1600, while the Dell uses an ATI X1400.

  32. Re:Are we reading the same data? by Nightspirit · · Score: 1 · on Mass Microsoft Defections to Apple Possible

    System specs
    Processer: dell (2.8 dual core) apple (2.0 dual core)
    Memory: 1 gig (dell is dual channel, apple doesn't say)
    Hard drive: 250gb SATA

    Dell: $1209
    http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx ?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=dim515clo&s=bsd

    Apple: $1799
    http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/6264000/wo/iX7R761C8pKW3ct2M4vqqGUfc jL/2.?p=0

    A bit hard to do, as they configure different specs. The apple has a better monitor (by one inch), better graphics card (slightly), and better mouse. The dell has a much better processer. IMO the processer evens out the apple stuff, as processer upgrades tend to be more. The dell also has a better warranty, 1 year on site vs apple's 90 days. The dell doesn't look half bad either. Add $150 to the dell for xp pro, but most users don't care about pro (I have both and don't really notice a difference, but I'm not doing anything really technical).

  33. Re:Are we reading the same data? by Braino420 · · Score: 2, Informative · on Mass Microsoft Defections to Apple Possible

    I love how this happens on every Apple thread.. Someone says they're overpriced and then some Apple owner adamantly denies it.

    Well, here's what I do everytime (I should just bookmark these links)

    Macbook Pro:

    Dell XPS M170

    Please note: The expensive thing here is the lcd display and the Dell's display is even bigger. Also note: it's a little over 1,500, but I didn't make the %60 clame. You will probably bitch that the Dell has a 60 gig vs Apples 100 gig harddrive, don't worry: you're still wrong; you can upgrade dells for 30 bucks.


    Overpriced? No way, OSX is definately worth $1,000. [/sarcasm]

  34. Re:Why not? by spxero · · Score: 1 · on Mass Microsoft Defections to Apple Possible

    Give me a reason to switch to OSX. I don't care if it's flashier. I'm not swayed by better looking graphical designs. What I want is for an operating system to run the programs that I want. If I'm a gamer, I want games. If I'm a business, I want the cheapest quality solution I can find. If I'm a home user, I want the most compatibility for the best price. Right now, OSX just isn't it.

    Maybe when more games get developed, or when more business tools become cross-platform (such as archetectual or engineering programs) then OSX will see some market share. But the best argument I've seen from the Apple community is that they aren't prone to spyware/adware or viruses. That's great, except that I've already figured out how to fix that on my machines and many friends' machines as well. Sure, I see a pop up every now and then, but it isn't enough to make me want a new $2000 system. And I know there's a $600 mac mini, but it doesn't come with a keyboard/mouse or monitor. That's another $200 at least (buying new). If I just want a basic PC, I can get a $350 dell that comes with a keyboard/mouse and monitor.

    Until compatibility is there, or until I can load OSX on a cheapie PC, the Mac just isn't going to be adopted by the masses.

  35. Re:Are we reading the same data? by Donjo · · Score: 0, Troll · on Mass Microsoft Defections to Apple Possible

    Comparing a http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/6404003/wo/8G15tdAjAweN2ApknSDleU3r0 JJ/2.?p=0 to a http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx ?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=E1705FDC&s=dhs&fb=1 (you probably have to re-select the options) yields two computers with similar specs, the dell costs 1669 and the apple costs 2499. I didn't even have to shop around for that and the dell is 66% of the price on the apple.

  36. Re:This gamer doesn't by The-Bus · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Dell's Quest For Gaming Cool
    "Who really does pay for those $5000 showcase computers that get raved at in magazines like Maximum PC? I always get the feeling that they are put out there more as advertising than actual product. The big rigs get exposure and the fan boys drool over them, but odds are they are buying something a couple notches below."


    It's the same reason you'll see advertisements for impossinly expensive products (say, a $25,000 watch) in magazines. It is put there to elevate the brand, so if someone sees the $400 version at their mall, they will be impressed. The same reason Hermes (or any other brand) makes a mint on severely overpriced accessories. Sure, you can't afford (or don't want to buy) the $970 blanket or the $570 enamel bracelet, but, hey, why not get the $90 scarf? Sure, it's a lot for a scarf, but it's a $BRAND scarf and that counts for something.

    So what does Dell do? It makes a limited edition XPS 600 Renegade and sells it for $10,000. How many sold? Only about 31. And what does it get them? Tons of press. And lots of attention, much of it by people who've never heard of Falcon Northwest and maybe heard of Alienware one time they were at Best Buy.

    So, in Dell's mind, it goes something like this.

    Dad is picking out a computer for the family. He's getting it for his kid's homework and because Mom needs it. He'd like to play some games on it, but he's not sure Dell, the same brand he uses in his office, would work so well. After all, those work PCs are always so slow. So now Dad sees a comment about this Dell system in his local paper's technology section and he says, "You know, maybe Dell isn't so bad after all. I'll be OK with getting that."

    Whether or not that thought process is actually carried out I don't think is a question. Whether it will be carried out by thousands of people, that's for Dell to find out.
  37. XPS 600 Renegade Contest by donutz · · Score: 0, Troll · on Dell's Quest For Gaming Cool

    Don't forget to register for the Dell XPS 600 Renegade contest. It's Fueled by Fire!

  38. On the Cheap by CRMDmerv. · · Score: 1 · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    Well, if you are going to buy something from Dell, use the URL that they advertise on TV for slightly better pricing....

    http://www.dell.com/tv/

    -merv

  39. Dell does innovation? Yeah, right. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    Dell is a sales company. They peddle cheap commodity hardware.
    Anything more complicated they try make doesn't work, so they
    resell other people's stuff.

    E.g. http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/mess age?board.id=pv_raid&message.id=214&view=by_date_a scending&page=1

  40. "No OS" also costs same as Red Hat Enterprise WS. by MojoStan · · Score: 2, Interesting · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'
    If you look on thier web site you can find the exact same computer with Windows installed, for the exact same price or lower. You dont save anything, so it makes it a waste of time.
    Oddly, they do the same thing with Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation on Dell Precision workstations. Choosing FreeDOS (uninstalled, no support) costs the same as having Red Hat EL WS preinstalled, supported, and with a 1-year subscription to Red Hat Network. If you customize a Precision (e.g. Dell.com -> Small Business -> Desktops & Workstations -> View Linux Workstations -> Precision 470n), you'll see what I mean.

    I'm not sure why or how the heck Dell offers no price difference between preinstalled/supported Windows/Linux and uninstalled/unsupported FreeDOS. It's not just a Microsoft thing, though.

  41. Re:www.dell.ca by pacman87 · · Score: 1 · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    perhaps you haven't looked hard enough.

  42. Re:So that means I can order what I need, right? by salzbrot · · Score: 1 · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    How about right now?

    Okay, okay it is not Debian. But Linux nonetheless.

  43. Ok, it's easy to be cynical about this... by Aphrika · · Score: 4, Insightful · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    ...but he's talking about those technologies from a business perspective.

    Let's have a look at PCI Express. Early in 2004 it had competition from PCI-X - PCI extended - however, Dell here are discussing the implications of swapping from PCI to PCIe. Now, at the time, PCI-X was seen as an interim measure, but Dell skipped it, instead opting to use PCIe across their desktop range. See, they didn't 'invent' it, but a big company like Dell deciding to run with a specific technology is going to have an impact. No doubt we'll probably see the same with ExpressCard, which seems to be standard on pretty much all Dell laptops released since Fall last year - point me in the direction of another manufacturer who's committed to ExpressCard and not still releasing PC card stuff - HP? Lenovo? Fujitsu? Toshiba?

    Right, 64-bit extensions. Again, they didn't invent it, but I know that they had an instrumental role in convincing Intel (who needs 64-bit computing?) to add EMT 64 extensions to the Xeon range. That might have been partly forced by Dell's customers asking for 64-bit availability, but you cannot deny that with a big player like Dell dumping out 64-bit Xeons, it did give the market a huge kick up the arse - and one that I'm pretty convinced Intel wouldn't have done on their own. Remember, they stubbornly sat on their hands for ages insisting point blank that 64-bit was not the way to go and that if you wanted it, you had to buy Itaniums (*shudder*).

    Wireless? The only evidence I can find that supports this is that Dell were the first company to offer an 802.11b wireless card in a desktop config. I don't for once think that drove any kind of market force as it was an option on the Dimension desktop line, but his points in the article that they stopped Intel marketing that awful HomeRF standard might be justified.

    So it's not really 100% bullshit - the guy has some valid points. Yes Dell has helped promote a couple of standards over the years - USB 2 first appeared on Dells, Centrino laptops first appeared as Dells, they were second (behind Apple) to ship LCDs as standard with PCs. However, they've also bombed in other areas: they still don't have a coherent Mediacenter PC and seem to offer the OS on anything you'd want, and they don't have a tablet option. Now if they could pull their finger out and try to push those down people's throats, we might be getting somewhere.

    So, before you're moronic enough to read bullshit into what he said, sit back and have a think about how a company's size can dictate whether technologies succeed or not, then think about what didn't succeed but could've, like Itanium, HomeRF and PCI-X...

  44. Re:yea sure by GeXX · · Score: 1 · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    There's a link to dell's website showing that they are selling AMD processors :)

    http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.a spx?sku=A0558328&c=us&l=en&cs=19&category_id=2999& page=external

    So Dell is selling AMD, and I heard a rumor that dell does have AMD based systems, but only to huge companies.

  45. Re:Uhhhh.... by Slithe · · Score: 1, Informative · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    Dell DOES sell Linux workstations.
      http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.a spx/precn_n?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

  46. www.dell.ca by BigBlockMopar · · Score: 4, Interesting · on Dell Protests 'Not Wintel's Lapdog'

    Isn't this like Pinocchio claiming that he isn't Geppetto's puppet?

    I want a new computer.

    On www.dell.ca, I selected a Dimension 3100 - it's all that I need in a general purpose PC. I clicked on the "Customize it!" button. And it seems that I can't get it without Windows. (Not sure if that link will work, it set a few cookies in Firefox.) Furthermore, I have serious issues with any technology company sufficiently ignorant to run IIS.

    Though I've always liked Dell hardware, Pinocchio gets no sale from me.

  47. Re:Don't use a bag that clearly has a laptop in... by sammy+baby · · Score: 1 · on Top Ten Coolest Laptop Cases

    You're aware that Dell makes some fairly small laptops themselves, right?

    I'm not a big fan, but my wife has the 710 and is pretty happy with it.

  48. Re:Fuck Dell by gid · · Score: 2, Informative · on Buy PC Without an OS... Get a Visit From MSFT?

    Maybe you called the wrong number or looked the wrong place. The n series from Dell Small Business comes with FreeDOS or RedHat EL.

    Most people I talk to say to buy from Dell Business, not Home.

  49. Re:And do you remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Frustration With Oblivion Mod Costs on Xbox Live

    I've got an Athlon XP 1500+. It is fine for everything except games (its CPU is way below Oblivion's system requirements). Oh, and I have an AGP slot, rather than PCI-Express, but I guess that I'm lucky, since most people have on-board graphics and no slot for a video card. So, how am I going to turn my computer into a speed demon? I also have a laptop, but I doubt the video card is going to fit into that.

    I could buy a new PC, but that would likely have Intel Integrated Graphics (since that is the cheapest and most common option). There would be nowhere to stick a video card.

  50. Time for Unix technology based Desktops by AppleTwoGuru · · Score: 0 · on Microsoft Says Recovery From Malware Becoming Impossible

    Unix has the tools, the technology, and the ability to repel, withstand, and almost eliminate the threats that Virus, Spyware, and Malware pose to MS-Windows based machines

    That is why we do not need a Microsoft monopoly, because then you have a monopoly sized problem with these threats.

    If the 7.1 Billion dollar R&D company can't stop it, but Freeware Linux can, what is stopping you from migrating to a better Operating System? Get over it already! Just do it!

    Need Linux for Dummies?, try Linspire.com or mandriva.com or suse.com

    Need absolutely free of cost? - try ubuntu.com or slackware.com

    Need a whole new consumer package?

    low cost Mac Mini from Apple - http://www.apple.com/macmini/

    Dell with Linux preloaded - http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.a spx/precn_n?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd