Slashdot Mirror
Dell Sells Open Source Computers
Lo5 writes with the excellent news that Dell is selling desktop computers without Windows preinstalled. They are called "n Series"; you can choose from Dimension E520, E521, or C521 desktops. The hard drive comes unformatted.
Dell has been doing this for a long time.
This is at least 1.5 years old, probably more.
I've been buying n-series in 2005.
In my experience, that is simply not true. We have a couple Linux labs for testing our software where I work, and our N series Dimensions have been very cooperative with RHEL 4 and Fedora Core.
An ATI graphics card with proprietary drivers or an NVidia graphics card with proprietary drivers; what a choice.
> Has anyone figured out how much cheaper these computers come than those with OEM Windows?
Well opening a seperate tab on www.dell.com and finding almost the same system with Windows I get a difference of $185 once you make em exactly equal. But they are running a promo hard drive upgrade on the N servies right now and aren't on the normal Dimension I looked at. But it doesn't matter, when the difference is that big it is clear they are actually taking something off the sticker price when you buy an N series. Finally. Guess that makes this a real news item instead of a pathetic dupe.
Democrat delenda est
FreeDOS configuration with is around 70$ cheaper than Windows version. Windows version is same price for 250GB and 320GB HDD but on FreeDOS version if you chose 250GB HDD then it is almost 160$ cheaper...sweetahhhhhhhhh
I configured an E520/E520n to identical specs, with the one exception that the Windows version came with a Core 2 Duo (1.86GHz) and the n Series a Pentium D (2.80GHz, and Linux would've used the 64-bit processor). The n Series came out to $959 and the regular to $1089, a difference of $130 for Windows and the Core 2.
They aren't any cheaper. Dell is just trying to save some money by not having to go through all the hoops required when somebody asks for a Windows refund. That costs them more money than the refund itself.
And if you want a laptop without Windows installed, you might try RJ Tech. They seem to have every generic laptop on the market.
RTFA... it ships with FreeDOS. Sounds like open source to me.
some of you might remember back six years ago:s _shipped_without/a rly_illegal/
how PCs shipped without Windows will destroy your life: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/23/ms_how_pc
it's (nearly) illegal to buy PCs without Windows: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/11/28/ms_its_ne
is there a web archive somewhere of http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/nakedPC.htm ??
Dell's new open-source n Series desktop solution provides customers with a DimensionTM E520, E521 or C521 desktop without an installed or included Microsoft® operating system. With the n Series desktop, customers have the flexibility to install an alternative operating system (such as a version of Linux® ), and help reduce the price of this system. In addition, the n Series desktop comes with a non-formatted hard drive ready for your custom installation. Dell's n Series desktop ships with a copy of FreeDosTM , an open-source operating system that is ready to install. http://www.freedos.org/
No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
Yup... I happen to work at a university campus which has a licensing agreement with MS, so we're already paying for Windows. These machines would be perfect for us, but we still end up buying regular Dells with Windows preinstalled because there's a wider selection and it's easier to find the configuration we want.
The N-series selection is so limited that it might as well not be there for a large business/university with diverse needs. It does hurt to pay Microsoft twice for each copy of Windows, though.
-Z
We apologize for the preceding message. All those responsible have been sacked.
I built my own machines for a long time. But sometime last year I realized I could buy an HP machine from Circuit City for way less money. For $550, I got a machine that had a CPU that, at the time, cost over $300 alone from newegg.com for the identical model (AMD X2). For the extra $250, I got 1GB ram, 250GB disk, case/PSU/nifty_media_ports, DVD-Burner, and a license of WinXP Media Center edition.
The machine is rock solid. I added a recent, high-power video card and the stock power supply didn't flinch a bit. This is consistent with a prior Dell machine I used to own (1GHz PIII). The little 200-watt power supply held up and provided stable power no matter what I threw at it, including a Geforce4 Ti4400 (state-of-the-art back then) and filling the machine with 4 hard drives. Meanwhile all my friends were replacing 400-watt power supplies that couldn't keep their machines stable when adding new hardware.
If its your hobby and you get enjoyment out of home-built machines, then thats great and more power to you. But it no longer makes economic sense to DIY machines.
Why yes. Yes there is.
http://web.archive.org/web/20000818081805/http://
If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
Windows volume licenses are upgrade licenses, even though they let you install fresh. You wouldn't survive a BSA audit with volume licensed Windows installed on no-OS machines.
Each time these articles come out I go to dell.com just in case there is a deal to be had, unfortunately its the same story every frickin' time.
The basic stripped down N521* comes to $749, the basic stripped down E521 with Windows XP Home is $729! So I save $20 if I buy Windows, WTF!!! I have to pay about $70** for NO OS***?
Try again Dell.
* I had to add the 320GB drive to match what is offered on the E521.
** the N521 is $20 and Windows OEM is maybe $50.
*** it comes with FreeDOS, but its FREE, get it!
Actually it wasn't complete. There was a lot of useful stuff there but you couldn't build a BIOS out of what they published.
There's an easy (and legal) way to clean HP/Lenovo/Dell machines from all the crap.
Step 1)
Get ahold of a Windows XP Pro/Home/MCE (the one matching your license) CD Image. Try piratebay.org, or MSDN if you have a subscribtion.
Step 2)
Modify setupp.ini on the CD, so setup will accept OEM keys (just google for setupp.ini)
Step 3)
Install
Step 4)
Enjoy your Games or work
Dell includes a Windows XP installation CD with many of their computers. It won't ask for a license key (but it won't install on a non-Dell PC). While it is specially manufactured for Dell, it does not include any extra crap. Just plain Windows.
You can then install the crap of your choice from the "extras" CD supplied.
Search RapidShare and MegaUpload!
If dell.co.uk sell them then they keep them very well hidden. Dell.co.uk *do* sell servers without OS's though, but I can't find any n-series in the UK.
I just purchased five E521 workstations with XP Home Edition on Monday. Total cost, with a $60 small business coupon was $509 per system. I ran through the E521 config using the FreeDOS option. The system, almost identically configured, was $709. The only upgrade was a 250 GB drive versus a 160 GB drive (I couldn't get a discount by dropping to a 160 GB drive). Even without the coupon, it is $40 cheaper to purchase with Windows XP than without a licensed OS. So, either Microsoft is giving away XP Home Edition, or Dell is screwing their customers.
It would be better to purchase the Windows version, then you could install Linux/Xen and would be licensed to Windows as a guest.
Link to customize E520 Link to customize E520n
It was a pain in the ass slogging through 42 pages of Tax Prep software offers and all sorts of crap, but here's the breakdown between the two systems. The E520n is no OS, the E520 is with Windows & the Windows-tax.
(1) The E520n forces you to take a "free" 90 gig HD upgrade. Upgrade the E520 for $40.
(2) The E520n forces you to take a CD/DVD drive combo. Upgrade the E520 for $30.
(3) The E520n forces you to take an nVidia video card. Upgrade the E520 for $40.
(4) The E520n forces you to take a floppy drive. Upgrade the E520 for $30.
(5) The E520n forces you to take a 56k modem. Upgrade the E520 for $20.
(6) The E520n allows you to take a "free" recycling program on your old PC. Upgrade the E520 for $25.
(7) The monitor pricing is screwy, and I think they may have made an error. One way to look at it is that the E520n gets a $60 EXTRA discount if you actively select the "no monitor" option. The other way to look at it is that the E520n pays an extra $60 (or more) penalty if it takes any monitor. I took the no monitor option to pocket the (possibly accidental) $60 bonus.
Once the systems are made as identical as possible, the final prices are $509 for no OS and $704 with OS.
So you "apparantly" get a $195 discount for taking no OS. However on order to get that $195 "discount", you are forced to pay an extra $185 for mostly unwanted overpriced crap. The actual dollars-paid difference is a $10 less for taking no OS (you could get the E520 with no upgrades for $519), but the no-OS comes with various "free stuff" thrown in instead of the OS. In my oppinion the $40 for an extra 90 gig HD ain't bad at all, the $30 for CD/DVD drive combo and $40 for 3D video card upgrade are maybe reasonable or a total waste depending, the $30 for a floppy and the $20 modem and the $25 recycling deal (which by default is left unchecked and unused) are pretty much rape. IMO.
So we still can't pull out a pure price difference for the OS, because Dell picks your pocket for an uncertain amount of money by forcing you to take that mixed bag of "upgrades" in order to get no OS, but it does look like you are getting a decent discount by taking no OS. No more games with an "OS-free" computer actually costing more than an identically configured Windows system. However a good chuck of that discount only crops up if you actively select the non-monitor option. If you take the default monitor, or if you switch to any of the other offered monitors, you basically get hosed for $60 for takeing no-OS and a monitor. If the $240 discount for the no monitor option is a mistake, or if you take the monitor, then no-OS is still a discount but not nearly as signifigant.
The other differences betwen the systems that cound not be avoided are that the Windows system comes with 6 free months of AOL (value $0), comes with free Adobe Acrobat reader (value $0), comes with free Corel photo software (value $0), comes with free Yahoo Music jukebox (value $0), and 1 year of tech support. That tech support *is* valuable, bot to you as a buyer and as a cost to Dell. If you take the no-OS option, they stiff you on the tech support. The money they pocket there in revoking tech support is signifigant and takes a signifigant bite out of any no-Windows-discount that they are actually giving you.
There is one final difference that I'm not sure if it is a real difference. The no-OS version lists "10/100/1000 Ethernet" whereas the Windows version lists "10/100 Ethernet". If the 10/100/1000 Ethernet is actually a different and better network card, then that maybe that is valuable addition in the non-OS system. However I suspect... and I may easily be wrong here... that it is the same card in both s
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.