Dell Ships Ubuntu 7.04 PCs Today

javipas writes "Today by 4:00 PM CST Dell will start selling three machines with Ubuntu 7.04 pre-installed. The two desktops (XPS 410n, $899 and Dimension E520n, $599) and the notebook (Inspiron E1505n, $599) will be the first three machines with the popular Linux distribution installed by default. There is little or no price differential between the Linux and Windows models; in fact, the entry level E520 Windows desktop is cheaper. Dell has announced that they will provide hardware support, and they've created a new site devoted to giving further Linux support and updates. At the moment the offer is only available in the US."

Comments

Inspirons

[b0s0z0ku]

Why only ship their most cheaply-made, crappiest notebook with Linux? Are they trying to give Linux a bad rep. by bundling it with that kind of hardware? Dell's higher-end notebooks may be OK, but the $500-600 range Inspirons aren't on that list.

-b.

Re:Inspirons

[d3ac0n]

Keep in mind those are the BASE prices.

They are basically the lost leader prices they use to "get you in the door". Once there you can still customize the laptop or desktop with any number of hardware selections, including more RAM, better processor, and larger hard drive. These machines also come with dedicated video cards, as the integrated video isn't supported very well by Ubuntu. So you are STARTING OUT with a better base model than the Windows base model. (Which also explains why the Linux laptop is more expensive than the Windows one.)

My company has been a Dell shop for as long as I have been here, and I've become VERY familiar with Dell's setup. Keep in mind, Dell has been selling "open Source" (Free DOS) Desktops and laptops for YEARS already. Adding Ubuntu isn't THAT much of a change for them. I'd also imagine that you will find that the support package offered by Dell will actually be a Canonical support contract. This was a natural next step for Dell, and I think that all Slashdotters should get behind them. Not just with their words, but with their Dollars. I know that when it's time to replace my personal laptop (in about 6 months), I'll be going through Dell, and getting an Ubuntu Laptop.

Good on ya' Dell!

Re:Inspirons

[Ophion]

They are basically the lost leader prices they use to "get you in the door".

George W. Bush is a lost leader. Something sold below cost in the hope of selling other things for a profit is a loss leader.

Re:Of course entry-level windows is cheaper...

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

Microsoft pays a heavy subsidy to lock people in

Eh?

It's all the other software vendors apart from MS who pay for their adware/crapware/scareware to be on the Dell Desktop.

Re:Of course entry-level windows is cheaper...

[Aladrin]

I just looked... The Inspiron E1505 with Windows starts at $699... That makes the Linux version $100 cheaper. Very nice.

Re:Don't bitch about the price

[Timesprout]

You what? I think you will find Dell, HP etc pay MS to have windows on their machines. Where the fuck do you think a large percentage of all that cash MS has came from?

Re:It makes perfect sense

[lukas84]

For us, as an IT service provider, a single license of Vista Home Basic costs 105.50 CHF, that's 85 US$.

We do not have any special rebates, so that's just the _STANDARD_ price. The chance that it costs Dell a bit more than half the sum we have to pay is very likely.

Re:Price Subject to Change?

[StringBlade]

According TFA, the prices are still cheaper (except the XPS) for the Ubuntu systems as long as you compare it to an Windows Vista Home Premium configuration (vs. the Home Basic).

It breaks down like this:

Linux preinstalled
E520 - $599
E1505n (notebook) - $599
XPS 410n - $899

Windows Vista Home Premium preinstalled
E520 - $679 ($369 for Home Basic)
E1505n (notebook) - $699 (for Home Basic)
XPS 410n - $899

The E520 and the E1505n are both cheaper by $80-$100 compared to the Vista Home Premium Edition (though the Windows notebook is actually cheaper even for Home Basic). That's still a good deal in my view.

Re:It makes perfect sense

[Anonymous Coward]

I requested a credit for a system with OEM XP Pro from Dell. The credit amount was $55.00. Not sure about Vista, but it is likely similar. I had to remove the XP sticker and mail it to Dell as well.

Re:Price Subject to Change?

[themadhamster]

I just priced out two identical systems. One E1505n notebook with ubuntu 7.04. It comes with 512MB memory by default. Choosing 1GB and making no other changes makes the grand total $649, compared to $699 for the E1505 with Vista Home Basic. So that's $50 cheaper. I guess it makes sense to offer 512MB as an option only for the linux system, as I think ubuntu can handle that better than Vista.

It seems to me that the systems are identical, except for the wireless card. The windows version comes with Dell Wireless as standard while the linux version only has an Intel wireless card which is $29 extra for the windows version. So maybe it's more accurate to say that the price difference is $49+$29=$78 for identical systems. That sounds pretty good to me, I'd get one of these if I were in the market for a laptop right now.

TFA Updated: All Linux boxen $50-100 less than MS

[Ungrounded Lightning]

'Scuse me for topic-hopping a near-top thread, but this needs to be seen.

Dell updated the article TFA was based on to correct a pricing typo and someone posted a followup to summarize the corrected price differences.

If the compared boxen are actually equivalently-featured (time will tell) all the linux (suffix "n") versions are $50-$100 lower price than the Windows equivalents:

[Desktop]

Windows XPS 410:$899
Ubuntu XPS 410n:$849
($50 less)

Windows Dimension E520 "Versatile Multimedia": $679
Ubuntu Dimension E520n: $599
($80 less)

[Notebook]

Windows Inspiron E1505: $699
Ubuntu Inspiron E1505n: $599
($100 less)