Ubuntu Dell $50 Cheaper Than Vista Dell

rhinokitty writes "Dell recently announced that their Ubuntu systems will be $50 cheaper than similar systems running Vista (Home Basic Edition). This will be a good fork in the road for those people who need a little extra push to take hold of their dreams and run Linux."

Comments

Re:"Take hold of their dreams"?

[Mistlefoot]

Dreams. Ubuntu is the best. It runs this laptop without a Battery!!! And without a battery $50 isn't much savings. lol

I'm guessing this is a typo....but from the article -

$774 Inspiron 1420 (Ubuntu)
Intel® Core(TM) 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Ubuntu version 7.04
Anti-glare, widescreen 14.1 inch display (1280x800)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
Integrated High Definition Audio

$824 Inspiron 1420 (Vista)
Intel® Core(TM) 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Genuine Windows® Vista Home Basic Edition
Anti-glare, widescreen 14.1 inch display (1280x800)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
80GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
24X CD writer/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® 3945 802.11a/g Mini-card
56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)
Integrated High Definition Audio

sorry, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, but i gotta say "...who need a little extra push to take hold of their dreams and run Linux." is the single-most pathetic thing i've read on the entire internet, ever.

Re:"Take hold of their dreams"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, no batteries! I can't believe they snuck power generation into the kernel. Tesla would be proud.

$50?

[Mystery00]

I don't think that is a big enough incentive, people that have been brainwashed by M$'s propaganda about how great Vista is aren't going to suddenly turn and say "ZoMG! This OS is $50 cheaper! Forget Vista!"

A $50 difference will do nothing in terms of persuasion for the common man, the people that buy Ubuntu pre-installed are only the ones that have done the research and know at least a bit about what they've doing, and what they want, the rest know Windows, and M$'s advertising.

What Ubuntu needs from Dell, isn't a $50 price difference, but some available INFORMATION, look here: www.dell.com/

I don't know about you, but all I see are Vista loaded machines, I didn't check every page, but nobody is going to buy an Ubuntu loaded machine if it's buried somewhere at the back of the site, or the store.

Re:$50?

[fonik]

Heh, yeah.

I like the part of the www.dell.com/open site where it asks you if you are there by mistake and suggests you go back to looking at Windows machines.

The main thing to note is that when you choose open source you don't get a Windows® operating system. If you're here by mistake and you are looking for a Dell PC with Windows, please use the following link.

Shop Dell PCs with Windows

They even put the link to their Windows machines BEFORE the link to the Ubuntu machines. If you were selling cars and someone showed interest in an import, would you ask, "Are you SURE you want to buy one of THOSE?" Their machines work great, but the website is serious WTF material.

Re:Is Ubuntu good?

[Tribbin]

It's the distro I install for all my friends.

When I reinstall Windows for a friend, I put Ubuntu on their computer next to windows and tell them to boot it if windows fails again.

It takes a couple of months before they really need to fall back on it. And in the meanwhile, at moments when they feel brave, they take a peek in the rabbithole.

And they confirm; Ubuntu does a great job for a fresh user.

Re:They'll probably choose Ubuntu because..

[fonik]

At least with Ubuntu the customers can switch around for free. With windows you have to pay more if you find your license doesn't cover a feature you need, like multilingual support or remote desktop.

Re:Is Ubuntu good?

[grcumb]

Is Ubuntu a good distro in this case, given as it's already installed? I mean, from the standpoint of a non-geeky computer user.

I've installed Ubuntu on computers used by well over a thousand new computer users. Common tasks were picked up with as much ease as I've witnessed with first-time Windows users.

A few things that new users tend to find useful:

• The system menus are way easier to find your way around. Software is located in the Applications menu, and it's organised by purpose rather than brand name. Links to your hard drive, USB disk and CD ROM are in the Places menu. System-related tasks are in the System menu. You get the idea.
• USB disks, CDs and other removable media pop open folders when inserted, much as they do in Windows.
• The default interface is much cleaner and simpler than in Windows. Folders are simpler - which is not to say easier - to navigate. (This is useful for non-geeks, but can prove frustrating for power-users.)
• Automatic updates are just as easy as - if not easier then - Windows, and all of your software is covered.
• Upgrades are free. 8^)

Those are just the first few things that spring to mind. I'm sure others can add to this list.

Those who are accustomed to Windows will be accustomed to certain conventions, and this will rankle a little bit at first. But once you get used to the fact that, for example, the Start button is on the top of the screen rather than the bottom, you quickly find a lot to like.

Re:I hate Vista but for $50....

[Anonymous Coward]

Except the hardware won't work. Most Dell other than their Linux machines use ATI and Broadcom, which are a HORRIBLE combination.

Put up or shut up.

[RomeReactor]

This is _exactly_ what most people that wanted Linux pre-installed in their PCs said they wouldn't do: whine about details. Why can't I get a better battery? Why is it only 50$ cheaper? Why is it gray?... We wanted this; now it's time we show we can backup our statements with cash. Vote. Wallet. Now.

Re:I'll take Vista thanks :-)

[sortius_nod]

you just have time to cancel or allow?

Re:"Take hold of their dreams"?

[Stephen Samuel]

I think that the point is that it's no longer more expensive to get a Linux box from Dell than it is to get a windows box from Dell, nuke the Windows partition (and thus lose even hardware support) and install Linux. -- or get the same box sans OS*, and install Linux yourself.

I will note that even just resizing the Windows partition for your 120GB hard drive to make room for a 20GB Linux install is enough to cause the Dell nuke-Windows-and-reinstall script to freak out and stop.

(* Yeah, I'm discounting FreeDos as a legitimate OS -- Have you ever even heard of someone [other than a FreeDos developer] actually leaving their FreeDos partition permanently on their machine and using it as anything other than a launching point for installing another OS and/or claiming HW support from Dell?_

Re:What this really means

[Eivind]

But there are several trends coming together. Each individual one may not count for much, but the sum total is still starting to look interesting.

• The average price of new computers is falling.
• The price of Windows, both in pure dollars and in requirements is rising sharply.
• Linux is getting easier and easier for the non-geeks to use.
• You can get pre-installed Linux from vendors people have heard of. This matters.
• There's a large amount (though not as large as I'd like) of articles and news-coverage of consumer-hostile "features" in Vista.
• There is a distinct lack of *advantage* for a consumer moving from XP to Vista, in other words, MS has done next to *nothing* worthwhile for a consumer in the last 5-6 years.
• Vista has horrible hardware-support. Of the 5 usb-gadgets that my wife uses, 2 failed to work with Vista. For one, an Epson-scanner, the status is: "Drivers will be released in february". Meanwhile, Linux supports more hardware out-of-the-box than any other operating-system ever has. (though not more than XP plus additional drivers)

None of these are deal-breakers, really. And most people will certainly buy the "default" choice, Vista, without really giving it second thougths. But *some* will start thinking.

Linux certainly won't displace Windows on the desktop this year, or the next. But it'll continue doing what it's been doing quietly for years already: growing.

Re:I'll take Vista thanks :-)

[shutdown -p now]

The dialog is not normally annoying, but at times it can be. For example, try copying an executable file from an SMB share to your "Program Files" folder. It goes like this:

• Are you sure you want to copy an executable from a shared folder? Yes
• Are you sure you want to write something to a system folder? Yes!
• Sorry, Dave, I can't do that. Copying .exe files from the network into "Program Files" is disabled for security reasons. WTF???

Which is obviously an idiocy, and one I haven't seen elsewhere (in Ubuntu, anyway; haven't had a chance to play with Mac OS).

Re:I'll take Vista thanks :-)

[PopeRatzo]

I'll take Vista thanks :-) Don't have time to fix Linux problems anymore.

You must not have tried Vista yet.