Select Systems Now Available with Ubuntu 8.04

After months of testing and development we are ready to release Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) on select Dell consumer systems. For consumers in the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, United Kingdom and many Latin American countries (like Mexico and Colombia) Ubuntu 8.04 will be offered on the XPS M1330N and Inspiron 1525N notebooks and the Inspiron 530N  Click on any of the country links above or go to www.dell.com/ubuntu to place your order. :)

In early August, we will also add the XPS M1530n and Studio 15n to the line-up. This is just in time for LinuxWorld where we will participate in a number of the conference sessions. That will be your chance to hear directly about what’s been accomplished over the last year and where we see it going in 2009.

In her post, Anne Camden mentions some of the new features the Ubuntu 8.04 brings. Beyond that, we took steps to make our Linux images more accessible to a global audience by including the ability to select your language during the first boot process. While this does not mean we’re shipping in every country (yet) it’s a step in the right direction. Stay tuned for a technical details post from John Hull will provide a good overview of the work we did on the new release. Similar post from him on Ubuntu 7.04 and 7.10 releases have proved to be pretty popular with the Linux community.

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Michael said:

Are those of us who just bought a M1330 w/ 7.10 and upgraded it ourselves missing out on anything? Does LinDVD work better in the new build?

ak4life said:

That's great news. Props to Dell for giving customers a choice to purchase systems with Linux as an alternative to Windows!

Looking forward to some of the bugs resolved though. I purchased an Inspiron 530 with Ubuntu preinstalled, yet I can't update the BIOS on it as it's not among the supported systems for firmware-tools (http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Oss/Firmware_Tools/Systems_Missing_RBU)

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads only offers Windows exe version of BIOS updater.

Contacted Dell support and they told me to contact Ubuntu!

Chris said:

Thanks for supporting our community!

cvasilak said:

Thank you Dell !

Keep up the good work

Tony said:

I think it is a great Idea for Dell to be shipping Ubuntu 8.04 LTS. As a linux community member I think that the general public can get everything they need from a linux desktop.

:( I want it in italy weeeee weeeee weeeeeeee gimme it !!!!!\

It's a newer build with localization improvements, but the one in the 7.10 will still work.

The main thing you are missing out on is the new recovery functionality and support for other binary codecs (wmv,wma, etc)

Bugsbane said:

In Canada?! YES!!!

I wanted to buy an Ubuntu Dell for my last laptop but couldn't because of the US only thing. Now at last I can replace my aging HP tablet (with a whole line of dead pixels, dead touchpad, dead mouse buttons and failing battery and keys) with a nice Dell machine.

Thankyou! Am looking forward to pimping you guys on my blog. :)

Go Dell!

Bugsbane said:

PS:

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=ca&cs=cadhs1&l=en&s=dhs still says you're shipping 7.10...

Sachin Garg said:

Hope to see it with Vostro and in India.

assente said:

We aren't third-world citizen, please give to us Linux PCs in Italy!!

4u4me said:

A lot of consumers in China are waiting for Dell's PC with Ubuntu. Please!

 

Ed said:

Will an Ubuntu  8.04 LTS DVD be available for the 1420N anytime soon ?

 

Wayne said:

This is what I've been waiting for. Very good move to have DVD and codec pre-installed, well done.

But, PLEASE, PLEASE, release them in AUSTRALIA.

WE are still waiting. I will buy two, a mini-notebook and a 530N.

soumyajit said:

thanks to Dell for finally offering machines pre-installed with linux...i hope other companies like HP, Sony etc. will follow the footsteps of Dell.

Is it on the same page for OS options:-
* WinXP
* Vista
* Freedos
* noOS
* Ubuntu
* Redhat
If not, why not?
Dell upto no good?
Sucker pricing?

bouchecl said:

@ak4life:

Check the Dell Linux wiki for help with the BIOS upgrade for your 530.

 

Me? I'm just another happy Dell Linux customer :)

Thats great news! I just wish Dell do the same here in Brazil (sell some computers with Ubuntu). It would be great!

Its great anyaway :)

rob enderle said:

My folks wanted a laptop so they dont always have to go to the study to surf the net.

I was going to start looking aroudn during my vacation and this made it easier: my parents already run PCLinuxOS so theyre not 'afraid' of Linux and if Im going to support a company with my dollars, its gonna be for a company that will sell me a pre-installed Linux box.

Yes, I can do it myself and not limit myself to just one company but no other company has done this with regular laptops yet.

My wife wants a EEE like subnotebook to around the house and light travel and she almost bought the Acer One last week when it came out. I showed her the pics of the Dell E and the specs AND the price and she will weight...

Apart from a work related laptop once that I used for a while at work, these two Dell purchases will be the first Dell machines I own..

The problem with buying Windows-equipped and nuking it for Ubuntu is hardware compatability.  The Windows Dells are almost guaranteed to have hardware that can't work out of the box with Ubuntu, and if that hardware is a networking card, you're SOL - AMFYOYO.  The hardware difference and associated R&D may be part of the price add-on that counteracts the "free" operating system.

That said, when I finally break down and buy a new laptop, it'll be purpose-built for a Linux distro.

Vlad said:

I hope you'll continue to sell the 14" Inspiron Laptop with Ubuntu. As of today, it was removed from Dell's website.

Parampreet said:

This is great news! I think Dell is doing a great job by offering users the power of choice.

Way to go Dell !

Volker said:

That is good news! I would like to buy a Dell laptop with Linux from the german Dell store. They have the Inspirion 1525 and the XPS 1330M. To have the Studio 15 as another option would be great.

Shashwat said:

Wow !Nice.. Its good to see DELL in Open SOurce market :) I just hope they bring these Linux based Desktop in India :D

Also I would love to see more Linux option such as Mandriva , openSUSE , Sabayon etc :)

Dan said:

As a Dell employee and linux-only user at home I'm very pleased to see us continue to support Linux. Now if only I could run Linux at work =)

Re: Dell E, I think literally everyone in my office is planning to buy one -- way cool!

 

 

 

Serega said:
Dell Rocks!
Jaume said:

I bought xps m1330. Where can I download the new release customized for dell?

thx

lp said:

I already have Inspiron 1525N. Can I download Ubuntu 8.04 ISO for my laptop somewhere? Thanks.

Jof Arnold said:

Is this on for the laptops for nvidia GPUs or intels only?  I ask because I've had a lot of performance problems with the driver for my nvidia 360M on Precision M4300.  Had to resort to running xserver-xgl instead of the nvidia drivers in the end...

Otherwise, this is obviously an awesome move and Dell definitely deserve praise for it!  Progress like this is what's keeping me with Dell instead of moving to Apple.

Guy McArthur said:

Awesome!

ethana2 said:

Shashwat, the really important thing right now is to get linux into the desktop big leagues.  Ubuntu is basically its vehicle, and I think it's best not to get distracted with the more obscure stuff.  The only reason we're here is because we've achieved critical mass of demand of a single variant.

Keep in mind that getting Ubuntu and wiping it for something else isn't all bad, because it's still support for linux, and what goes upstream must come downstream, regardless of what distro you use.

Farmhead said:

Just bought my XPS 1330 and can't wait for it to ship next week. I can't wait until Linux is offered as an option across all of Dell's line. Keep up the great work.

Can't wait for the XPS1530n... hopefully upgraded to Montevina.

Oh and I see I am not supposed to wait, as again no Linux laptops for Switzerland. Why do you have to limit these offers to a few countries???

:-(

tuxlaptop said:

Did all the function of laptop run properly with this shipping?

What about support for driver and BIOS update for Linux?

Jack said:

What ruins Dell as a brand is the low quality of the laptops. Then they tack on low quality technical support. Despite all this I'd probably still go with Dell if they had a decent solution. Right now Dell isn't really providing that. Nobody is. The sad part is that the solutions exist if you look hard enough. I shouldn't need to go out and figure out which components are going to work with my system. Dell needs to do more than just release a few laptops that are slightly modified to work with Ubuntu. I can't say they have done a horrible job. I just want more attention paid to the total solution. If I can't get a printer that just work what good is it to me? Sure- HP has a great selection of printers that work /w open source drivers. Does HP support them on Ubuntu? No. Does Dell sell, support, and integrate them with the laptops they sell? We need more integrated solutions. We should be able to do this as few categories have products that solutions aren't available for at a technical level. It is the consumer level that they are not integrated for a satsifcatory one-stop shopping experience.

Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger said:

Farmhead: Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy that XPS 1330 with Hardy Heron.

Come back and let us know what you think after you've spent some time with it,

Cardoso said:

Dear Daniel Judd,

no Dell ubuntu linux in Brazil?? why is that?

Brazil is a *huge* linux market with a strong history of deploying open-source software and formats. see recent Brazil’s backing of open document formats ODF specs at ISO, large ubuntu communities and self-support at http://www.ubuntu-br.org/ and the mind-boggling deployment of 52 million KDE-desktop linux seats for students: http://lwn.net/Articles/280419/

look at this Register’s article: (Brazil loves LINUX: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/05/brazil_loves_linux_true/) “Brazil is the world’s most enthusiastic exponent of open source software, a BBC report reveals. And, if the Latin-American love affair with Linux continues, a third of machines there may soon run non-MS OSes.”

Dell Brazil unfortunately is not following this trend. Indeed, after seeing this ubuntu 8.04 news from Dell, I’ve just phoned Dell Brazil and asked for a Ubuntu laptop and the attendants (and their supervisor) were really gross to me, *refusing* to sell me the laptop with Ubuntu or even without any OS at all! What kind of seller refuses to sell something??? I believe you can guess my next laptop in Brazil will *not* be a Dell. That’s unfortunate, because I like Dell’s hardware, but I like Linux much more.

Dell, evolve to Ubuntu in Brazil or be sidelined. I expect you to announce Ubuntu in Brazil very soon.

Jean Fourie said:

im glad to see ubuntu getting some main stream exposure, but im puzzled as to why dell are charging extra for dvd playback?

 

last time i looked i installed ubuntu and dvd playback for free...

Qba said:

Nice, but  why n-Series is not available in Poland? :(

Austria said:

and again not in Austria available. That's crazy. arghhh

Aaron said:

Why don't you give us the option of a higher resolution screen with the 1525n? The 1525 offers it!

Also, have you fixed the problems with ExpressCard hotplug in your BIOS hot swapping on the PCI-Express bus works now?

David said:

We want them in Australia too!!!!

I am waiting eagerly for Ubuntu Dell to arrive in Malaysia.

Behrang said:

What about Australia!?

Ichiro said:

We want to obtain them in Japan too.

NMC said:

Please put 8.04 on the Dell E. I've only seen pictures of the Dell E and I'm already in love. As long as it has Ubuntu, it's a no-brainer.

Mark Mattington said:

DELL

This is a good first step! However, we need more models to choose from and a CHEAP ultralight notebook (< $600). We all know the margins are slim on the hardware.. if you guys would just let the open source community develop the drivers. Dell could put the lights out on Apple.

BUILD, DESIGN and MASS PRODUCE SEXY HARDWARE.
Let the software/OS take care of itself.

 

 

 

 

 

Jason said:

It's about time. How about some SSD's please?

emmy said:

Dear Mr. Judd,

When is India getting these N-version systems (i.e., XPS M1330N, Inspiron 1525N, and Inspiron 530N models )...

Knowinig the purchase preference of Indian customers, i can say that there is a huge potential for customers to opt for Dell if it is offered with this customization.

We have a huge price edge with open-source OS.

Infact I have had so many potential customers enquiring me (me being a Dell employee) if there is a system with open source OS.

Awaiting your comments

Regards

Emmy

JQ said:

When is Dell Malaysia going to offer?

Mauro said:

What abou italy !?

Bengt said:

We would like them in Sweden as well, have already run Ubuntu succesfully on the Latitude series (610, 520) without any problems, maybe you could place a sticker to the right of the Windows logo.

"Designed for Ubuntu to" =o)

Sad Mom said:

I just want to say how disappointed I am in how DELL treats our US soldiers.  Before my son left for his tour in Iraq he bought a DELL laptop so he could stay in contact with family.  It was an interest free purchase, or so we thought.  As it turns he paid interest on it the whole time and he paid twice as much for the computer than it was worth. He had it set up as an automatic payment from his account.  No one at DELL would talk to him at all about it.  Every time he called when he got home and discovered he was still paying for the laptop at $100 a month, he was put on hold and never helped; when someone would get on they would just brush him off and offer no answers or help.  My company uses DELL and I was so disappointed and I thought they were a great company to use until now.  If this is how they treat our soldiers I don’t think I want any part of them.  I plan on getting ride of all my DELL products and passing on to all my friends and family whom I have talked into buying DELL to do the same.  I also plan of talking to my company.  I know they feel strongly in supporting our troops.

Giuseppe said:

Im waiting for the Italy... :(

Zebaztian said:

I believe DELL have determined the future for what a computer business should look like. Just show people that Ubuntu exists on DELL computers and tell them that it's easy to use. Do it with big commercial events all over the world.

When will a preinstalled Ubuntu arrive in Sweden?

Vijay Patel said:

Thats really a good news.

When is it gonne come to INDIA?

2ndly..Using Ubuntu instead of Windows should really get the costing of the Laptop down by $150 or so..but instead of that just $50 is offered on the dell lappie w/o Windows.

Is this great news in the interest of people (customers/buyers/users) or in the interest of Dell's Profit?

emilio said:

when will it be available in other country like italy?

I just bought a xsp 1330 and I had to trow away the windows vista license to upgrade it with linux!

lp said:

so no luck for me to get Ubuntu for my Inspiron 1525, huh?

Igor said:

No Linux+Dell in Austria, simply we do not exist for Dell+linux, Dell ships only Microsof~.

 

I belive, that they have any obligations in respect to Microsof~.

D0nQuix0te said:

Awesome work Dell!!!!!

I've always been a big Dell fan, and recentley and even bigger Linux fan. I can't wait until the studio notebooks come with Ubuntu. I know Linux isn't perfect, but I don't think Microsoft is much better. Its good to see that Dell is finally getting ahead of the game.

GO DELL!

Danny said:

I bought one of the first Dell desktops available with Ubuntu. I am now ready to get a new laptop (replacing Dell 9100), and I am dissapointed by Dell's decision to not offer and real powerful laptops with Linux. Give me a 17 inch screen, high end processor and NVidia card, at least 4GB RAM (I would love 8GB), and a nice fast drive or two.

Seriously Dell. Most Linux users are power users. While I look forward to buying you equivelant to an Asus EEE, I need a real desktop replacement, and I refuse to pay for Windows when I am jsut going to put Linux on there. Do I have to build my own, or can I buy a Dell XPS or Alienware?

Joseph Goss said:

Can we have this in Australia please; I don't understand why you seem so reluctant to offer Linux across the board and in every country where you operate.

 

Howard Huckabee said:

Great move dell, I am pleased to observe your emergence into the linux os and ubuntu.... Now I am awaiting for you to offer the xps desktop with a linux os.  I would purchase one immediately. Ubuntu is my os of choice and the dell xps is my computer of choice. The absolute best of both worlds.

                                                  Howard

Brian said:

Regarding the 1420n, I ran the online packaged upgrade to 8.04 and everything worked fine with one exception. I had to re install the codecs for Win 32 to get my AVIs to playback with the proper color.

Hardy is running beautifully on my 1420n. Just back up your data, then upgrade online. You won't be dissapointed.

 

Cheers!

Jacob said:

This is great news. Is there any plan to offer Ubuntu on laptops with a non-glossy screen?

Indian_tux said:

Not in India??????

disappointing......

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