Michael Dolan Dot Com

Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

Dell Ubuntu PCs are here, buy now

One way to tell vendors support Linux is worth it is to buy from the vendors that support Linux. Dell’s Linux line is out there for purchase now. You can read about it all here, or you can buy them here.

There are oddities that you could probably say Dell “missed” - complain about this or that, but one thing is clear - Dell supports Linux on desktops and laptops better than any other mainstream vendor (ahem, they’re the only one). Sure I might save $50 on my next PC from someone else, or get some different video card, but for $50 difference, I’m going to buy a Dell and then tweak where it really matters. I actually went for the base video card b/c the other upgrade option on the E520 was not a solid card. I want DVI and better 3D card capabilities to make Beryl and unstoppable.

Heck, I may even wipe the PC and reload Ubuntu. I did an “instant chat” with a Dell rep yesterday when I had a question about whether the Ubuntu 7.04 operating system was the 32-bit or 64-bit version. I was shocked that this online rep knew the answer - stunned. (btw, it’s the 32-bit version, hence I may reload Ubuntu with the 64-bit)

Anyway, there are certainly refinements to be made, but Linux users now have a major PC vendor in their camp selling mainstream systems - it’s time to prove there’s a Linux market. If you’re buying your next PC, I’d encourage you to give Dell a strong consideration. They didn’t meet 100% of my intricate hardware requests, but they met 90% and I’m willing to fix the other 8% I really need myself.