Calm down! Dell is not throwing Ubuntu Linux out!

Dell has thrown linux out.Checked in DELL website, chatted with the expert. Oh, Oh..What a screwed up world it is!:(

It is true. I tried to purchase a Dell PC with Ubuntu over the phone. They say they are no longer offering it full stop. Not 'phone sales only', not on expensive business PCs that no one will buy, just not at all. They claim that too many users had 'problems' with it and that the cost off running technical support for it wasn't economical with the profits they were making.Shame on you Dell - they really swept this one under the carpet!

that DELL treats Linux like a pariah on its web page.Starting at the front page, http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/df.aspx?refid=df&s=gen, one doesn't find any reference to any OS. Looking for a laptop, when one clicks on http://www.dell.com/home/laptops they are faced immediately with "Windows® . Life without WallsTM . Dell recommends Windows 7."Down the left side of the home/laptop page the only OSs mentioned are Win7, Win Vista, and Win XP Home. You CAN NOT check a "Ubuntu" button to limit your choices to computers running Ubuntu Linux. The word "Linux" or "Ubuntu" are no where to be found. But, if one scrolls all the way to the bottom of the page, on the left side, just above the small video screen, there is a section titled "PC Operating Systems". Under it are listed FOUR Windows OSs, and something called "Open-Source PCs", which is not an operating system. Many folks know about Linux, and even more know about Ubuntu, but how many know what an "Open Source PC" is? Nothing familiar there, so they don't bother to click. I doubt that 1 out of 100 shoppers would click that link, even out of curiosity. Out of sight, out of mind. Dell knows that. So does Microsoft.But, if they did click "Open-Source PCs", they'd find a page, http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml, which does a VERY GOOD job of explaining what Ubuntu is and, indirectly, Linux.The euphoria is short-lived, however. The "Shop for Ubuntu" button leads to pages which offers FIVE computers: two mini's, two laptops and one desktop. The desktop does not include an monitor. When you examine the offerings you'll find on each and every page the banner "Windows® . Life without WallsTM . Dell recommends Windows 7." The message isn't even subliminal. It's telling the shopper to get out of that page as fast as they can and go look for a real computer running Windows. With friends like that Linux needs no enemies.Take the desktop, the XPS 7100. If you look for it in the Windows offerings it is the lowest offering, but beneath its listing is a button saying "Looking for Ubuntu?". Compare them with the same options and the Ubuntu offering is only $20 less. The Windows version includes a TV card and a modem card offering. In desktops DELL offers FOUR versions of the Windows version of XPS 7100 alone! It offers four versions of the XPS 8100, and four of the XPS 9000 with Windows but no Ubuntu offerings at all. The same can be said for their Inspiron Zino HD, Inspiron 560, Inspiron 560s, Inspiron 580 and Inspiron 580s offerings.On it's main laptop page are 13 laptops with version of Windows being the only OS offered.So, that 32 Windows desktops versus one Ubuntu desktop. Three percent. Ballmer himself said a year and a half ago that Linux owned more of the desktop market share than Apple, which had 10%. It would be nice to see more than 10% of DELL's PC offerings being available with Ubuntu, including any peripherals that are available for Windows boxes. Interestingly, DELL also offers 32 different laptops with Windows installed, vs two with Ubuntu. So Ubuntu is on 6% of the laptop offerings.We also learned this weekend that DELL is paying $100M in fines for accepting bribes from Intel to NOT use the AMD chip. Dell himself was fined $4M and his two lieutenants were fined $4M and $3M. In 2007, when Dell started using AMD chips Intel cut of their bribe money and Dell's revenues dropped by 75% !!! One has to ask: How much is Microsoft paying DELL to NOT give Ubuntu or Linux fair billing. It's not that DELL/Dell won't accept bribes. The question appears to be "how much".

All I know is that whenever I run a Dell desktop or laptop and attempt to install Linux software on it, I have success. Rarely has even a single device failed to be recognized or configured. I agree with SJVN; more is being made out of this than necessary.On the other hand, I sure wish that someone other than smartphone vendors would get more excited about what is possible with Linux and create a brand that exudes freedom and support, and be proud of it. Droid does it, how about it, Dell - and HP - and IBM - and Lenovo? You guys quietly sell servers and make good money at it. Put a bit of support and marketing behind a cute brand with good support and you might be pleasantly surprised!Droid! :-) (This sound replaces "You've got Mail").

The glass is half empty or half full. While I'd rather look at it half full, while some vendors are nothing, it's still HALF arse!How about Dell stop half arse doing the job? What about that? Why should we be surprised at not liking, a half-way done job.It is Dell, who must demonstrate their true colors. Not end users. There all ways a bad apple in the population at large, form any camp. Dell, on the other hand, provides computers. Noe they need to decide if they want to promote the status-quo and FUD, or PROVIDE BETTER COMPUTERS.How can we even think, it's OK for Dell not to do their best? Isn't it clear, reputation is everything. What about simply quality? What about time, wasted with Windows? What about NEVER sell cheap parts that can only work with Windows, due to close driver anti-competition. People, why give up security and freedom?Oh no! People need to demand better, not less.Education and experience, is most of the problem. Here's the way to explain it; to the average "Joe". Computers systems have become exponentially complex. The absolute least of evils, currently, is Ubuntu. Ubuntu is truly getting better, dynamically faster; over time.

Steven, you have to let go and start coping. Ubuntu won't win. It's all in your head. Accept the truth! Only then can your soul be saved.

All of the stories were from UK publications like the Inquirer. If you look at Dell's UK website you won't find any Linux machines mentioned, if you look at the US website they are still offering a couple. However if you look more closely the only Ubuntu machines on offer are crap. There are only two machines that are offered to home users a mini10 and one laptop with a slow processor that can't be upgraded. There are a few more machines offered on the small business site but none of them contain a current processor.

Your "best guess", Steven? Then you don't really know any more than anyone else, do you. Ahem, couldn't you call Dell and find out?Dell's Linux offerings have always been meager and half-hearted at best, and hard to find. Do you think a customer wanting to purchase a Windows machine would need the same detective skills and determination? Would they be told "Oh you have to make phone orders only now"? You're not making a very good case that all those Ubuntugeddon (great word!) tales are wrong.

Goto http://dell.comChoose "For Home"Choose from the drop-down menu "Laptops and Minis"Scroll down on the left side to "Narrow your Selection"You get to choose any OS you like as long as it is from M$.What are they offering the typical consumer? Nothing.Repeat for Home/Desktops and all-in-ones... Same result.So Dell offers nothing for about half their customers.Repeat for "For Public Sector/K-12 Education"Choose DesktopYou don't even get a choice of OS on the "Narrow your selection".Is Dell trying to grow the base for customers wanting GNU/Linux or at least a choice of OS? No.

I'm still not too happy about them changing "Ubuntu is more secure than Windows" to "Choose Ubuntu if you're interested in Linux Programming"

I checked the US Dell website and stand corrected.My apologies to Dell for doubting it :(