What a short, strange trip it has been. Dell has reportedly stopped selling AMD-based computer systems from its online store, just 21 months after they announced their intention to sell AMD-based systems to the general public.
However, contrary to first reports and the sandwich board wearing doomsayers, this move doesn't mean the curtain is falling on the Dell/AMD releationship. In fact, Dell reiterated today their commitment to AMD on their Direct2Dell blog.
So what is Dell doing? For the time being, they have largely relegated their AMD-based systems to brick-and-mortar-big-box stores, such as Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart or Sam's Club. Thankfully, if your laziness precludes you from getting out of that easy chair, you can still order over the phone as well.
If you go shopping for a new computer the day after Microsoft or Apple announces an updated version of their operating systems, good luck finding a model with the older operating system. But while Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon has been out for 2 months, Dell is just starting to offer computers running Ubuntu 7.10.
Don't get us wrong, for the most part, we're just happy to see that Dell is still offering PCs with Linux preloaded. The company started offering computers with Ubuntu 7.04 earlier this year. Dell is also selling workstations running Red Hat's Enterprise Linux version 5.
Ubuntu 7.10 is already available to US customers who order an Inspiron 530 desktop or Inspiron 1420 notebook. Customers in England, France, and Germany will be able to get Ubuntu 7.10 on Inspiron 530 notebooks later this week.
Of course, if you've got a Dell PC that's running Ubuntu 7.04, (or practically any other computer for that matter) you can always just download and install Ubuntu 7.10 on your own. Linux users should be able to grab the update through Ubuntu's update manager, while new Linux users can download a liveCD installation disc from Ubuntu. But it's always nice to get a machine that's designed with your operating system in mind, rather than hoping that your operating system will run well on your chosen machine.
Previous versions of operating systems released by Microsoft have generally been available for up to two years after the shipment of a new OS. Microsoft had planned on cutting XP in stores just one year after the release of Vista, however, due to its slow sales and customer demand Microsoft has added a few more months and will let it stay on store shelves until mid 2008.
Many current customers have not been interested in switching to Vista, with computer giant Dell even going so far as to start up offering XP pre installed on new PC's instead of Vista early this year. Now what does that say about a new OS compared to a six year old one?
If you've switched to Vista, how is it working out for you? Do you recommend upgrading yet?
Last week we let you know about an amazing hack that brings Windows Mobile 6 to the Dell Axim X50v. What makes this hack so amazing is the fact that Dell has no plans that we're aware of to offer Windows Mobile 6 for this discontinued PDA. In fact, Dell's Windows Mobile 5.0 "upgrade" for the X50v was pretty widely panned for being buggy and slow.
Windows Mobile 6 runs better than Windows Mobile 5.0 on the X50v. But there are still some problems. After a week of playing with Windows Mobile 6 on our crash test unit, we got tired of occasional slow downs and the constant need to reinstall programs that had mysteriously stopped working. So we decided to downgrade to Windows Mobile 2003SE, the operating system that originally shipped with the Axim X50v, which runs like a dream.
Here's how it's supposed to work. First, you reinstall Windows Mobile 5.0 using a Dell utility. Then you use another Dell utility to reinstall Windows Mobile 2003SE. If only it were so simple. After the jump we'll tell you about some of the hurdles we faced and how we overcame them.
The surprising thing is that Acer seems to be basing this decision on lack of demand for consumer PCs running Linux. But Dell reports that it's received quite a positive response to its PCs running Ubuntu. In fact, there's a rumor going around that Dell plans to offer several more computer models with Linux in the future.
We guess Acer's decision (and the decision by pretty much every other major computer maker) to stick with Windows is their loss and Dell's gain. You know, when it comes to selling computers to a select group of enthusiasts or bargain hunters.
Acer appears to be following Dell's lead and is installing Ubuntu Linux on at least one notebook PC. The Acer Aspire 5710Z with Ubuntu is only available in Singapore, where it's advertised for SG$999. That's about $660 US dollars.
This PC's specs would seem to indicate that it's targeted at budget-minded consumers, and the omission of Windows XP or Vista probably helps drive down the price. But while you could only run Windows Vista Home Basic on a computer with just 512MB of RAM, your money gets you a full version of Ubuntu Linux with all the bells and whistles.
Of course, you could just buy a laptop and load your own copy of the free operating system onto it. But we assume Acer have tested Ubuntu on the 5710Z and ensured that all the appropriate drivers are loaded. That alone makes these systems with Ubuntu preloaded worth their weight in gold for the new Linux user.
No word on whether Acer will be offering Linux laptops in the US anytime soon.
Not happy with the PCs Dell is selling with Ubuntu preloaded? According to Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth, Dell's been pleased enough with sales of the Linux machines that it plans to offer more models.
Currently Dell is selling three PCs running the Ubuntu Linux distribution, including a model that can be appropriately configured to sell for exactly $1,337 (hacker for "leet" or "elite").
Dell will neither confirm or deny Shuttleworth's comments, but a spokesperson does say that the company is happy with the response it's been getting to its PCs running Linux.
How much does it really cost to buy a computer with "free" software? Dell recently began selling PCs preloaded with Ubuntu Linux. While initial reports suggested that a laptop loaded up with Ubuntu was selling for $50 less than one with Windows, it turns out that Dell was not offering Linux users the free 2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive upgrade that was available for Windows users. That's a $275 value, meaning an Inspiron 1420 laptop actually cost $225 more if it was running Linux.
Now Dell is saying that the omission was a mistake and that the prices have been fixed. Since the hardware is identical, there really was no good reason for Dell to offer the free upgrade to Windows customers and not Linux buyers. It's not like Microsoft was subsidizing the cost of the upgrade.
The news came out at about the same time as Dell announced it would be discontinuing its Dimension line of desktops. It looks like purchasing an Inspiron notebook or desktop will get you 3GB of online storage space for free, while picking up an XPS series PC will get you 10GB.
3GB or 10GB won't let you back up your entire music collection, but it will let you save your most important documents like the family photos and your tax information.
Considering there are plenty of other services out there that provide several gigs of backup space for free, Dell's announcement isn't exactly earth-shattering. But it is nice to see a hardware distributor offering a backup solution. Hopefully others will follow suit and your average computer user who never even thought about the advantages of off-site storage will begin to protect their data.
Google has turned some of its focus off of hardware manufacturing, and handed production over to Dell in order to increase performance on its line of search appliances.
Google has had issues with scaling the development of the search appliance since it has proved to be such a popular device with over 7000 corporate customers. Google had to either choose to increase staff, work on the manufacturing, or look for a third party to help out. Dell's server architecture, particularly the 9G, stood out to Google as it offered leading performance in many areas including server management. Dell will now be assembling the Google enterprise search boxes from components supplied by a variety of manufacturers, and will be in charge of the shipping and receiving.
Dell has already started touting Google as a customer in ads that aim at business customers. And hey, why not. Its not every day that a company as well known and as impactful to society as Google hands over their trust in you.
While this isn't a software-related story, it should be relevant to anyone that is considering buying a Dell computer. The Consumerist has a post with what they are calling 22 confessions of a former Dell sales manager, which are mostly simply good advice as to how to go about ensuring you get the best deal when you purchase. A few of the items on the list are suspect, like the recommendation to "drop your laptop" if you have an extended warranty to get a new one, but as long as you take the advice with a grain of salt, there is definitely some good stuff in there. Examples include sale dates, sales closing tools like coupons, and price matching.
There will be two desktops (the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n) and one notebook (the E1505n) available at www.dell.com/open, with starting prices ranging from $599 to $899.
So why is Dell getting so much attention for giving consumers a choice of operating systems? Because Linux has become a lot more user friendly in the past few years, with some great desktop software for the Gnome and KDE graphical user interfaces. But most users aren't going to purchase a PC that comes preloaded with Windows and then futz with it, installing a new operating system and then struggling to make sure all the drivers and programs work.
While there are high end computer manufacturers and retailers out there who are already shipping systems pre-loaded with Linux, Dell is a consumer-oriented company. The company's decision to offer three Linux systems may wind up just being a nod to the computer geeks who flooded their request line with recommendations. But it's also possible that the move will legitimize Linux as an option for all home and office users who visit Dell's website looking for a new PC.
Oh, and did we mention that those three new Linux PCs seem to be about $50 to $100 cheaper than comparable PCs pre-loaded with Windows?
The head of Toshiba's Italian division says the company is thinking about giving customers the option of ordering Tecra, Satellite, Portege and Qosmio notebooks with Linux preinstalled.
Luigi Cattaeneo says the move would allow the company to sell notebooks in 500 Euro range, which could help Toshiba compete with European market leaders HP and Acer.
The news comes at a time when Dell is preparing to offer computers pre-loaded with Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn. There's no word on whether Toshiba would plan to offer laptops running Linux in the U.S. as well.
Ubuntu senior support engineer Fabian Rodriguez wrote, "Many people have been involved in this and I can only say I am excited to be a tiny small part of it: Ubuntu will be officially supported on Dell computers. Any other details will come on www.ubuntu.com, check it for the official press release, but we can now all put the matter to rest and go about our normal lives - or can we?"
If you're reading this while brushing your teeth and preparing to head in to work at Microsoft, you might want to call in sick; We can't imagine it's going to be a very upbeat day around the campus. Hey, cheer up! Ubuntu is hiring, and spending the afternoon at the movies might give you a chance to clear your head.
While Microsoft plans to kill off Windows XP by the end of the year, many users are still a bit nervous about running th newer Vista operating system.
There may be compatibility issues with software they need to run, or they might just not feel like learning a whole new operating system when they're perfectly happy with the one they've been using for the last five years. And most people remember that Windows XP got a lot better with Service Pack 2, so they might be holding out for Vista updates.
Anyway, Dell is offering new computer buyers the choice to buy a system preloaded with Vista or XP. But as you can tell from the chart above, they try to stack things in favor of Vista by pointing out all the things it can do that XP can't. Noticeably absent from the list? Boot up quickly.
What a short, strange trip it has been. Dell has reportedly stopped selling AMD-based computer systems from its online store, just 21 months after they announced their intention to sell AMD-based systems to the general public.
Last week we let you know about an amazing hack that 
While this isn't a software-related story, it should be relevant to anyone that is considering buying a Dell computer. The Consumerist has a post with what they are calling 
The head of Toshiba's Italian division says the company is thinking about giving customers the option of ordering Tecra, Satellite, Portege and Qosmio notebooks 
Rumblings and rumors surrounding pre-installed Ubuntu on Dell machines have been flying over the last few days, and 
