IdeaStorm
Over 19,078 ideas submitted. 741,232+ votes. 98,025+ comments. 537+ ideas implemented.
Comments Page (2 of 8)
Begin offering Linux!
Apr 16, 2013
1 Vote
Status: Already Offered
With the disaster that Windows 8 has been, Dell would be better served if it started offering machines with Linux. In the past I've tried buying a few machines with Ubuntu preinstalled and I gave up when I saw that a machine with a free OS was costing more than a machine with Windows.Unless Dell wants to bet it's future on a product like Windows, it should give serious thought to offering Linux or no OS at all. Linux is sufficienly advanced to the point where major hardware is supported out of the box. I ran Ubuntu and OS X on a Vostro 1520 with 4GB RAM for a year and was so pleased with the stability of Linux and OS X that I ended up buying a MacBookPro.I have now been running my home network which has a couple of Macs, a Dell precision, a Dell Optiplex and a Dell Poweredge since 2010 Windows free and I've never been happier. My Dells happily run Ubuntu/Mint and I no longer have to patch the OS everyday, constantly worry about viruses and constantly have to pay for subscription charges for Firewall and antivirus software. The best part is the same machine runs so much better with Linux compared to Windows. Just look at the amount of memory Windows and its drivers/Antivirus/Firewall take even before you run anything and then compare it with what's loaded when Linux runs on the same machine.Whether Dell makes the move away from Windows or not is up to Dell, I would definitely consider buying a Dell if it came with Linux/no OS and was cheaper than the same machine running Windows. I could never quite understand why a machine with Windows is cheaper than Linux or no OS at all. Is Microsoft paying to subsidize the cost?Wake up Dell and listen or you find yourself in a situation where you wish you had!!
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
Too few configuration options (e.g. for high screen res) put buyers off
Apr 11, 2013
3 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
When looking to buy a laptop, the available configuration options are very limited. There are a few base models to choose from, and it's not possible to customize each base configuration. For example the screen resolution, CPU, RAM and factory-loaded OS are fixed and can't be changed.This can really put potential buyers off, because in order to get a desired feature (e.g. 1920x1080 screen instead of a horrible low-res 1366x768 one) the only choice is a high-end model costing hundreds of dollars more. As opposed to being able to upgrade the screen on a lower-end model for much less.Take for example the Vostro 3560 page at http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/vostro-3560/pdThere are four base models, priced at $569, $699, $719, $999. Only the $999 one has a 1920x1080 screen. If the $569 model would be fine for me except for its screen, am I going to pay $430 extra for the high-end model? Or am I going to check out competitors' products?Another strange thing is the factory-loaded OS. Only the $719 model has Windows 8, the rest have Windows 7 SP1. So if I buy the $999 high-end model to get the high-res screen, I can't have Windows 8. [Windows 8 Pro includes downgrade rights to Windows 7.]
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, IdeaStorm, Operating Systems,
All laptops should have a windows 7 option
Apr 7, 2013
2 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
For those of us who have tried windows 8 and dislike it,you should give windows 7 an option, always.Or give an option of windows 8 pro (for $35. no more than $35) so we can download on our own.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
Abandon Secure Boot
Mar 30, 2013
2 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
While Microsoft would claim Secure Boot is about device security it has not gone unnoticed that the true effect of this technology is to secure Microsoft's market share.Secure also has the following effects: Reduces system recovery options as the presence of secure boot makes using third party OS independent recovery tools difficult to impossible. Prevents non-technical users from exploring "alternative" operating systems. The presence of Secure Boot prevents users from even booting into a live CD. Many Linux and BSD distributions are distributed on Live CDs. Secure Boot promotes the OS monoculture that has given rise to the malware issues that the world currently faces. Most malware attacks will not be prevented by Secure Boot because they rely on social engineering to circumvent security measures and do not attack the boot sector or the OS kernel. Secure Boot gives Microsoft an unreasonable level of control over hardware they did not manufacture. The introduction of Secure Boot is arguably an anti-competetive move on Microsoft's part. Microsoft unilaterally introduced this technology while threatening to exclude OEM's from the Windows 8 logo program if they did not comply. While it could be argued that Secure Boot can be dissabled on most systems. Most OEMs, including Dell are not entierly forthcoming with clear information on how this is accomplished. In deed on some OEMs PCs it seems Secure Boot must first be dissabled from within Windows 8 it's self before it can be dissabled in the UEFI firmware.Secure Boot is an entirely unnessesary complication in the boot process of modern PCs. It should be removed and abandond.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems, Software,
Touchscreen
Mar 29, 2013
7 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
Dell should provide touchscreen options for all their products. Windows 8 is designed for touch and can be difficult with just a mouse.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
Offer Dell XPS 13 Ubuntu Developer Edition in Dell Home Sales
Mar 11, 2013
1 Vote
Status: Acknowledged
I can't afford to pay the full payment and would like to use the 12 months interest free option available though Dell Home Sales. Heres what happened when I tried to buy it.http://setdosa.blogspot.com/2013/03/i-want-to-make-it-clear-that-this-post.html
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
Provide Linux drivers for older systems
Mar 7, 2013
1 Vote
Status: Acknowledged
I am using a Dell Dimension 5150 as my secondary computer from 2006, and it still works despite not having Linux drivers because it predates 2008 machines by two years, so it has no Linux drivers from DellI have no hardware in it that can cause major issues to truly need drivers because it's a Intel variant of the machine with the Pentium 4HT processor, and the only thing that causes minor issues I have solved in Linux was the nVidia card it has, but is solvedI also have RAID1 on this, but in Linux, this is lost due to needing a special driver I cannot get for Linux, but I can solve this with a RAID card known to work in Linux if anythingOthers may not have lucked out as I did when I got this and have a AMD variant with a nVidia nForce chipset, which is known to have compatibility issues in Linux because nVidia refuses to support Linux with the level of support Windows users get with these chipsets, but the reason for the lack of major chipset support for all nVidia nForce chipsets is unknown at this pointTheir video cards are just as bad due to their prefrence to support DirectX over OpenGL graphics, which causes a issue with their video cards that hinder their performance in Linux due to this issue, tough most cards work(with the exception of a few that just won't), you lose a lot of performace without a proper nVidia driver, even with the proprietary nVidia driver, it still loses performace, but not as much performance as the open source driver takes awayMaybe writing Ubuntu Linux drivers for some older machines is in line for people who use them to run linux and have nVidia graphics or nFoorce chipsets to help them get as much performance as they can get back
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
e-ink laptop
Mar 3, 2013
2 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
I would like a low heat/ low power computer that I can type on without looking at a flickering screen as that is a factor in my insomnia. (flickering screen as in a regular moniter flickers at 60-70 hertz which hyperactives a part of your brain which can but doesn't always make it harder to fall asleep).I want to be able to go to bed and write for a while before going to sleep. I could write with a pen/pencil and paper but I'm simply not fast enough. I'm don't even type fast enough.inIt could be either a duel mode screen with e-ink and a regular screen or just have an e-ink screen. You would have to develop an OS but seeing as how it wouldn't do much and would be very simple that should be about as easy as developing a program or maybe even easier. Just start with a linux or android core and make the gui into a simple e-ink interface. Remember it's e-ink so you should make it simple and minimalist.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, New Product Ideas, Operating Systems,
Dell XT3 - fix Rotatable Screen & Windows 8 drivers
Feb 25, 2013
4 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
First, you need to fix the rotatable screen on the Dell XT3. You can rotate to the left or right 90 degrees, but you cannot rotate it 180 degrees. Rotating it 180 degrees is inportant because putting the XT3 on a podium requires that you have the power and video cables in front of you, which always get in the way. Having a VGA output enables us to connect it to any sandard video presentation system. Otherwise, this machine excels for presenting interactive presentations in a classroom environment.Second, there are only a handful of touchscreen PC's that are Intel i7 capable, of which we went with a Dell XT3. We use the Dell XT3 to run Microsoft Office and create presentations using Camtasia Studio. The XT3 performs well and thanks to the Intel i7, it can render large presentations made in Camtasia in a matter of minutes! It also runs large Microsoft Office files with no problem. These presenations are uploaded for students to view online, but this would be impractical to do on a lesser machine.However Dell no longer offers any portable tablet PC that even compares to your XT3! Stepping from Windows 7 64-bit on a Dell XT3 with an Intel i7 with 8GB RAM to any of your notebooks or tablets is a large step backwards! None have the power of the XT3! You can't carry around an Optiplex 9010 All-In-One either.At the least, make drivers available for the XT3 for Windows 8! We understand that the screen won't support '5-point' touch drivers, but anything past four is probably overkill anyways.Some of us actually do serious work on a serious machine and the XT3 gets the job done. Fix the drivers, update it for Windows 8, and you'll be one of the few vendors that actually have a hot machine to run 8.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems,
A computer without lots of third party software pre installed
Feb 13, 2013
4 Votes
Status: Acknowledged
I have bought my Dell XPS Laptop last year and I must say, I am a satisfied user. I bought it with Windows 7 pre installed and it worked fine. I upgraded to Windows 8 when it was available last year and that was dissapointing till the moment when I decided to do a complete new, blanc install, no settings whatsoever saved. Which then becomes also an install without additional software supplied by Dell like diagnostic tools, a McAfee virus scanner, an offering for online data storage, Roxio burning software,backup software, lots of firmware drivers and so on. Since then my laptop runs PERFECT! It is fast (much faster than before), reliable and fully functional. Ok, I must admit that one driver Windows 8 was not able to find. So that one I installed from the Dell driver download page. That was all. So then what is the idea? The simple statement that adding lot's of pre - installed software to the operating system is unneccesary and can even be confusing for the consumer as well. It is best to let the consumer choose afterwards if - for example - an additional diagnostic tool or some utility like a virus scanner or backup software is nessecary. Also if you download the "latest firmware drivers" they come with a lot of software to manage (sometimes advanced) settings I think are not needed for most users. So keep it simple and make additional software explicitely a commercial offer, which a consumer can then later on decide to try and buy or not.
Categories: Desktops and Laptops, Operating Systems, Software,