deternal

Market Ubuntu / Linux Certified Accessories under Dell Open

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Dell Web Site, Linux, Printers and Ink submitted by jaybird 07/04/07

I love my Dell E1505N and the pre-installed Ubuntu Linux works great. I'm interested in upgrading / acquiring some new peripherals but it can be confusing determining which manufacturers and models inter-operate well with Ubuntu and Linux in general. It would be wonderful if Dell would provide a place to shop for Ubuntu certified accessories such as printers, cameras and MP3 players.

Customers purchasing such items from the Dell Open site would know that they either included the necessary software to integrate well or were already well supported by the OS. This would not even need to be an especially large selection of items - perhaps a low end and high end entry from each category. Having the assurance that my new printer, print server or MP3 player would integrate well with my new Ubuntu based laptop would allow me to stop researching and finally buy some new peripherals. Comment »

Make your legal team restrain themselves when they're trying to silence bloggers who are trying to help people buy from Dell.

Dell, Dell Community submitted by jmxz 06/15/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Yesterday Dell sent the following letter to a blog that was giving advice on how to better order from the confusing Dell web site (like clarifying pros and cons of when you should go to the Small Business vs Home Office sections; and when you might do even better going to a Dell Kiosk- which Dell's own web site never makes clear). Rather than a take down notice from Legal, a polite email from Marketing with corrections to the inaccurate parts and specific requests to remove the confidential information would have been:

Better for the Blogger - because he wouldn't feel threatened.
Better for Dell - because the article never would have been so widely publicized (I learned of it only because of the takedown notice).
Better for Dell Customers - because the rest of the non-confidential information in the article could still help them.

- - - - - - - - - -
from Tracy Holland
to ben@consumerist.com
date Jun 14, 2007 4:39 PM
subject Posting by former Dell employee

Dear Ben,

Please remove the posting located at the following

http://consumerist.com/consumer/insiders/22-confessions-of-a-former-dell-sale...< contains information that is confidential and proprietary to Dell.

While not all aspects of the entry are accurate, ostensibly an ex-employee posted Dell's confidential information in violation of his or her employment agreement and confidentiality obligations (which prohibit the disclosure of such information both during and after the period of employment).

We would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Please confirm that the posting has been removed by the end of the day tomorrow.

Thank you, and please give me a call if you would like to discuss further.

Tracy Holland

Tracy J. Holland
Counsel
Dell Inc.
- - - - - - - - - -

While some of the information wasn't correct; the blogger has been continually updating the article fixing inaccuracies as they're pointed out to him. Your legal team also referred to "confidential information" but never specified what was the offending confidential information that should be removed. It's a bit hard to guess what parts of that posting might have been considered confidential; because it seems like just about all the info in the article can be found (just with difficulty) browsing the Dell web site and Kiosks.

Ideas for your legal team:
* For the case of this article - point out the "confidential" information (if there really is any) and I'm confident the blogger will remove that confidential information while keeping the rest of the helpful advice (which helps your customers buy Dells) up there.
* In general - try to restrain yourselves from legal threats on Bloggers. It would probably have been nicer if someone from Dell Marketing asked the person to correct things; and the whole thing would have probably gone away quietly -- instead of being very visible on many high profile places on the internet and on mailing lists now.
We hold ourselves at Dell and all our employees to high ethical standards and believe ex-employees have an obligation to uphold those standards. We live and learn in this new world of blogs and appreciate your suggestion.


31 Comments »

Properly warn consumers about ~3GB Max useable RAM limit with Vista 32bit

Advertising and Marketing, Operating Systems submitted by benjesuit 06/18/07

Only Vista 64 bit can use 4GB of ram or higher. Vista 32bit (such as the recommended Home premium), like XP (32bit) will only report a max of ~3.1GB.

Therefore, it behoves Dell to properly warn consumers at time of configuration that they will not be using the sum total of their 4GB purchased if they choose any Vista edition that is 32bit.

Perhaps using red font parenthetical under the selection of 4GB instead of a footnote superscript.



*Vista Home premium is a 32bit operation system.

See MSFT's confirmation of this: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605 59 Comments »

Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser

Software submitted by robinjfisher 02/19/07 **REVIEWED**

Does what it says on the tin! Most people only use IE because they aren't aware of other browsers - they think Internet Explorer is the Internet! What would really drive take up of alternative browsers is if Firefox was pre-installed as the default browser so that when people look for the "Internet" in Windows, they are using FF.
Firefox advocates at Dell have initiated discussions and driven action around exploring alternative internet browsers and experiences. As you can tell from our response to the Linux community, open source continues to be a part of our conversations about new products and services.





773 Comments »

Provide Linux Drivers for all your Hardware

Linux submitted by gergnz 02/19/07 **IN PROGRESS**

I don't care whether the OS is pre-installed or not, I want all the hardware to be totally supported in the Linux kernel without in mucking around. I currently have a Dell M1210 and I wish the modem would work, just in case I need it. The web cam would work, just in case I need it. At least the Intel wireless card is totally supported. Thanks Intel!!
Drivers are available for Linux to make some but not all hardware work. We continue to work with our partners to provide for better hardware support. See more specifics from john_h.




184 Comments »

Dell Must Use Ubuntu Stickers! {Pics Inside}

Linux submitted by thebittersea 06/10/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

96 Comments »

Dell Ubuntu for Europe

Linux submitted by yesmathew 05/03/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Dell announced to pre-load Ubuntu on Notebooks and Desktops for US market. What about for Europe? We want for Europe market too... users from Switzerland, Germany, France, UK, Austria, Spain, and others are requesting the same.


See the blog post in Direct2Dell re: Ubuntu in UK, France and Germany; Dell/Red Hat Solutions & More.
85 Comments »

Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office

Software, Desktops and Laptops submitted by dhart 02/17/07

Provide OpenOffice.org for free pre-installation alongside Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org is more capable than Microsoft Works, and a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, at a fraction of the cost (it's free!)

OpenOffice.org can open, create, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.

Provide as OPTIONS for pre-installation many other high-quality free software programs such as:
- Firefox: web browser with popup and privacy controls; say goodbye to Internet Explorer infections!
- Thunderbird: email program with free anti-spam and privacy controls
- Pidgin: instant messaging all-in-one program for popup-free MSN, Yahoo, AOL and others
&nsbp;[ed: GAIM was renamed Pidgin in April 2007 to settle the issue with AOL's trademark on AIM]
- PDFCreator: creates Adobe PDF files from any program
- Scribus, Inkscape & GIMP: desktop publishing, freehand drawing & powerful image editing
- Audacity & VLC: multi-track audio editing & universal all-in-one media/video/movie/DVD player
- Stellarium & Celestia: planetarium viewer & outer-space mapping, like Google Earth, but for our Solar System

Pre-installed quality free and open source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs, and helps prevent software piracy. Cast your vote for Linux and other free software. Cast your vote for the Universal Education PC [ed: article removed/merged by dell_admin] utilizing free software.

CHOICE is what consumers want on their new PCs, not annoying surprise circus-ware (the typical smattering of confusing 3rd party popup-infested software found on most new Dell PCs). Quality free and open source software is well behaved, and may be legally pre-installed on PCs, and legally shared with friends and family, sharing is encouraged! Cast your vote for consumer CHOICE and public transparency at Dell.
562 Comments »

Same discounts available on Ubuntu and Windows

Linux, Operating Systems, Sales Strategies submitted by jonsmirl 06/12/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

I'm ordering a Vista XPS 410 right now. I wanted a Ubuntu one but I'm going to throw away yet another copy of Windows. The Vista XPS 410 has $200 off today and free ship for a total of $869. The identical Ubuntu machine is $1019 plus $29.99 shipping. So today Ubuntu costs $170 more than Windows instead of $50 less. Why can't I have the same discounts on the Ubuntu machine? 50 Comments »

No Extra Software Option

Software submitted by ootleman 02/16/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no earthlink software, no google software - just a clean, original OS.


Check out jeremy_f's update on our current software options.


590 Comments »

Downloadable, PDF format, full technical specs for all systems

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site submitted by benjesuit 06/12/07 **REVIEWED**

Before I buy, I would like to have the options of downloading the full technical specifications of the system. Not just the brief specifications. Place a link under "tech specs" tab that allows you to view or download the full specification PDF file for those of us who care about and understand such things. This way everyone is satisfied.
We are looking to improve the specs pages by making them consistent across all product lines, provide more in-depth specifications and making them available in a printable format.





35 Comments »

Sell Linux PCs Worldwide - not only the United States

Linux, Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by ergo 05/02/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Dell has now decided to sell computers with Linux pre-installed. GREAT MOVE! But for the moment, it only concerns the US... Here outside the US, we can't wait to buy a pre-installed Linux Dell PC! Please sell Linux PCs worldwide!


Check out the details on Dell Linux systems worldwide!
522 Comments »