Get GNU/Linux Machines in Retail Stores
Linux submitted by dpic
Feb 14
Imagine how successful Dell's Ubuntu offering could be if just one Dell Ubuntu machine was put in retail stores. If people knew of an alternative to Windows, they would go for it! So what do you say, Dell? Why don't you try to put at least one of your Ubuntu machines offered in retail stores?
6570
This text on your web site regarding "open source" is misleading, please consider changing it.
submitted by cosh
11/25/07
From www.dell.com/open:
This is the wrong impression to give, as it suggests that all open source software everywhere is somehow incompatible with Windows, whereas in reality many open source programs are ported to and available on Windows, such as Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice, and some popular open source programs are dedicated entirely to it, for example Paint.NET (info).
A better and more accurate thing to say would be:
"The main thing to note is that when you choose an open source operating system like Ubuntu Linux®, you don't get a Windows® operating system."
or how about:
"The main thing to note is that when you purchase a Dell computer preinstalled with Ubuntu or FreeDOS, you don't get a Windows operating system" etc. etc.
Concise, clear, and accurate. If I remember correctly there's a similar message on the other language versions of the Dell web site, so it should be changed there too.
If you've a better suggestion post it in the comments.
710
Linux Drivers for All Dell Devices
Linux, Monitors and Displays submitted by grifter
10/24/07 **REVIEWED**
If Dell truly wishes to promote their Ubuntu line of computers then they should make sure that all of their devices work properly with the OS. For instance, the SP2008WFP monitor, while it does display everything fine, does not have drives for Linux systems of any kind. This is most certainly a hamper for any Ubuntu users to want to buy a Dell peripheral.
Please see john_h and matt_d's comments
3590
Multi-OS selection via checkboxes
submitted by xivulon
11/29/07
What about having a checkbox for each operating system in order to allow users to select multiple choices? No checkbox = no OS, multiple checkboxes = Multiboot. The conflict resolution dialog notifes about conflicts between OS and other hardware choices.
Select My Operating Systems:
[ _ ] Free DOS (info) [$0]
[ x ] Ubuntu 7.10 (info) [$0]
[ _ ] Windows XP (info) [add $50]
[ x ] Windows Vista Basic (info) [add $50]
[ _ ] Windows Vista Home Premium (info) [add $100]
[ _ ] Windows Vista Ultimate (info) [$150]
[ _ ] Windows Vista Business (info) [$100]
Ubuntu, XP and all other operating systems should be made available on all machines unless there is a fundamental hardware issue that makes a particular OS unsuitable (an issue that cannot be resolved by selecting a different component). Each item should have an info button which opens a brief explanation, a fair comparison table of all operating systems should also be provided. Details such as bootloader choice in multiboot configuration and disk allocation algorithm are left to Dell engineers to have fun with.
Hopefully that will accomodate most requests relating to OS choice while keeping the interface simple and intuitive.
1320
Goal: Dell FREEDOM Box - A Fully Open System for Home Users by 2010
Dell, Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by dpic
11/29/07
Set a goal of having at least one fully open system for home users by the end of 2010! This would be Dell's greatest endeavor yet!
The Dell FREEDOM Box | From the software, all the way down to the hardware, a completely open system
Software:
* A fully open source operating system with no restricted software like Gobuntu.
Hardware:
* All hardware must follow these rules--
1. The interface to the hardware must be explicitly made public, so the hardware can be used freely.
2. The design of the hardware must be made public, so that others can implement it and learn from it.
3. The tools used to create the design should be free, so that others can develop and improve the design.
This movement is already making headway and progress will continue to increase. Dell is already getting involved--
It has been stated that Dell has a goal to have open Linux drivers for all Dell products. Dell, keep the pressure on your vendors to open up!
Support OpenBIOS and Open Firmware!
"Among its features, Open Firmware provides an instruction set independent device interface. This can be used to boot the operating system from expansion cards without native initialization code.
It is Open Firmware's goal to work on all common platforms, like x86, AMD64, PowerPC, ARM and Mips. With its flexible and modular design, Open Firmware targets servers, workstations and embedded systems, where a sane and unified firmware is a crucial design goal and reduces porting efforts noticeably."
- http://www.openbios.org/
Already, there is huge support for replacing proprietary BIOS
- http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/62549/LinuxBIOS_instead_of_proprietary_...
- http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/74358/Dell_Support_Open_BIOSes_for_Linux
And there is the Open Graphics Project
- http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/72320/Help_The_Open_Graphics_Project<
This project would put Dell at the heart of the movement bringing Freedom, Reliability, and Innovation to the world of technology! Does one really need to ask why this would be better than proprietary technology?
1720
Ubuntu Dell Repo
Linux, Service and Support submitted by tekhawk
07/20/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
basicly a simple idea dell to support the ubuntu community a little bit by running a repo for its laptops and desktop if nothing more to support the software that they install on the system and to provide driver updates theses repos should be setup on the machines before shipping so that the users can get the driver updates quick and easy and offer driver on there for all the drivers that there are for dell machines that are support on linux not just the shipping lines
so that user might find that other machines then the ones you ship with ubuntu can easly be made into power ubuntu operating machines
As matt_d has said below, we have repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Novell/SuSE Linux Enterprise Server, and a growing one for Ubuntu. Check it out here http://linux.dell.com.
7450
Put Ubuntu on a laptop with better specs
Inspiron products, Linux submitted by piratehead
10/16/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
Offer an Ubuntu laptop (Inspirion or otherwise) with available discreet graphics, discreet audio, 8GB or more of RAM, a quad-core processor, bluetooth, next-gen WiFi, and integrated webcam.
I don't know how many of those are possible at this point, but each one is a step forward for people who are waiting on certain specs to bite on a Dell laptop.
Now that you offer laptops with Ubuntu on them, I really don't want to go to another company just to get the computer specs I want. I wish to vote for Dell with my dollars, paying for a laptop that has actually been tested and certified by the manufacturer to run Ubuntu. Please give me the opportunity!
Check out the Idea in Action to find out more about our Ubuntu offerings.
6220
Stop Overcharging on Notebook RAM
Sales Strategies, Laptops submitted by realskript
08/28/07 **UNDER REVIEW**
Dell really... REALLY need to stop overcharging... and when i say overcharing... i mean atleast double what you would pay to pick up the ram yourself.
On XPS Notebooks... you are charging $500 for 4GB of ram... when you could easily go pick them up at your local computer shop for $250... and pocket the other half of the $500...
It would be nice if dell could save the customers as well as the company itself this hassle.. and start charging NORMAL prices for an upgrade in RAM.
thanks =D
PS..... PROMOTE THIS!!!!
17410
make linux systems EASY TO FIND
Dell Web Site submitted by phubert
10/18/07
At other sites, I have seen comments by individuals who have BOUGHT Dell Ubuntu systems complaining about the difficulty FINDING said systems.
I think you'll get more sales if you improve the visibility!
6380
Standardize Power Cables for Laptops
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by badblood
08/27/07 **UNDER REVIEW**
Nothing is more annoying than laptop power cables that are not interchangeable from one computer model to another or from one brand of computer to another. Power cables have been standardized on most electrical applicances, including desktop computers for decades.
Make an effort to promote and implement standard power cables for laptops.
Please see dawn_l's comments below.
24740
There should be an option of having no trialware on all computers
Software submitted by jervis961
08/23/07 **REVIEWED**
Here is a news article about trialware and how Dell feels that regular customers want it but small business ones do. Do they not look at the ideas here?
"Not interested in all of the trial software that clutters up new PCs? You're not alone: According to Dell's recent research in both focus groups and broader surveys, small-business users overwhelmingly view trialware as an irritant, not a benefit. That research has led Dell to axe the extras from its new Vostro line of small-business desktop PCs and laptops. Eliminating demo applications is a major step for Dell, which has caught flack for the quantity of trialware on its consumer PCs. (One frustrated customer went so far as to develop a "Decrapifier" utility. The company says that consumers who buy PCs for personal use do express interest in preloaded trial software, but that small-business users have different needs. By eliminating the trialware from Vostro machines, Dell says it has cut the system setup time in half. For now, Dell is the only major PC manufacturer to ship small-business systems without preinstalled trialware as a standard practice. (Some competitors, such as HP, allow customers to choose a no-trialware configuration.)"
Dell offers a broad amount of software choice and minimal software shipped. Read jeremy_f's post on the options we give our customers
21970
Provide OPEN Linux drivers for all DELL products!
Linux submitted by lucianotolfo
05/27/07 **REVIEWED**
I think it's important for DELL to provide OPEN and FREE Linux drivers for all their products (notboocks, desktops, printers, etc.) to mark the way for other manufacturers, to develop linux drivers too (or they can work together with the linux community to do that)
Also the Linux users can get an easy way to configure their DELL products on Linux. Because linux users also take into account which hardware will be compatible on their Linux systems
We have open Linux drivers on our server products today and are driving our desktop and notebook vendors to do the same.
2010
Show all kind of Operating Systems when you build a computer
Sales Strategies submitted by satira
10/04/07
The main idea is that you can choose and make YOUR computer... as you wish, personalized.... that's a reason why i choose a brand like Dell over the others cause let me make my computer as i want and deliver it full working... if you can choose the color, shape.. size... capacity... why don't choose your operating system??? there ar so many...
280
The Real Advantages of Linux
Linux submitted by cosh
03/30/07 **COMING SOON**
- Linux is free. It's free for use on an unlimited number of computers. For ever.
- There are a variety of excellent distros of it now. Similar goals, but different approaches, so you pick exactly what you want.
- An amazing library of free, open programs are available for download with any and all distrobutions. Linux lets you explore these by category and choose which ones to try.
- Linux is efficient and runs on pc's that have a significantly lower spec (and are therefore cheaper) than what Vista ever could.
- Linux is proven secure. No viruses for Linux have ever propagated successfully, and there were only ever 14 of them.
- Linux is absolutely top-of-the-range Open Source Software. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people have reviewed Linux's code, making constant improvements across the OS. Now, the end user can rely on it. Linux is amazingly stable.
- Linux never stopped caring about where you wanted to go today. The designers always listen to problems, and then fix them.
- OpenOffice is a flexible and powerful office-suite and is free for all to use. Again, this is high-quality Open Source Software.
- Linux will let you play your music and movies without fuss.
- Linux will let you browse the internet and email safely.
- As well as being free in price, Linux is freedom. It never places DRM restrictions on you or spys on the way you use music and media. It just does what you ask.
- Thanks to continuing work on the Windows compatibility layers WINE and CrossOver, you can run increasingly complex Windows programs directly in Linux if you prefer, including Office, Internet Explorer, Photoshop and iTunes. Explore some screenshots here.
- Linux has huge online dedicated support communities. Dell can use those, to reduce the efforts of providing its own Linux support desks.
And for comparison, the disadvantages of Windows- Windows is frustratingly expensive plus you have to pay for it again if you have another computer. Windows license management is glued onto the operating system. It scans your hardware and uses the hardware key (sent to Microsoft's website of course) to track one copy of Windows across different computers.
- If you don't like something that's changed in the new version, tough.
- Windows makes even the basic computers in the Dell range more expensive because it's a memory and resource hog. Vista's requirements have forced basic memory used to manage the OS up four-fold. So with far more memory - you get the same results.
- There are over 114,000 known viruses for Windows. See this list of viruses, and note how many do and don't begin with "W32" (which means Windows).
- Windows is closed-source. Thousands of defects are permanently left in it because there simply aren't enough people working on it to iron them all out (or probably even notice them).
- Windows is bossy and obtrusive. Vista is swamped with irritating security dialogs. You opened this file. Cancel or allow? You want to view this website. Cancel or allow? etc. People don't want to run operating systems - they want run applications and get on with what they're doing.
- Windows Media Player (reportedly) submits reports of DVDs you watch to a file on Microsoft's server, tracked with an individual id. See this page. Surely to god nobody wants this? Or this?!?!
- Look at this Microsoft diagram of how Vista plays HD video. Notice the repeated decryption and reencryption before the data gets sent to your screen. Notice the multiple "protected environments", and the fact that your prgrams are deemed to be "unprotected". Who is Vista trying to protect the video from? - YOU. This blatantly outrageous content protection is because it thinks you will try to share the video with friends and it doesn't want you to. Plus the multiple decryption stages of each frame of video put a frightening strain on the computer meaning only high-end computers will be able to play HD content in Vista (for the near future).
- It's just... not nice. Not just the OS, but Microsoft's attitude. See the Halloween Documents if you haven't already. Microsoft's reports make a shocking read. Their attitude is cold and ruthless, and we don't like that, and we don't like Dell to be tied so tightly into that.
Linux is not the be-all and the end-all, but it is growing faster, much faster, than Windows. The Linux community can scale ten times the number of developers that Windows can. Arguably, it's set to soon be superior to Windows in virtually every respect. Dual-booting options with Windows and Linux give maximum choice to the user. This option is a must for Dell computers. Microsoft's vendor-lock-in contracts which force PC retailers to support and "recommend" only Windows are unethical and we don't like them. It's gone on for too long. Let's be honest Dell, ask yourself, what are Microsoft so afraid of? Will they lose money through dual booting both Windows and Linux? No not if Windows was the better OS... So is Microsoft quietly admitting to it... Come on Dell, we all want you to show the world how much more a computer can be! We want you to show the world what a computer is meant to be, and marvel at people's suprise and delight! Giving your customers choice can only be a good thing. Don't ignore this chance to become the open source pioneer. Might I suggest that promotion is vital. Linux computers will not sell well if they are hidden in some back-alley part of your website. To get the best results for the work you put in, make sure people can see it and that it is well-described, so people who've never heard of it don't get confused. Make sure that you make these computers available to markets outside America too. Don't ignore us here in Europe! The European Commission's had quite enough of Windows anyway, after fining Microsoft €497 million ($603 million USD) for anti-competitive behavior. Another idea, to iron out compatibility problems and get interesting extra feedback, beta-test some of your new Linux range with a large-ish selection of people before making it fully available. Unlike with Windows, you have full options to customise the style, background and layout and almost complete behavior of the OS. You might want to put your own touches on it. For example the default installation of Ubuntu is a light-brown/orange colour, which lacks much universal appeal. Test to see whether people want something layed out similarly to Windows or just barebones Linux defaults for the particular distro(s). (I personally would like something similar to Windows' look.) Open the window. Linux is ready for Dell, and Dell is ready for Linux.We appreciate the promises you've made already Dell. Thank you. We're all behind you and look forward to the results.
980
Dell Bounty -- Ubuntu Bounty
Broadband and Mobility, Dell Community, Linux submitted by tekhawk
09/07/07
anyone ever look at the dev pages on ubuntu's website
well they have bounties on there that people can try to claim by solving issues and developing part to software that the team doesnt have someone that can do it already or doesnt have the time to deal with it
i think it would be an effective system for dell to use with its linux offerings offer bounties on drivers and other such things im sure that if given the specs for some of their wireless network card and a bounty someone would gladly race to see who can build the drivers first
something that if the specs where released for the interfaces and bounties where given that i can think of are
laptop web cams
802.11n cards
any other things people can think of that given the information needed could be community deved post it here maybe dell will see the light and let us help with drivers and get this ball moving faster "and maybe make some extra cash on the way"
270
Don't make it difficult for people to find Ubuntu machines
Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by xivulon
08/09/07
Ubuntu is now shipped to Europe, but it is hidden away and not that obvious to find. If you did not follow the news, you would probably have missed it completely. What link do people usually follow when buying a laptop at dell.co.uk? They follow the most preminent links:
Notebooks > Home > Home Essential Notebooks
This is where they usually end up to: http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/notebooks_good?c=uk&...
The inspiron 6400 does come with Ubuntu, but do you see a "Select with ubuntu" button anywhere? I don't think so. If you want a Ubuntu machine you have to get there via a completely different route, by selecting the OS first (on the less visible left column) and then the machine... You can do that for XP too, but with XP you can also select the machine first and then the OS. Why is it not the same with Ubuntu? Moreover, if you click on the laptop image, it will automatically select Vista (thus giving it far more preminence).
So, I am glad Dell started shipping Ubuntu, but to me it looks like they only want to make informed geeks happy, while hiding the option to average joe. If Dell was really serious they should have Ubuntu listed in the customization section of each and every supported machine.
Customize your Operating System:
* Ubuntu Linux [subtract £30]
* Genuine Windows XP [Included in price]
* Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic - English [Included in Price]
* Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium - English [add £23.50]
* Genuine Windows Vista™ Ultimate (32Bit) - English [add £117.50]
There is already a conflict-resolution message, so you could easily signal incompatible OS/hardware choices. The above is what I call "choice", anything else is muddling the water.
3190
 track my votes
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