Stop lying.
Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site, Operating Systems submitted by jmxz
08/02/07
You just sent me another dead-tree-catalog full of "Dell Recommends Vista" on most pages; and practically everywhere I go on your web site I see it.
Yet the press reports that you guys are smart enough to hold off on deploying it yourselves no matter how strongly you "recommend" it to others.
Intel, Dell hold off on internal rollout of Vista
...
Dell has also not yet rolled out Vista internally, ..."We are pretty much in the same position as Intel within Dell," he said Thursday. "We knew we would roll out Vista internally faster than any other OS (but) if we are at the SP1 level it is going to be safer."
Please change your "Dell Recommends Vista" lies with "Dell recommends holding off like we're doing internally". on both your website and send print corrections to customers you lied with in print.
Dell - please stay focused on the highest-voted ideas, though. Don't distract yourselves with this one until you've addressed the ideas below which have been the top-ranked ideas for at least 6 months without adequate responses..
- 147,808 - dhart - Pre-Installed Linux [and not just on a couple obsolete models in limited geographies]
- 127,719 - dhart - Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office
- 107,313 - robinjfisher - Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser
- 89,183 - ootleman - No Extra Software Option [only a couple models are crapware-free today]
- 78,007 - gergnz - Provide Linux Drivers for all your Hardware
- 73,600 - agreer - No OS Preloaded [and not just on a couple obsolete models]
970
Better selection of Linux notebooks
Linux submitted by kasoroth
08/07/07
An Ubuntu notebook with higher specs would be nice. At a minimum, I'd want a decent monitor option (1920x1200 resolution), a decent NVIDIA video card option, and gigabit ethernet. I'd also prefer an AMD processor, and a price point about $50 less than an equivalent Windows system.
2310
DVI or HDMI out on all laptops models?
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptops submitted by tommarnk
07/06/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
this would be a big jump, if dell add "DVI out" on all dell laptops, so people can connect to there LCD Displays or LCD HDTVs natively
the picture quality will be grealy improved
this should be easy to do as most of new chipsets has dvi out
not many laptop manufacturers add "dvi out" to there lower end products, so it might be a wise move to do so
all LCD monitors and lcd hdtvs has dvi or hdmi in so it might work well
and meybe remove the old VGA out and put a singel DVI-I, it can be used as analog (VGA) to, by using VGA-to-DVI-I adapter like tose used on
standard computer graphic cards for years now
many people like me connect monitor via dvi or hdmi to get the best picture and color quality
The offerings for the XPS M1730: Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays) and HDMI via DVI adapter. Check out all the specs for the new systems.
3800
http://www.dell.com/open shouldn't steer people towards Windows
Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by limulus
08/02/07
If I want to look at the open source offerings on Dell's site, there's a nice short URL that redirects to the appropriate page: http://www.dell.com/open
However, some of the wording on the page sounds like it was written to DISCOURAGE people from buying those systems and steer them towards Windows; an excerpt:
---
Not sure Open Source is for You?
The main thing to note is that when you choose open source you don’t get a Windows® operating system. If you’re here by mistake and you are looking for a Dell PC with Windows, please use the following link.
Shop Dell PCs with Windows
---
To make the page better:
* remove the "Not sure Open Source is for You?" and "Already an Open Source fan?" sections or change them to something like this:
---
New to Open Source?
A very important thing for people familiar with Microsoft Windows® but new to open source to note before buying is that it is an alternative to Windows®, not a cheap version of Windows®. Programs specifically designed to run on Windows® will NOT run by default on Dell's open source systems. If you want to run programs such as "Microsoft Office® 2007", "Adobe Photoshop® CS3", "iTunes® 7.3" and "The Sims® 2" you're in the wrong place! (Dell's Windows® systems may be found here.)
If you already knew that or are ok with it, please continue shopping below...
---
* if its to be kept, move the "You asked, we listened." part down into the Ubuntu description, but get rid of the "advanced users and tech enthusiasts" mention; installing an OS (regardless of the OS) is usually the most difficult step (and one not done by 'average users') but Dell has done all the hard work (most notably by selecting compatible hardware) and after that Ubuntu is really not that hard to use :)
* in the "What Is Open Source?" section, the following sentence needs work: "A downside is that some open source software requires intermediate or advanced knowledge to use, and in the case of operating systems, may not be compatible with the same software applications and hardware as Windows operating systems."
What is the reference for "advanced knowledge to use"? Are we talking about the command line? Ubuntu can be used without ever seeing it. Perhaps consider striking that. The real meat of the issue, of course, is that Windows embraces proprietary things and its an uphill battle to try to support them in an open OS. Perhaps use the following:
"A downside is that consumer software applications and hardware choices which are compatible with the proprietary Windows operating system may not work in an open source environment or may require significant tweaking to make them work."
(for software, the tweaking is a reference to Wine... for the hardware, we can hope for support in future Ubuntu versions ;)
2260
All possible options should be available via the website
Dell Web Site submitted by steve0073
07/27/07
On the Dell website, many options are not available. But they are available when ordering by phone. For example, the Inspiron 1720 can't be configured with an 7200rpm harddrive, but it can be ordered with such harddrives by phone (yes, I asked).
Now, this is what I don't get:
Every person who wasn't asleep during the last 20 years can tell you that taking orders by phone is much, much more expensive for a company than taking orders via a website. Orders by phone take time, use up expensive human resources. You maybe need to hire more people for this, and the already hired ones are stressed out and don't have the time for real special cases where they would be really needed. And they maybe even forget to call you back because they're just too busy (yes, happened to me twice now).
That adds up to more costs and bad customer service.
If you would allow configuring everything on the website, you would have a lot less people calling your customer service.
So please Dell, provide all the possible options directly on the website so we can order what we want/need much easier and with less stress, and less cost for you.
1970
Ubuntu on all models where it works
Linux, Operating Systems, Small Business submitted by jonsmirl
08/01/07 **IN PROGRESS**
I'm still throwing away copies of Windows. Recently I have ordered some Dimension 9200s from Small Business. All of these machines are running Ubuntu today without problem. They're being used to replace some PE400SCs that are starting to die. A 2GB quad core for $649 was too good a deal to pass up. It makes a great small server.
Please offer Ubuntu as a choice on all configurations where it works. I would have still paid $649 for the box and you could have kept the money you're sending to Microsoft.
We continue to explore different Linux opportunities on our systems. Check out daniel_j's comment below.
11310
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.
120054
Dell's Website must work with Firefox running on Linux
Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by qgonjon
07/16/07 **UNDER REVIEW**
It's discouraging to have a Tier 1 vendor (Dell) selling Linux products and yet not really tailoring to Linux. Don't get me wrong Dell, I am not trying to take away all the good you have done. Offering Linux is a step in the right direction and I would like to see more steps taken in a monthly or quarterly basis. But, it seems that the basis for your current Linux promotion is for the Open Source enthusiast like me. I use Linux at home and at work as my main operating system. I use Firefox as my browser and I'm trying to order a Dell Inspiron 1420N. However, it seems that the embedded flash script that shows the different colors choices for the Inspiron is not working under Linux. It also shows that I can't see the different images thereafter. It works with Windows running Firefox as my vmware machine verified. But that is not the type of user that will most likely purchase a Linux laptop.
My request is simple. Can someone fix and verify that this page works well with Linux browser technology? So, that users can enjoy purchasing your Linux products and demonstrate that Dell really cares about their customer's operating system preference.
Dell I wish you the best in this venture as your success in this territory will help the Linux Desktop become a reality to the open source community.
9650
Backlit Keyboards
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by rarmasu
02/21/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
I find myself many, many times in dark or poorly lit environments having to guess the various keys - would be fantastic to have a backlit keyboard - with backlit individual keys as the best option.
I would actually pay extra for that convenience if the option was available.
This could be done for desktops or notebooks.
Check out the white LED backlights on the <ahref>XPS M1730.
22250
Low Power Usage Machines
Environment, Desktops and Laptops submitted by bluefoxicy
06/12/07
This proposal suggests creating specifically low-energy systems, with mid-level performance. We suggest a market for this proposal; a handful of existing technologies useful to these ends; and theoretical initiatives to continue on with this initiative.
This proposal suggests low-energy, mid-level performance systems. These systems would serve for generic tasks taken by a number of individual groups; in a nutshell, the system would function as a generic machine running Linux, although further initiatives would allow running Windows. These machines would be geared more towards tasks such as Web browsing, E-mail, audio and video encoding, video conferencing, and graphics editing; but would find deficiency in running high-intensity real time scientific applications or leading-edge 3D games. Such machines would utilize less electricity and thus cost less to run; also laptops and computers running on UPS would last longer on battery.
Existing technologies include alternate processor architectures such as Intel's Xscale ARM processor as I suggested earlier[1]; Mary Lou Jepsen's new LCD design[4] as I suggested earlier[2]; a low-power wireless chipset; and flash-based disks.
The Intel Xscale ARM processor runs at 600MHz and only in 32-bit mode, dual processor SMP could allow 1200MHz total. The high efficiency of the ARM architecture allows high performance at these low clock speeds; more importantly to this proposal, the Intel Xscale@600MMhz consumes 0.5 watts of power[3]. An Intel Core2duo X6800@2.93GHz consumes 75 watts of power[3], while a Core2duo U7600@1.20GHz consumes 10 watts. A dual processor Xscale system would utilize 1 watt of power for 1.20GHz to run the processors; this translates into lower heat production and thus reduced cooling requirements as well, further reducing power usage and also possibly allowing for fanless, quieter systems.
Mary Lou Jepsen designed a new display technology[4] for the One Laptop Per Child project. This technology uses a bright white LED and refraction to project colors to individual pixels; power usage reductions come from removing the high-power fluorescent back light. The display has color artifact issues, currently solved by applying a slight amount of blurring; sharpness falls below 200dpi. I am unsure of the potential to improve this technology for sharper displays; however it does have a wider color gamut than a normal LCD, and a very low manufacture cost.
The One Laptop Per Child project also uses a low-power wireless networking chipset. I believe this chipset uses an embedded, low-clockrate, self-clocked ARM processor with built-in RAM used to store firmware (loaded by the driver). The chipset uses, overall, a few tens of milliwatts of electricity at most; the power footprint of this wireless chipset is almost nothing. The particular chipset is an 802.11b chipset; however, similar designs for 802.11a/g/n chipsets should be possible. Having such a low power usage chipset for wireless would obviously contribute to the lower power footprint of the system.
Flash based "hard disks" (main storage) also supply a method of reducing system power usage; unfortunately, the technology carries a high price tag. Newegg sells 16GB USB flash drives for around $130, so I estimate retail price of 96GB flash storage drives would fall at $780 currently. Still, the price point moves rapidly with this technology, so in a few years this will become quite viable; I remember around 2003 things like 128MB drives cost $90, and 2GB drives cost $200 in 2005. If we look at the 2005 price and assume at least an 8-fold increase in capacity for the same price, then 128GB flash drives should fall around $100-$150 by 2009; realistically, the fabrication processes for smaller semiconductors become easier and the capacity per price grows exponentially.
Further theoretical initiatives include a hardware x86-to-ARM translator chipset; low-power 3D graphics; and static graphics buffers that can stay on without the CPU or most of the graphics chipset.
This proposal specifically suggests a low-power-usage ARM processor; however, modern operating systems run on x86. Modern x86 processors use a RISC language internally and apply translation to x86 instruction code to produce RISC instructions; in the same way, an expansion chipset could translate x86 code to ARM. The BIOS and its shadow would always run directly on the ARM; but a setting in the BIOS would control whether all other code runs on x86 or ARM. Setting this to x86 would activate a chipset which translates x86 instructions to ARM instructions upon fetch, and caches the output in an additional cache (Possibly a reserved segment of main memory, size adjustable in BIOS for performance). In the presence of a completely ARM operating system, this translation chipset could be completely disabled and unpowered, saving power.
Many desktop applications utilize menial 3D graphics, or can be accelerated by 3D graphics. A fully OpenGL 2.0 or higher and DirectX 10 or higher supporting 3D chipset could provide support to desktop environments like Aero and Compiz and simplistic games on the level of Armagetron or Nexuiz. This chipset could run at a low clock rate and utilize a low power footprint; not much power is needed to run simple 3D desktops. The chipset could alternately scale to high clock rates as needed, possibly supporting more intensive 3D applications.
The AMD Geode GX and Geode LX contain an integrated graphics chipset. This graphics chipset maintains the video buffer even when power to the processor is completely removed (power to the graphics area stays). I believe it also can maintain the display with most of the graphics hardware off, as long as the frame buffer stays powered; in this case, the same static image can stay on the screen, so as long as the cursor isn't blinking and the mouse isn't moving power usage drops drastically. A graphics chipset which behaves in this way would allow for large power savings if a properly coded operating system took advantage of it.
Once again, this proposal in general suggests low-power, mid-performance machines for desktops and laptops. The above ideas give some possible methods for implementing this; further research is required, but I believe I've given some interesting direction here.
[1] http://ideastorm.com/article/show/67331/ARM_PCs
[2] http://ideastorm.com/article/show/67334/LowPower_nomercury_LCD_Monitors
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_power_dissipation
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Machine#Display
1540
Linux Pre-Installed on Business Laptops
Linux submitted by dbyte32
07/02/07
Dell should offer Linux pre-installed on business laptops, not just home laptops.
Dell currently offers Red Hat Enterprise on the Dimension N Series, Optiplex N Series and Dell Precision Workstations for businesses. What's the problem with offering Red Hat Enterprise on the Inspiron, Latitude, Precision Mobile and XPS notebooks? Dell currently has the expertise in house for Red Hat Enterprise since they have been selling it for years. Support can be purchased directly from Red Hat with dell supporting hardware issues.
At the least allow customers to buy the business laptops without windows, so then they have the option of purchasing a copy of Red Hat Enterprise from Red Hat directly and installing it themselves.
580
Ubuntu Certified
Linux, Sales Strategies submitted by safaci2000
06/19/07
Should dell, start certifying the vast majority of their laptops/towers as being Ubuntu compatible. Not necessarily pre-package Ubuntu on all laptops (though that'd be nice), but just like msft has their certified msft hardware, dell should test out each model they sell and either flag it as compatible or not with Ubuntu. (which odds are, would translate over to most other distributions anyways).
1480
REUSEABLE SHIPPING CONTAINERS
Environment submitted by scotty750
06/08/07
I'm an onsite tech. I've been griping for years about the large boxes for shipping parts for warranty calls that don't have handholds. And I just thought of a way to solve my gripe, make dell green and save money.
You can purchase hardened plastic laptop shipping cases that are lockable and pretty much infinitely reusable. Why not a similar solution for warranty parts.
Currently dell is using cardboard boxes. Lifespan of a box, 2 ships, out and back. if your lucky, maybe a second warranty call but not likely. cost of a box say 40 cents. number of boxes used a year??? well if we figure 30,000 systems built per day and a failure rate of say 10% (industry average is beleived to be about 15%) thats 3000 units a day that break.
Yes theres an upfront cost of purchasing the shipping cases, but they can get used an unlimited number of times. since they don't have to be constantly remade like cardboard, its a lower carbon footprint, and can lower to total cost over time from reuse. and it adds zero waste to landfill.
summary:
zero landfill
infinite reusability
lower carbon foottprint per unit over time
lower manufacturing costs over time
easy to implement
free advertising of dells commitment to green. make em a nice white with a nice big dell logo and a nice big recycle logo on it. every customer that gets a warranty repair would see the commitment to green
1620
Advertise Ubuntu a little more loudly
Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by zhinker
05/16/07 **NOT NOW**
I may be wrong about this but it doesn't seem to me like Dell's done any sort of advertising at all for the new Ubuntu pc's that it'll be rolling out soon, except for it's initial declaration I haven't heard a word about on any non-linux media (everyone using linux knows about it of course).
Unless Dell is planning on marketing this solely to linux users, it might want to let the rest of the world know that it's going to be selling Ubuntu soon (a simple photo and note on their website would be enough to make a bunch of pc buyers at least interested, and the ad wouldn't even cost anything). The problem with going after only current linux users is that you're substantially lowering your market base (which of course, is already pretty low--I realize this is just an experiment) to people who might already have pc's their perfectly happy with for the next couple of years, and I'm also worried that this perceived lack of interest might give Dell, and hence other pc manufacturers, the idea that selling linux computers is still a failing enterprise.
That's my 2 cents
5100
 track my votes
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