Dell has given an overview of what customers can expect from their initial Ubuntu offering. "The default software from the Ubuntu media will be installed on the system, including kernel and applications. The peripheral options offered with Ubuntu will be a subset of what is offered with other operating systems. We're offering the hardware options on each system that have the most mature and stable Linux driver support. These hardware options have been thoroughly tested by the Linux team here at Dell.
We configure/install open source drivers for hardware, when possible. We use partial open-source or closed source ('restricted' in Ubuntu terms) drivers where there is no equivalent open-source driver. This includes Intel wireless cards and Conexant modems."
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Member since:2005-11-11
>> It seems that they are carefully avoiding making promises about free software.
> If they weren't, I'd be *highly* suspicious.
We, the community, sold them on this by convincing them it was a business opportunity.
As it should be for a business. I just worry about the following:
>> They don't say that they'll pick hardware with free drivers over hardware with non-free hardware.
They don't say that they'll pressure hardware vendors to publish specs or free drivers.
I'm not as interested in seeing them approach this from some sort of software purity standpoint, but I would appreciate hardware with open drivers. If I bought one of their machines it wouldn't be to use Ubuntu (I have other distro preferences) and I'd like the assurance my hardware would work with any distro. If it doesn't, if it has binary drivers for the supplied kernel from Ubuntu only, I might as well get a machine elsewhere: it offers me zero advantage.
Again, this isn't a purity thing, but I think it might help their business if customers had the assurance they could use any distro they please with the hardware delivered. They have a good opportunity to ask for specs or open drivers, and it would be a shame for non Ubuntu users if they didn't leverage it at all. Whatever floats their boat^H^H^H^H business I guess 
Edited 2007-05-22 00:24
Member since:2006-03-17
Id be happy enough with Dell just offering the Ubuntu distro with hardware that works and works well .. Id be happier if they also included a sort of terms of reference to Joe purchaser to tell them what they can expect in the way of support and where to go when they run into trouble ... A cookbook on how to get the features that they would expect on a Windows style system would be nice also ... Lets hope Dell does not over cook the message of what they are supplying and have a potentially good business and lets face it some good exposure for the Linux community go down the pan for overstating exactly what the user is buying with these boxes .... If they blow it mabey Joe user will never hop on board ... its up to them now to showcase what Linux can do !
Member since:
2005-07-24
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In general it seems that they are more focused on "Linux" as a system then on issues regarding freedom.
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If they weren't, I'd be *highly* suspicious.
We, the community, sold them on this by convincing them it was a business opportunity.
You can't expect Michael Dell to dress up like St. Ignucious and refuse to talk to you unless you agree to say "Free Software" instead of "Open Source" just yet.
Let's give them a bit of time to adjust before we pull the rug out from under them and start making demands.