Ars reviews a Dell Ubuntu laptop, and concludes: “The Dell Inspiron Notebook 1420n with Ubuntu preinstalled delivers software freedom and solid value. For serious Linux enthusiasts who are already comfortable handling the various idiosyncrasies of the platform, Dell’s preloaded Ubuntu laptop is a practical and cost-effective choice that eliminates the need to perform a manual installation and provides Linux users with a means of dodging the odious Windows tax. Although I consider this product a strong buy for experienced Linux users, I don’t recommend it (yet) for users who aren’t already familiar with the operating system. Ubuntu’s prodigious ease of use is diminished by a litany of frustrating minor hardware support problems that many average computer users will not be inclined to resolve.”
I’ve held all along that, for GNU/Linux to gain a large share of desktops/laptops, it needs to come pre-installed. Dell has taken a small step in that direction with the 1420N. It mostly “just works”; the problem are mainly in non-technical areas such as proprietary drivers and DRM.
I know that some people would prefer other GNU/Linus distros besides Ubuntu. If this is successful for Dell, then maybe another vendor would choose another distro to help differentiate their offering from Dell’s.
Let’s see how many reviews of Ubuntu Gutsy we fanbois can post on our blogs. Hmmm, I might have a Casio graphing calculator lying around that I can install Ubuntu 7.10 on and write a biased review about how great it runs! Is this what we’re doomed to see in the next couple of weeks before the Ubuntu community begins hyping Hardy Heron as comparable to the second coming of Christ? Geesh! I like Ubuntu like the next guy but come on!
Except this isn’t a review of Ubuntu Gutsy.
It’s just a review of a hardware/software product from a technical website which does many product reviews. You don’t need to go off the deap end and blow a gasket. You don’t like all this talk about alternative OS; don’t read the reviews.
Maybe I need to reread it but my first read found it to be fairly balanced. It was basically “hey, here’s Dell’s notebook with Ubuntu OS on it and it works just fine except for some minor hardware glitches caused by proprietary codecs and drivers.”
With Dell being a hardware company, I suspect they’ll be able to fix those issues in relatively short order. Let’s just be happy that someone with deep pockets is giving a product offering outside of Windows a fair shake.
Besides, Linux is here to stay unless something better develops.
You might want to look up real fast before the point of that article completely passes over your head. This isn’t an Ubuntu article, it’s about Linux (which happens to be Ubuntu) coming preinstalled on a Dell laptop, and a review of how well Linux/Gnome work on that laptop. You might want to switch to decaf.
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Well.. I consider it a mark of Ubuntu’s success that the anti-Ubuntu zealots operate with a hair-trigger these days. As Morrissey sang: “We always hate it when friends are successful!”
This is a review about a Dell laptop which happens to come with Ubuntu *Feisty*. If you are going to troll, at least get the high points right. Your trolling will be more effective, and less embarrassing that way. 😉
[q]Is this what we’re doomed to see in the next couple of weeks[q]
YES! Is it not great that a new OS like 7.10 will be highlighted for the next couple of weeks on a site named OSNEWS. Maybe you hang out here for some other reason.
The writer seems obsessed with the legalities of proprietary software.
Just add Wcodec32 and libdvdcss2 and be done with it.
It’s just a check box in the Synaptic package manager.
If we have to check a box for the WiFi and it’s already setup that way, then it should be more automated. If that requires an extra 10$ royalties per machine, then fine.
I agree, these should be installed by default, but Ubuntu is a South African company, they don’t have to worry about petty USA rules. That puts Dell in a sticky spot because the powers that be in the USA don’t want just money for their “IP” but thick books of contracts of control over what the USER can do with the software after they “buy” it. Linspire may be the solution to the problem as they have shifted base to Ubuntu, and support pay-for packages as add-ons. Perhaps they could co-contract to Dell for a fee and put a coupon to the Linspire Click-n-run site in the PC box, but the per-machine rules for licenses are so silly it inhibits honest business people’s (like Dell’s) options.
libdvdcss2 is illegal in north america (and most of the rest of the world). It basically is a library to hack the copy protection on DVDs. I know Sweden ruled that since it wasn’t written for the purpose of ripping, it is legal there, but AFAIK they are one of the few exceptions.
w32codecs blatantly violates the liscence agreements of quite a few different companies by repackaging DLLs taken from their installations. While there are legal alternatives available (like videolan or ffmpeg), for some reason nobody ever suggests them.
What dell SHOULD have done is liscenced the fluerendo codecs and LinDVD, and bundled them with the laptops, for legal media playback.
libdvdcss IS NOT ILLEGAL in the US for Viewing Content.
It even says why in section 1201(f) of the DMCA.
This Ubuntu page explains it in English under Video ~ DVD;
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeFormats#head-c2258969400dbf867…
Also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libdvdcss
Sweden and some others allow making backups/copies. Which is illegal in the US and still done anyway with many tools for any OS. But nice FUD…….
But I agree with you that Dell should offer those others as a value added feature.
Thanks – I hadn’t seen that information before. Nice to know I’m legal – I try to play it straight, where I can.
Edited 2007-10-21 11:18 UTC
People buy the Vostro instead of the Inspirons because it’s cheaper and black.
Experienced Linux and technical users would rather install Linux themselves, so they would not likely to buy a pre-installed Linux computer. That way, they have more control on which distro, which version, etc. Non-technical users would just rather buy a Windows or Mac. Substantial saving has to be offered in order to lure these non-technical users while Dell has to put more effort in, in order to solve those proprietary and non-technical issues.
You are wrong. “Technical users”, whatever that means, also have a life and would rather buy hardware that works out of the box with Linux from a company that appears to understand that we want free drivers for all of our hardware and that these drivers should be moved upstream into the kernel for everyone’s benefit.
Dell has a huge leverage effect on its vendors.
As to non-technical users preferring windows or Mac, we are making a good living in Spain moving people from Windows to Linux. As for Mac, nobody here even knows what it is or has seen one in the wild because they are out of the reach of most computer users.
Edited 2007-10-19 22:08
The Microsoft tax is around fifty bucks. The thing I don’t understand is what kind of moron will pay so much for a laptop and not pay fifty bucks for Windows, especially since there is so much software out there that requires Windows. Ubuntu and all the rest of the Linux systems are all free to download so what value do I really get by passing up Windows at such a discounted price? It literally takes me less than an hour to get Linux dual-booting on my system.