s. keeling wrote:
Hal Vaughan <hal@thresholddigital.com>:On Thursday 28 February 2008, Rich Healey wrote:as easy to use in most cases as anything out of Redmond, the difference being you usually have to install Linux on your computer and that is usually not the case with most people that run Redmond's garbage.Hal Vaughan wrote:On Wednesday 27 February 2008, Rich Healey wrote:Debian could use an image revamp, last night i was messing with aThere is a revamped image with a new logo and an easy to use GUI http://ubuntu.com. (I notice, when checking that home page that it seems like it's been taken over by Dell.)So, stop complaining about Dell. Dell's shipping machines with Linux installed. Why wouldn't Ubuntu want to crow about that, and be gracious towards Dell for doing so?
Amen! While I was working at Dell and the IdeaStorm issue about pre-installed Linux came up, I was so frustrated with the "slowness" of Dell. At that time HP had eclipsed Dell as "The Number One Computer MFG". I was venting my frustration of Dell not listening to the consumer base (internally on one of Dells IRC for Linux). Such was my frustration and venting that The Linux Architect for Dell told me Dell was listening and would go with Linux. This was months before it was available. Only through much work (read $$ from Dell) did they get Ubuntu packaged with Dell, get things to work, produce update packages for system bios to work with Ubuntu (ongoing, but it works now and NOT just with the "official" machines that come with Ubuntu. My Vostro laptop works with Ubuntu and I can update the bios from with in Ubuntu.
Dell: like the machines or don't (I do, but I use business class laptops, Vostros are very rugged) but don't knock them just because Ubuntu is bragging about a Tier-1 MFG selling pre-installed machines with Ubuntu on them. Dell has gone through a lot of work and it is my guess that they have NOT recaptured the investment yet. Dell does not issue sales info and I never had access to that info, but outside experts predict that Dell is only selling about 9000 machines a quarter with Ubuntu. That is just a drop in the bucket for a MFG that sells millions of boxes a year. I am happy Dell is selling Ubuntu and I am happy to have been a part of Dell at that time (though not involved with that program).
Just my 2c worth. -- Damon L. Chesser damon@damtek.com