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Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

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Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#111
post #92
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why can't I just get any computer with no operating system installed whatsoever. This is illegal in many countries, as a computer isn't bootable in that situation.

Citation? I buy all sorts of things that don't do anything until you configure/assemble/connect them.

yeah what about something like the raspberry pi that doesnt even have built in storage?

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#112
post #5

Why can't I just get any computer with no operating system installed whatsoever. This isn't rocket science here, just format the hard drive and give me the computer. Then subtract the money you pay Microsoft for the windows license. If there is some contractual obligation Dell has with Microsoft to not do this then we need to start considering another round of antitrust proceedings.

Selling an OS-free website is actually doing the Linux community a disservice. The reason is that it takes time and fidgeting in order to make everything work on Linux (and you can, in fact, screw up your computer if you don't set up fans correctly, for example), and the average developer (and, of course, any other user) doesn't want to waste time making suspend function when they can be working. For this reason, desktop Linux will not gain any significant market share if it is not pre-installed. This project will raise the Linux desktop market share, and thus encourage others to do something similar.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of new laptops work out of the box with ubuntu 12.04. The driver complaint, while still fair in many cases, is not nearly as relevant as it used to be. Peripherals can be tough, but built-in hardware has come a long way. Also, IMHO, weather dell is doing exactly what you want or not, they are continuing to support freedom of choice, freedom of software, and the hacker community in general. I commend them…

So, and I'm honestly curious here because I'm in the market, what is the best Linux laptop out there? I hear people swoon over a particular Lenovo/Thinkpad model, but have no idea which one it is.

I have a Dell Vostro v131 that came preinstalled with Ubuntu 11.10. It's not the fastest computer around, but it's decently fast (I develop for Django, App Engine and Plone), reasonably expandable and seemingly well built. Plus, it's cheap enough you can buy one and a Macbook Air for the price of a high-end ugly Windows notebook.

Everything on the V131 works flawlessly.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of new laptops work out of the box with ubuntu 12.04. The driver complaint, while still fair in many cases, is not nearly as relevant as it used to be. Peripherals can be tough, but built-in hardware has come a long way. Also, IMHO, weather dell is doing exactly what you want or not, they are continuing to support freedom of choice, freedom of software, and the hacker community in general. I commend them…

So, and I'm honestly curious here because I'm in the market, what is the best Linux laptop out there? I hear people swoon over a particular Lenovo/Thinkpad model, but have no idea which one it is.

I have an 5 year old T60 and love it. What I like about it:

- Durable. I carried it with me on trips and it still works. Its build quality is much better than other laptops.

- Good keyboard. Very important for me as it is my main machine for coding. I like the keyboard better than many full sized ones.

- 4:3 aspect ratio, 1400x1050 non-glare screen (can fit more vertical code).

- Trackpoint device (the "nipple" as some call it). I never liked trackpads (but it has that too, I just disabled it).

Recently my kid tore out some keys off of the keyboard, I started to ran out of disk space on its old 60GB hard drive, and my fan got kind of loud. I considered buying another machine. Looked around. But the more I looked, the more I realized that I just wanted this machine. So I got a 500GB hybrid Seagate Momentus drive, a new fan and a new keyboard. Spent an evening upgrading it and now I am hoping to get more years out of it.

Opening it, it just confirmed the build quality. The components inside, the materials used just seems better than in equivalent HP and Dell laptops I had to take apart.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of new laptops work out of the box with ubuntu 12.04. The driver complaint, while still fair in many cases, is not nearly as relevant as it used to be. Peripherals can be tough, but built-in hardware has come a long way. Also, IMHO, weather dell is doing exactly what you want or not, they are continuing to support freedom of choice, freedom of software, and the hacker community in general. I commend them…

Actually, most of new laptops do not work out of the box with Ubuntu 12.04 - you need to manually compile and/or install a custom Linux kernel in order to avoid hanging, as it is documented here: http://partiallysanedeveloper.blogspot.com/2012/05/ivy-bridg... and here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2005305 . For some reason Canonical decided to sacrifice stability and focus on something most users don't th…

Couple of things - replace "majority of new" with "ivy bridge chipsets ". A lot of people actually buy sandy bridge or even AMD you know.

Second, while I share somewhat common opinions on Unity, this particular example is a kernel bug. Most likely, ubuntu will backport those changes to 12.04 or has already provided a ppa for a newer kernel.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#117
post #93
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but I think OS X is unix-y enough for most people.

Why do you think that? It lacks most of the killer features.

Care to expand on that? Recall that Mac OS X is a certified UNIX, so I'm not sure what "unix-y" features it's missing.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#119
post #38
post #3

This is a good idea in theory but potentially bad in execution. What I'd like (and I suspect many other developers would too) is a nice laptop that I can install Linux on, and have it Just Work. What it looks like Dell is providing is a nice laptop, but with a custom build of Ubuntu installed. If Dell's Windows installs are any indication, that means it's going to be loaded with crapware or custom non-OSS drivers. Th…

"What I'd like (and I suspect many other developers would too) is a nice laptop that I can install Linux on, and have it Just Work." Well, the first thing I want is for it to just work. Sleep/Wake should just work. The trackpad should just work. Etc. Oh, and it should all work well. After that I would love to be able to install some other version of linux and have it just work, but having a Dell version that just wor…

That stuff works as well as it does on Windows 7 (I'm forced to use Windows 7 at the moment on a contract); everything you named is as reliable, IMHO.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#120
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, and I'm honestly curious here because I'm in the market, what is the best Linux laptop out there? I hear people swoon over a particular Lenovo/Thinkpad model, but have no idea which one it is.

I have and X220 and a T420 and they work perfectly. The W5*0 series is also a solid choice.

I disagree on your W5*0 point. I have a W510, and it constantly kernel panics. Thermal management is non-existent by default on Ubuntu 12.04, and the trackpad and wifi are extremely flaky.
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