Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
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Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
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Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#2Can someone explain to me why it is so difficult to produce hardware that is identical to current offerings but with software that is different? Is it driver conflicts and BIOS problems?
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#3Can someone explain to me why it is so difficult to produce hardware that is identical to current offerings but with software that is different? Is it driver conflicts and BIOS problems?
Because there are lots and lots of chipsets that work somewhere in the range of horribly to not-at-all in Linux (Realtek and Broadcom spring to mind for poor Linux support with their WiFi chipsets). And any driver that hasn't been upstreamed creates a boatload of work for the support engineers, since kernel updates tend to break out-of-tree drivers on a semi-regular basis.
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#4meanwhile in Thinkpad land...
honestly I never understand why people go for Macbooks or XPS. X/T model user since 7 generations. I did look at the XPS but there are so many disadvantages with those modern one-body-all-closed-no-mods laptops.
Before you down vote me, I still applaud Dells decision to get Ubuntu Laptops out there. But I don't really see what the big game changer is whether a laptop comes preinstalled with Ubuntu or if I do it myself.
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#5I had the first version, currently on am on my second version of the Dell XPS 13 developer edition, and about to order a brand new one to replace it. It is a really great package.
Not to mention having HW from a major company like Dell with all the drivers already in the Linux kernel means you can pretty much run any distro you want and it "just works".
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#6As a 20 year Linux user I really appreciate Dells support in proving the market exists. This improved support across all manufacturers.
I've recently acquired a HP Envy 13 2017 laptop with Windows preinstalled. I've really wanted to try Windows out, but after installing Google Chrome and Docker (1hr after starting it up) it stopped working - windows boot up into a blank black screen.
In a hurry I've downloaded Ubuntu 17.10, clicked yes and I had a working OS in 15 minutes time. With everything (suspend, broadcom card, USBC video,...) working out of the box.
Super impressed.
If you're a developer there's no UX reason to go Windows anymore.
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#7I bought a Thinkpad specifically because Dell refuse to sell me their Linux laptop here in Australia. Thinkpad was better hardware for the money, but I would've bought the Dell if they'd supported it.
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#8I bought an XPS 13 9360 and immediately installed linux on it and it's been running flawlessly. After shopping around for a good linux-compatible laptop, I found that nothing beat the dell in terms of support.
I couldn't be happier! I love what Dell has done with their premium laptops and I hope to replace this machine with a future XPS when the time comes. (I bought the windows version because it was $50 less than the developer edition for some reason.)
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#9As a 20 year Linux user I really appreciate Dells support in proving the market exists. This improved support across all manufacturers. I've recently acquired a HP Envy 13 2017 laptop with Windows preinstalled. I've really wanted to try Windows out, but after installing Google Chrome and Docker (1hr after starting it up) it stopped working - windows boot up into a blank black screen. In a hurry I've downloaded Ubuntu…
I’ve a dual boot set up on one of my machines with Ubuntu 17.04. I’m consistently having Ethernet issues related to having two network cards, and the multi monitor support is lacking. I can’t use my triple monitor setup, and if I forget to disconnect my third monitor I have to reboot with only one monitor attached to get it work. Meanwhile, on the same machine, windows handles it in its stride.
There’s still some improvements to be made
Re: Dell’s gamble on Linux laptops has paid off
#10Can someone explain to me why it is so difficult to produce hardware that is identical to current offerings but with software that is different? Is it driver conflicts and BIOS problems?
Because there are lots and lots of chipsets that work somewhere in the range of horribly to not-at-all in Linux (Realtek and Broadcom spring to mind for poor Linux support with their WiFi chipsets). And any driver that hasn't been upstreamed creates a boatload of work for the support engineers, since kernel updates tend to break out-of-tree drivers on a semi-regular basis.
You have a bit outdated info here. Both are generally fine considering recent hardware. The drivers are upstream now.
(The problem is nonredistributable blobs.)
Ralink is fine too. In fact most trouble is with new Atheros chips after their latest corporate takeover.