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Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

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Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#71

Post by mindcrime »

tikhonj wrote: post #55
sbi wrote: post #36

What is the battery life going to be like? I grudgingly installed Windows 7 on my (Lenovo) laptop after using Unix exclusively for 15 years simply because the battery lasts twice as long on Windows. For what it's worth, I bought a Dell Inspiron Mini 10v with Ubuntu Hardy preinstalled 2.5 years ago. It didn't suspend/resume properly and video out was flaky. It died after two years of use (with strange electrical probl…

I think the recent kernels have had improved power management. I've certainly noticed an improvement on my laptop running Fedora a while back.

I run Fedora on a fairly new Toshiba laptop and the battery life is pretty good. I used it on a flight the other day, watching video for about an hour and twenty minutes, and the battery meter showed more than 50% remaining when I shut it down.

Maybe it doesn't match a MBP, but if I can get 3 hours or more out of a charge, I'm pretty happy. There aren't many times that I'm going to be away from power longer than that. Now someone who's flying coast-to-coast on a routine basis and needs to get all the productivity they can out of 6+ hour flight, may need something different.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#72

Post by reinhardt »

joezydeco wrote: post #50
user49598 wrote: post #39

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.

Dell Inspiron here, was running Ubuntu 10.04 for two years and recently installed 12.04. It's the first time in the last 5-6 years I've been running Linux on various laptops that suspend actually works (out of the box at least).

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#73

Post by pjmlp »

dkhenry wrote: 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.

> 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.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#74

Post by ori_b »

dkhenry wrote: 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.

> Why can't I just get any computer with no operating system installed whatsoever.

Because it's a very small market. Not very many people want to buy something that they can't use out of the box.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#75

Post by pjmlp »

acabal wrote: 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…

This is the differentiation of OEMs at play here, they will just apply the same crapware they have been installing on Windows, on Linux as well.

If the OS and hardware are not from the same vendor, this is always bound to happen.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#76

Post by mratzloff »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #47

Dell's commitment to Ubuntu seems to extend only to the extent that it offers them a bargaining chip with Microsoft.

That may be Dell's strategy, but Microsoft doesn't care. Everything about their strategy indicates that they're taking some lessons from Apple with regard to beautiful hardware and vertical integration. Microsoft likely believes that the PC (at least as an upgradable device) is an anachronism that will be wholly replaced by digital appliances like Xbox and Surface.

Dell doesn't fit into that worldview.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#77

Post by davidw »

acabal wrote: 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…

I got one of the original Linux Dells with Ubuntu on it back in the day, and it was a nice effort, actually. I opened up the box, fired it up, and it was a fairly standard Ubuntu that I kept using without having to fiddle with it all. It was a very pleasant experience, and sold me on Dell. I'll be in the market for a new laptop next summer, so hopefully this goes well. My big worry is finding another machine with a screen like this one (1920x1200, 15"), as I've gotten used to the screen real estate.

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#78

Post by tikhonj »

rch wrote: post #69
tikhonj wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the recent kernels have had improved power management. I've certainly noticed an improvement on my laptop running Fedora a while back.

Which laptop? I desperately want to replace my MBP with the highest quality Fedora-supporting hardware I can find.

I have a Sony Vaio Z-series. I really like it, but it's rather expensive.

Also, it comes with a weird dock thing that has an external graphics card. Ideally, you would plug this in and have better graphics processing when you're at home. I haven't been able to get this to work on Linux. However, I haven't been able to get it to work on Windows 8 either :/.

So for me, the whole dock thing is just an overpriced external dvd drive. I really like the idea of having an external graphics card like that, but the implementation just isn't great.

Out of all the laptops I've read about online, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon[1] really stands out. If I was looking for a new one, that's probably what I'd get. I'm not sure how well it supports Linux, but it just seems really awesome.

[1]: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x...

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#79

Post by tammer »

jshen wrote: post #38
acabal wrote: 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…

Again, it's all perspective. iPads just work, closed game consoles just work. Linux can just work (until the next update) but a lot of the time it doesn't.

And that's just the way I like it, because in the end (for me), its the only OS I can configure to such a degree that it lets me "just work".

Re: Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops

#80

Post by FlyingSnake »

joezydeco wrote: post #50
user49598 wrote: post #39

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 use LinuxMint 13 on Ideapad Y470. It has 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, slot for mSATA SSD and NVidia 550M GPU.

I run Bumblebee + BBSwitch for NVidia Optimus and it is blazing fast. Sleep works fine and I feel the battery life is much better than running Win7.

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