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Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch)
Linux-Watch
reports
on Dell's selling of Ubuntu-based servers.
"Ubuntu is extremely popular on the desktop, but it's made comparatively little progress on servers. That's about to change. Dell is expected to announce in the first quarter of 2008 that it has certified Ubuntu Linux for its server lines.
In an interview with Rick Becker, Dell Product Group's vice president of solutions, Becker said that Dell is currently in the process of certifying Ubuntu for all its server lines. "But we are still several months away from announcing a certification. I'd say it'll be announced in Q1 next year."
Dell, however, is already selling pre-loaded Ubuntu on its servers."
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They only plant Windows trees Posted Nov 15, 2007 19:55 UTC (Thu) by proski (subscriber, #104) [Link] OK, just today I considered buying a laptop from Dell. Thanks to deals2.buy, I learned about significant rebates for systems over $1299, so I tried to get to that price by adding things nobody but Dell has (e.g. Dell batteries), while trying to avoid the parts Dell sells at premium (memory, hard drives, bags). Here's what I got for a Windows XP system (Vista would cost the same):Inspiron 1520, ruby red case, Intel core 2 Duo T7500, screen 1680x1050, 1Gb RAM, 120Gb HDD, CD-RW/DVD-ROM, webcam, 9 cell battery, spare 9 cell battery, docking station SD100, security lock, slim 65W auto/air/AC adapter. I even requested to plant a tree for me for extra $2. Final price: $1319 before any rebates. When I tried to do that with the Ubuntu based Inspiron 1420N, I found that many options are simply not available, so I would have to buy memory (at $125 rather than at $25 per gigabyte!!!) or a large hard drive or a DVD recorder (I have an external one already) just to get to the $1299 point. I understand that the webcam may not be compatible with Linux, or maybe large screens don't work well with Intel video cards, but how come I cannot buy an extra charger or a docking station, or even a lock? But perhaps the most telling is that even "plant a tree" is not available with the Linux model! Sure, I can do it myself, but it looks like Dell is not really interested in selling their Linux laptops. Buying a system with Windows and installing Linux still remains a much better option.
They only plant Windows trees Posted Nov 15, 2007 23:08 UTC (Thu) by leoc (subscriber, #39773) [Link] That's what I ended up doing. Yet another bought and paid for copy of Vista is now rotting in the bit-bin.
They only plant Windows trees Posted Nov 16, 2007 10:05 UTC (Fri) by Cato (subscriber, #7643) [Link] This is a real shame - of course you did what you needed to get a good deal, but this shows up as a Windows sale not a Linux one. If everyone does this, Dell will conclude that selling Linux PCs is not a viable business... I hope both the people who posted here will write to Michael Dell to let him know this has happened - he apparently runs Ubuntu and it might help to get Dell to offer more options with Linux PCs.
They only plant Windows trees Posted Nov 16, 2007 2:40 UTC (Fri) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link] On my 1420n I just selected to have a large amount of memory, large drive, a second extra long capacity battery and very fast cpu. Choosing a blue cover for 50 bucks pushed me over the edge into coupon territory. The only thing I would of wanted was maybe a webcam, not that I'd ever use it. My guess as to why Dell choose not to include certain things was because they were not comfortable supporting them in Linux, that's all. Selling non-functional or otherwise very difficult to use hardware is probably something that Dell would like to avoid. Makes perfect sense to me. Despite advances Linux has made there are lots of hardware out there that are either very difficult to use or otherwise have legal issues with.
Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch) Posted Nov 15, 2007 22:29 UTC (Thu) by CyberDog (guest, #29668) [Link] I find this awesome not because I need Dell to preinstall Ubuntu for me, but because it should mean that their apps, drivers, and support should finally 'just work' with Ubuntu. This could greatly simplify adopting Dell hardware with Ubuntu in business environments for the same reason.
Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch) Posted Nov 15, 2007 23:19 UTC (Thu) by dougm (guest, #4615) [Link] Have you actually run into problems with Dell servers and Ubuntu? Their server hardware has been very Linux-friendly for quite a while, and they have of course officially supported Red Hat (and SuSE?) for years. Preinstalling and supporting Ubuntu is of course very nice for people who want to use that distro and have business reasons restricting them to vendor-supported software--I'm not arguing that point.
Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch) Posted Nov 16, 2007 1:57 UTC (Fri) by AJWM (guest, #15888) [Link] Exactly. All major vendors have been selling servers with Linux for years now. Granted that's mostly RedHat or Suse, but in general if the hardware support is there it will be available for other flavors. (Except perhaps for special hardware-specfic monitoring and server health-managment apps that the vendor supplies.) Consumer desktop and laptop systems are another thing entirely, probably because of the lower margins on commodity vs server grade platforms.
Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch) Posted Nov 16, 2007 2:44 UTC (Fri) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link] Well that and Linux has a very significant portion of the Server market (20%?) and nearly non-existent on the desktop market (<1% ?).
Ubuntu scores first major pre-installed server win (Linux-Watch) Posted Nov 16, 2007 10:06 UTC (Fri) by Cato (subscriber, #7643) [Link] This is really good news for Linux - Ubuntu is showing signs of being the 'breakout' distro for Linux on the desktop, and if you can get the same Ubuntu distro (essentially) pre-installed by Dell on the server, it's easier for IT departments to experiment with the same distro on the desktop as well (and even pre-installed by Dell in some cases).
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