The VAR Guy is nearly ready to buy a new PC. And it sounds like Dell is nearly ready to sell him one with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled. Dell plans to officially announce its Ubuntu Linux PCs via an email to prospective buyers within the next few days or weeks, according to All About Ubuntu, a blog that tracks the open source operating system.

By the end of this year, The VAR Guy could be heading for a divorce from his wife, who — no doubt — will object to having four PC platforms in the house: Ubuntu Linix, Windows XP, and Mac OS X. Hmmm. That’s only three, you say? Well, for the sake of balanced coverage on this blog, The VAR Guy plans to purchase a Windows Vista PC once Microsoft delivers Service Pack 1 for the operating system.

Sounds confusing. But The VAR Guy will keep it simple for the next few weeks: Mac OS X remains his preferred platform, with Ubuntu Linux coming home soon.