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Open Source


Dell Launches Consumer Advertising for Ubuntu Linux PCs

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • October 13, 2008

It's one small step for Dell and consumer Linux -- and one giant leap for Canonical's Ubuntu Linux efforts. Specifically, Dell is spending advertising dollars to promote PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled. The move has significant implications for the business world as well. Here's why.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Running Ubuntu Linux
It’s one small step for Dell and consumer Linux — and one giant leap for Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux efforts. Specifically, Dell is spending advertising dollars to promote PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled. The move has significant implications for the business world as well. Here’s why.

First, some details about the advertisement. Many many U.S. newspapers on Sunday, October 12, included a multi-page Dell flier. Among the many products advertised was the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, a low-cost sub-notebook designed for email and Web browsing.

Here’s one page from the multi-page ad:

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook Running Ubuntu Linux

You may recall that the Mini 9 is available with either Ubuntu Linux 8.04 or Microsoft Windows Vista. But this particular advertisement made no mention of the Windows option. Instead, Ubuntu was prominently mentioned and had the spotlight to itself.

The Bigger Picture

So, why should you care? For starters, so-called Netbooks like Dell’s Mini 9 represent the fastest growing portion of the PC market. Starting at $349, the Mini 9 is positioned for students and business professionals on the go.

It’s not a complete PC replacement. Rather, it’s a mobile WiFi device with an 8.9 inch screen, and custom Web 2.0 applications that keep you connected with friends and business associates.

Most Netbooks — from Asus, Dell, Toshiba and soon even Lenovo — offer either Windows or Linux pre-installed, meaning that there’s real competition and real customer choice available.

Corporate Ubuntu

The VAR Guy believes Netbook momentum will spill into the corporate market, where executives on the go want the convenience of email and online application access without the hassle of a big laptop or the limited screen of a smart phone.

If Ubuntu can impress consumer Netbook users, that positive first impression could help Canonical’s operating system push deeper into the corporate market.

Also of note: There are indications that WiFi service providers such as T-Mobile may offer Netbooks for free as part of ongoing wireless Internet service contracts. The move could further legitimize Ubuntu-powered Netbooks as mobile corporate devices.

Anyone who doubt’s Ubuntu’s growing momentum in corporate settings should check out the Work With U 1000 — a list of businesses and organizations running Ubuntu on servers, desktops and/or laptops.

The VAR Guy is updated multiple times daily. Don’t miss a single post. Subscribe to his newsletter, RSS and Twitter feed.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Mobility Open Source

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35 comments

  1. Avatar Vadim P. October 13, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
    Reply

    The VAR Guy made a very embarassing mistake he should correct quickly: “[mistake] was prominently mentioned and had the spotlight to itself.”

  2. Avatar Vadim P. October 13, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
    Reply

    Post a picture or something for us in other countries 🙂

  3. Avatar Kevin October 13, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
    Reply

    I assume it’s just a typo, but what the heck is “Ubuntu Vista” (3rd paragraph)?

  4. Avatar The VAR Guy October 13, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
    Reply

    Kevin, Vadim: The VAR Guy fixed the typo but is happy to see so many people are reading the blog closely. Also, the actual ad is now posted for all to view.

  5. Avatar Richard Chapman October 13, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
    Reply

    Does this mean Dell will no longer be playing hide and seek with their Ubuntu pages? I doubt it.

  6. Avatar The VAR Guy October 13, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
    Reply

    Richard: Dell’s track record with Ubuntu is “mostly hit” with a few “misses.” Give ’em credit for being the first major US PC vendor to preload Ubuntu the very year that MSFT launched Vista. That took guts. And while Dell doesn’t aggressively promote Ubuntu on its home page, just check http://www.dell.com/ubuntu for the latest link info.

  7. Avatar Robert Pogson October 13, 2008 @ 5:34 pm
    Reply

    Dell’s website has changed its tone as well. Their current start page has a link to the Mini-9 with one click getting to Ubuntu as the leftmost column of three choices. There is no “Dell recommends” that other OS. There is almost head-to-head price competition except that with XP you get 4gB more SSD. It still looks like there is much less tax on GNU/Linux now from Dell. I think it is a major step forward. They should be rewarded in the market and the wave of adoption of GNU/Linux will increase. Another thing I notice is that Dell seems to be doing the support to customers, not Ubuntu. It is mostly good news and about time, too. If only they had bright yellow, I would rush to find my credit card. For Alpine White, I will have to think a bit.

  8. Avatar Lyle Howard Seave October 13, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
    Reply

    The error still appears on the Linuxtoday preview page text.

    I always knew that Novell was going to the be trojan not Canonical so this was quite a surprise.

    What arent you telling us?
    keep using non-free software and we call you names like that?

  9. Avatar Philip October 13, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
    Reply

    “There is almost head-to-head price competition except that with XP you get 4gB more SSD”

    You can get Ubuntu on any of the mini 9’s. (the 4GB, 8GB and 16GB)

  10. Avatar The VAR Guy October 13, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
    Reply

    Lyle @8: The VAR Guy apologizes for his bone-headed error.

  11. Avatar Robert Pogson October 13, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
    Reply

    I see that under “customize it” for the Ubuntu model. 8gB = $30 more. Thanks! They still make it a little work but it is possible to buy it and it costs less than with that other OS.

  12. Avatar Batt Ding October 13, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
    Reply

    Thank you Dell, and I will be putting my money where my mouth is.

  13. Avatar robert October 13, 2008 @ 8:36 pm
    Reply

    Nice article and thanks for the info!! Although I live in Europe, this is the netbook I will purchase for Christmas. The reason…..Ubuntu of course. No half finished crazy Linux ed like Linpus or other truly laughable distro’s, no my man…the real thing…an Ubuntu derivative.

  14. Avatar aikiwolfie October 13, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
    Reply

    The video is pretty awesome. If you can’t find it on Dell.com you’ll probably be able to find it on YouTube.

    Dell have actually taken two major steps forward with the Mini 9. The first was selling the Ubuntu version of the Mini side-by-side with it’s Windows XP counterpart. Something they still don’t do with their other n-series models like the M1330n.

    The second is an unabashed in your face serious Ubuntu based product with all the advertising a glamor that goes with it. Which is frankly something much closer to what Linux fans originally asked for over on Dells IdeaStorm web site.

    Finally we’re making some progress. I just hope now that this product sells well.

  15. Avatar Blaque October 13, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
    Reply

    I work at a university and it will be interesting to see if these start showing up around campus. I just wooed some of the IT staff here when I ran a presentation from my Ubuntu laptop. One asked why we couldn’t move to Linux desktops in our shop and the manager said…because you haven’t asked. 🙂

    Most of the people I work with and support know that I use Linux almost exclusively so I’m sure they will let me know if they start seeing Linux Netbooks show up across campus.

    As for Dell I noticed that they aren’t hiding this on their website like they hid the other offerings. I believe they (as well as HP) are easing their way into either offering Linux as the preferred OS or offering their own version of Linux. But honestly I don’t know if we even need this uptake anymore. I went to the website of a radio station to listen to their stream and to my surprise there was a section specifically for Linux in case the first stream didn’t work. I’m starting to find more and more that websites are acknowledging Linux and are offering software and instructions specifically for Linux.

  16. Avatar ilde October 14, 2008 @ 1:18 am
    Reply

    Reporting from Mexico. As of today, no Ubuntu for the Mini 9. Just two flavors for the operating system: it is Virus XP or Windows XPig. Whichever you prefer.

  17. Avatar Gumnos October 14, 2008 @ 9:30 am
    Reply

    Last I checked the Dell site, they only offered XP or Ubuntu on the Mini, not Vista. I think it’s too low-powered for Vista’s hoggish demands, but enough for Linux to fly and XP to run. I’ve ordered an Ubuntu unit and am looking forward to when it arrives.

  18. Avatar The VAR Guyi October 14, 2008 @ 11:10 am
    Reply

    the VAR Guy was sloppy with that Vista mention and apologizes

  19. Avatar Pinky October 14, 2008 @ 11:11 am
    Reply

    Just finished an online chat with a sales parrot for Dell UK (I doubt that the sales office is in the UK somehow), where I was told in no uncertain terms that the only Mini 9 with Ubuntu installed is the 8GB version (which also has a 0.3MP camera?) for “Ramp;D” reasons. Oddly, the XP version with a 1.3MP camera and 16GB SSD is only 11% more (299GBP as opposed to 269GBP).

    At least the link isn’t tucked away in a dark corner of the cellar, with no lights, and a sign warning visitors to “beware of the leopard”!

  20. Avatar Danny October 14, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
    Reply

    They were a little slow for us. We wanted to order three with Ubuntu after they were announced, but were told we could not get them yet, so we have to buy Windows netbooks instead. Very annoying because I want to support there use of Linux, and I just format and install Linux anyway.

  21. Avatar Chris Samuel October 16, 2008 @ 10:15 am
    Reply

    Sadly my contacts in Dell Australia have confirmed that we will not be getting the Mini 9 with Ubuntu here, you have to have Windows XP whether you want it or not. 🙁

  22. Avatar DW October 16, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
    Reply

    Dell still has some improvements to make.

    I’ve run Linux since RedHat 7.2 I’ve built every desktop I’ve owned. But this time, I decided to let Dell take care of it, and so I just bought a Dell Ubuntu box. And even though the partition is less advanced than I am used to, I was going to keep the Dell install of Ubuntu.

    They shipped me a Dell with 8.04, and not 8.04.1. When I went to run the updates, it needed to update 700MB / 900+ packages.

    To top it off, I also got:
    “Warning

    You are about to install software that can’t be authenticated. Doing this could allow a malicious individual to damage or take control of your system.” – not acceptable

    “NOT AUTHENTICATED”
    linux-ubuntu-modules-2.6.24-16-generic
    linux-ubuntu-modules-2.6.24-19-generic”

    Dell also complicates the Ubuntu and Firefox updates by installing more than necessary language (packs).

    After installing Firefox (3.0.1) through the packaging system, I got:
    “Incompatible Add-ons”

    Xulrunner (sq) 1.9
    Xulrunner (bs) 1.9
    Firefox (et) 3.0
    etc.”

    Most of these were the language plugins that didn’t need to be there.

    I think Ubuntu is ready for people. My Dad runs Kubuntu, and my mother run Xubuntu. I just don’t think Dell + Ubuntu is ready for the public just yet. They need to throw a little more QA at this project and user experience testing.

    I’ve since formatted by Dubuntu machine and put Ubuntu on it, and my experience has been a lot better.

    I hope they advertise, but I hope they have the user experience improved when they do.

    It’s so close . . . I can taste it.

  23. Avatar Zenwalker October 18, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
    Reply

    I wish Dell starts supporting Linux (ubuntu) in Indian Markets asap.

  24. Avatar The VAR Guy October 18, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
    Reply

    Zenwalker: The VAR Guy speaks with Dell regularly and he will check this out for you. Give him a few days to get an answer from the company.

  25. Avatar Praveen Kunjapur October 19, 2008 @ 10:48 am
    Reply

    @ Zenwalker and The VAR Guy.

    Check these pages for Dell laptops with Ubuntu preinstalled for Indian Markets:

    1. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-vostro-a840?c=inamp;l=enamp;s=bsdamp;cs=inbsd1

    2. http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-vostro-a860?c=inamp;l=enamp;s=bsdamp;cs=inbsd1

  26. Avatar Chris Lees October 21, 2008 @ 11:26 am
    Reply

    I’ve been looking at a netbook for use as a portable computer and a low-power taskserver (i.e. downloading torrents or uploading to Megavideo overnight, serving media, transcoding video when my regular computer is occupied, printer sharing etc). I really wanted the Dell Mini, except that in Australia it’s not coming with Ubuntu. It’s great that Dell is advertising the Linux option, but it sucks that it’s not available in Australia. I might be looking at an Aspire One unfortunately.

  27. Avatar Linux Josh February 11, 2009 @ 2:49 pm
    Reply

    I am very happy to see something like this happening. Dell has been very very helpful in the Linux community with this and is really happy to take part in it.
    I am just very confused at the interface.
    from the few screen shots I have looked at, it only slightly looks like the usual ubuntu ISO set up that we get after installation.
    Is there extra packages installed in theirs or what?

  28. Avatar The VAR Guy February 11, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
    Reply

    Linux Josh: Alas, Dell hasn’t continued the Ubuntu netbook advertising push. Recent newspaper inserts in New York mention Windows-based netbooks, but there were no signs of Ubuntu alternatives. The VAR Guy plans to blog a bit more on this topic later this week.

  29. Avatar Ubuntu Podcast Episode #10 laquo; softaoglu.com July 7, 2009 @ 4:32 am
    Reply

    […] Dell bought ads in a few newspapers pushing the Mini 9 with Ubuntu […]

  30. Avatar ricky July 13, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
    Reply

    Dell have actually taken two major steps forward with the Mini 9. The first was selling the Ubuntu version of the Mini side-by-side with it’s Windows XP counterpart. Something they still don’t do with their other n-series models like the M1330n.

  31. Avatar Mark52 October 22, 2009 @ 7:55 pm
    Reply

    From the get out, the platform has been created with an ear to content creators and artists. ,

  32. Avatar 2010: The year of the Linux Desktop | KenapaHarus dot Com January 5, 2010 @ 10:52 am
    Reply

    […] running ads specifically mentioning Ubuntu on a […]

  33. Avatar affordable seo consultant February 4, 2012 @ 1:42 am
    Reply

    youve gotten an ideal blog right here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my blog?. Just bookmarked your site! Ill be back to check out your future postings. tremendous .

  34. Avatar phonak digital hearing aids February 4, 2012 @ 1:42 am
    Reply

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  35. Avatar BURBERRY PRETTY STYLE April 19, 2012 @ 11:19 am
    Reply

    1Vlutq any thoughts

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