10 ms·

Dell Offers Computers Preinstalled with Ubuntu

150 points by watchdogtimer 9y ago

krylon 9y ago
The big deal, IMHO, is not so much that it comes with Ubuntu preinstalled, but that it (I naively assume) contains only hardware supported by Linux. I have been ridiculously lucky when buying hardware, but I am told it is not that difficult, even today, to run into machines with hardware that is not well-supported by Linux. So I think I would actually prefer if vendors sold machines that have been tested to work well with Linux, kind of like the "Designed for Windows"-stickers on PCs and notebooks. If a machine is made of hardware that Linux supports well, I do not care what OS is preinstalled, since I will probably wipe it and install one myself anyway. But having a guarantee from the vendor that I can do so without trouble or fear of bricking my machine would be helpful.
- teekert 9y ago
  I agree, but it would be a nice bonus not to have to pay for Windows at all. This also gives a clear signal to Dell.
  - ekianjo 9y ago
    You never really pay for Windows. Most OEM vendors make up for the price of the license by installing tons of additional crap on every Windows they ship out, so practically Windows does not make your laptop more expensive.
    - positr0n 9y ago
      If Windows were free what are the odds the market would force OEMs to do that anyway to shave a percentage point off their prices/profit margins? I'm betting near 100% and only premium machines wouldn't have crapware.
      - ekianjo 9y ago
        Yeah I think they would do it anyway, regardless of Windows cost. What's interesting is that so far, they don't when it comes to Linux installations. Not that there is that much crapware they can actually install for Linux, but they could potentially bundle Chrome and stuff like that if they really wanted.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    Dell charges you 100 euros more for Ubuntu than for Windows. http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-13-9360-laptop/spd/xps-13-9360-laptop?~ck=bt http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-...
    - jcranberry 9y ago
      On the Precision machines, which you can configure manually, switching from Windows to Ubuntu makes the machine cost about 100 USD less. The price difference is probably other hardware.
- adrianm 9y ago
  My monitor, a Dell UP2715K, is one of the most unsupported pieces of hardware I've ever dealt with on Linux. It has been a nightmare. Nvidia graphics card support has caused me weeks of grief as well. So why have I kept it? Because when I finally got everything to work, I have become addicted to the quality of the text! I honestly can't work with other monitors now due to the low DPI looking like absolute crap. Apple has ruined me. Too bad no one else has stepped into the 5K monitor market.
  - krylon 9y ago
    I was confused about how a monitor would cause problems until I understood that it is a very-high-res display. I am happy that my dual-display setup at home works the way I want it to. Before getting my current desktop PC, I had not used GNU/Linux on a system with more than one display, and I had heard horror stories of how that did not work out very well. Fortunately, for me it just worked(tm). Speaking of monitors, Eizo makes a monitor with a 1:1 aspect ratio, i.e. the display is a square, 1920 by 1920. I would so LOVE to have one of those, but of course it is prohibitively expensive (at least for my monitor budget).
- VeejayRampay 9y ago
  To this day, my Lenovo will not go into hibernation when battery is critically low, even though I have it configured in the power settings. Not that big of a deal, I simply need to be aware of the battery meter all the time, but I wish it would just work.
  - ryanlol 9y ago
    If hibernate only fails when the battery is low, this doesn't necessarily sound like a hardware issue.
  - suprfnk 9y ago
    My Thinkpad X220 gives 3 beeps when it's at 5% battery. Probably OS independent, though I've only run Linux on this thing. Enough time for me to grab the charger or put it in hibernate. Does yours not have that option in the BIOS?
    - VeejayRampay 9y ago
      Haven't checked the BIOS, I'll have a look, thanks.
Tepix 9y ago
The headline was altered in a confusing way, this article is about the Dell Precision line. FWIW, I have a Dell XPS 13 9350 laptop with Linux on it (Ubuntu 17.10) and it runs marvellously.
- igravious 9y ago
  Yes, “Dell Precision Machines Available With Ubuntu Pre-Installed” is the article title – likewise I have a Dell XPS 13", this one an L322X though. What version of Ubuntu it came with pre-installed I could not tell you, can't remember for the life of me which one.
- reacweb 9y ago
  Yes, ubuntu runs very well on DELL computers since many years. As a customer, I am looking to computers preinstalled with ubuntu for two reasons: - I want to stop giving money to Microsoft when I do not use it. Microsoft may use this money against me. - I want the best installation of drivers for my hardware without loosing time.
- mherrmann 9y ago
  I have the same machine with Ubuntu 16.04 (pre-installed). I had a MacBook Pro 2014 before and am very happy with the switch. Pros: - small and light yet a large screen - awesome battery life - $500+ cheaper than a comparable MBP - OS X's shell isn't bad, Ubuntu's is even nicer - I can customise Ubuntu to my heart's content - no stupid apps I don't want or need bothering me (iTunes, Garage Band, ...) Cons: - screen less crisp than MBP - speaker quality worse - Ubuntu is not very clever about remembering the sound settings for my headphones, have to re-plug and re-apply settings often (may be fixable/fixed in 17.04) - web cam placement is in the lower left corner of the screen so the people you chat with look up your nostrils. My productivity is probably the same but the XPS feels much more like it's "mine" and I'm not being force-fed stuff by Apple I don't need.
rbanffy 9y ago
s/5/5 more/
- akerro 9y ago
  True, I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop in 2013 and it was with Ubuntu pre-installed.
  - rbanffy 9y ago
    I got myself an "n Series" Vostro in 2012 that came with Linux. Served me well for several years.
j7ake 9y ago
They look kind of expensive (1000 plus dollars) compared to the refurbished Lenovo x220 and up (200 to 500 dollars). How do they compare ?
- Jonnax 9y ago
  You're asking how a brand new computer compares to a laptop from 5 years ago with a 1366x768 screen.
  - deno 9y ago
    And those Dell laptops still come with 16:9 1080p screens. Meh.
    - julesallen 9y ago
      I've spent so many hours trying to get HiDPI working with Linux and have returned two machines to Dell (thankfully their 30 day no quibble return saved me twice). I do a fair bit of image editing and the GIMP is unusable and lots of older X classics that are unlikely to be updated. Until HiDPI issues are resolved I can't use Linux on the desktop on a daily basis.
      - deno 9y ago
        > and lots of older X classics that are unlikely to be updated. https://github.com/kaueraal/run_scaled https://github.com/kaueraal/run_scaled
  - j7ake 9y ago
    So it's mostly the screen ?
mmjaa 9y ago
I just recently purchased a "GPD Pocket", which is in my opinion the best Linux machine I've ever owned. Its a unibody-like case (just like MacBook) with a touchscreen, in a very small package: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-laptop-ubuntu-or-win-10-os-laptop--2 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-lapto... I've been a Linux user since day one of its release, and an "Apple laptop user" since the day of the tiBook release - and these two aspects of my professional life have always been a little incongruous to me personally.. the MacBook is in my toolbox because it is, simply, a great laptop in terms of physical comfort level, even if I'm not a huge fan of MacOS - the physicality of the thing matters. And Linux, of course, is just plain powerful. So the moment I realised someone produce a laptop that wasn't from Apple, yet had very similar physical attributes (albeit smaller), which would also give me a way to escape MacOS and run Linux as a first-class OS, I jumped on board. The point is, I hope manufacturers continue this trend - to build a better laptop than Apple, but make it really worthwhile for the user to install Linux on it. I've had a lot of systems, but my GPD Pocket is really one of my favourite devices - the best of the hardware world combined with the best software you can find, and when I open it up and start using it, I really don't have any desire to buy another Apple machine. Could this be the start of the exodus? Time will tell - the GPD Pocket has many aspects that are not so great - but if they follow it up with an improvement over its existing design, I will definitely become an ex-Apple customer. The physicality is important, and it seems its no longer an Apple-exclusive desire to build such wonderful machines. (Note: this means I don't find any of these Dells' particularly attractive for the same reason .. but maybe someone has compared them in reality and knows where I'm coming from here?)
- nl 9y ago
  GDP is a really interesting company. Their Win10/Android handhelds/game consoles seem to be under the radar in the West, but judging from Chinese sites seem to be killing it there. I think I'd find 7" too small - I had a 10" Netbook for a while, and it wasn't awesome. I did like my 7" Nexus tablet though, so maybe? Personally, I'd love to see official Linux support for the Xiaomi Mi Laptops, which seem perfect to me.
  - 9y ago
bitexploder 9y ago
Bought a 7520 and am keeping it on 16.04. could not be happier. Highlights: 32 GiB of RAM 15" 1920x1080 FHD matte screen with no mic or webcam 1TB storage Xeon processor (equivalent to top end Mac processor) So... Many... Ports Battery life with screen I picked is amazing Ability to fully customize the beast Painless Linux experience (truly). Down sides: Heavier than a MBP A teeny bit of coil whine Charger is 180W....and big too Cost -- as much as a rMBP, but for the dollars the hardware is dramatically better in the areas I care about. Go spec it out if serious and make own decision though :) I love this computer. I know some people may consider the 1920x1080 15" screen not as nice as Retina (you can get a Retina density display on the 7520 if you want), but I find 144ppi perfect for 15". Better than anything of yesteryear. Also I was able to get /exactly/ what I wanted at each option for a reasonable price and no compromises. Anyhow I can finally tell people this is a good idea if you are comfortable on Linux.
- enriquto 9y ago
  I just got the same... notice that besides the 1TB SSD you can put inside an additional 4TB HDD. the only problem is that turboboost does not seem to work out of the box, is it working for yours?
  - bitexploder 9y ago
    You know..... I haven't checked. I only kicked the tires on the discrete GPU. I have been looking at this now. It seems, according to `turbostat` that one core reaches 3000mhz (indicating turbo is not kicking in), but... see below: I have https://ark.intel.com/products/97463/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1505M-v6-8M-Cache-3_00-GHz https://ark.intel.com/products/97463/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3... so Turbo should hit 4ghz I tried this: https://askubuntu.com/questions/871308/enabling-disabling-turbo-boost-16-04 https://askubuntu.com/questions/871308/enabling-disabling-tu... and put a 1 in /sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/no_turbo and it dropped the cpu frequency from ~2700 to 2200 according to the `turbostate` command. However, when I run i7z it reports a frequency of 3000 (maximum frequency without turbo), which is correct, and a frequency of ~3600 mhz (freq multiplier of 36x, which is one of a possible 40x, 38x, 37x, and 36x turbo multipliers) so I /think/ it is doing the right thing. I am going to assume turbostate is not correctly reporting the frequency using the correct multiplier, but that may not be true. It is definitely scaling the CPU speed. And, anecdotally, it compiles things very quickly :) What sort of investigations have you performed?
ACow_Adonis 9y ago
Still not a single one in Australia? :( Honestly, it cannot be that hard...I'm this close to writing off future dell purchases on principal... That's as someone who loves his XPS 13 and had to put ubuntu on there himself...
- EspadaV9 9y ago
  I have been asking about their plans to bring these to Australia for at least a year now with my recent message to them on Twitter not getting a reply and their sales chat saying they aren't available. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any laptop available in Australia that comes preinstalled with any for of Linux, and the XPS does have good support, so to me it still seems to be best option for now.
rekshaw 9y ago
Have they fixed the Windows key? I remember from my XPS Developer Edition it came pre-installed with Ubuntu but the windows key was not replaced with a would-be-awesome Ubuntu key. A tiny detail, but still...
- dijit 9y ago
  I would pay a non-trivial amount of money to remove the windows branded key from mine. But the precision I bought this year did indeed have a windows branded meta key.
- TorKlingberg 9y ago
  I remember at open sopurce conferences, people used to give out stickers with Tux or an Ubuntu or Debian logo to stick on top of the Windows key. Not quite the same of course.
jasonjayr 9y ago
That list is not really complete --- just 2 weeks ago, we needed 2 "small form factor" desktops for a project, so I emailed our Dell sales guy, mentioning "we're going to install Linux on these anyway, don't care about the windows license". 3 days later, we had 2 x OptiPlex 3050's, with a fully functional Ubunutu image right from Dell. I'm not sure the Linux option was available for that via their web site, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they support Linux on more systems than their site indicates.
nyordanov 9y ago
If only they'd put discrete PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys instead of making people use Fn+arrows.
linkmotif 9y ago
Does this mean you can buy a dell without paying for the Windows license?
- Vinnl 9y ago
  Yes, and you've actually been able to for quite a few years - these are just the newest models continuing that tradition.
- slitaz 9y ago
  Yes. When you select to configure your Dell, you can see how much you save when choosing Ubuntu.
  - linkmotif 9y ago
    Is this a special section of the site or something? I’ve heard this for years but when I’ve looked around in the past I never did seem to find it. Especially configurations that show you how much you saved!! Huge thing keeping me from buying a PC is paying for Windows. I’d prefer no part of my purchase go to the Windows license. Hard for me to stomach paying for Windows just to buy a computer.
    - chucksmash 9y ago
      It used to be marketed as "Project Sputnik" and was harder to find (I sort of remember you had to start the configuration from a specific page and what a pain it was to hunt around to find it). I just bought another Precision 5xxx in September and the option was right where you'd expect it to be in their configurator though.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    In Germany you actually pay extra for the XPS 13 models with Ubuntu. http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-13-9360-laptop/spd/xps-13-9360-laptop?~ck=bt http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-... Windows 10 Home, 1 298.99 € Ubuntu, 1 329.00 €
oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
Shame the laptops are all — I think — 15" and above. And shame that page doesn't provide any information apart from a photo and the model number: at least list the screen size, maybe processor etc. so I'm not completely in the dark having to dip in and out of each one.
- Vinnl 9y ago
  I've got the XPS 13, which is 13" and comes preinstalled with Ubuntu as well. These are merely _new_ models with Ubuntu.
  - oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
    Thanks for the info — the XPS is definitely one of a very small number of candidates to replace my Macbook Pro 13". Is ubuntu totally seamless? What would you say is the biggest downside to that laptop?
    - joss82 9y ago
      It's a great piece of laptop. It copied the MacBook for all important points. The touchpad is the only downside to me. The OS and matte screen are huge pluses.
    - Vinnl 9y ago
      I'm pretty happy with it so far. I can't really name any downsides that are specifically bothering me (of course, cheaper would always have been better, but I don't think that's specific to this laptop). People have been complaining about the webcam being located below the screen since the bezel is so small on the other sides, but I don't video chat that often so people looking at me from below is not that much of a problem. Another thing is coil whine, which I guess has been present in mine as well, but I'm usually listening to music or am not in a silent environment, so that hasn't bothered me either.
    - kirillsimin 9y ago
      It's a fine laptop, and Ubuntu runs well. The biggest downside for me is the position of the camera. It's underneath the screen.
sremani 9y ago
The pain-point for me with Ubuntu (I personally installed) on laptop is the power management. Are these pre-installed models any better w.r.t power management?
- patrickaljord 9y ago
  > Are these pre-installed models any better w.r.t power management? I would add another question: will they remain better wrt power management in future upgrades?
- rlpb 9y ago
  I'm very happy with the battery life of my XPS 9360 running Ubuntu (17.10 currently). I get a full working day out of it. So far (about six months) I've received some number of firmware updates (3-6?) through fwupd. These are integrated well into Ubuntu and the Linux ecosystem generally. The updates happen through UEFI and no other OS is required in order to receive them. I believe Dell prepare the updates for this pipeline themselves. Disclosure: I work for Canonical and use the laptop for work. But my choice of laptop, and money to buy it, is my own (it isn't a business expense; my contract merely requires me to have and maintain my own laptop).
slitaz 9y ago
That is for the US. What about Europe?
dijit 9y ago
I bought a Dell Precision 5520 earlier this year. I have to say that the Ubuntu it shipped with was not /quite/ there. But it did not suffer the custom kernel woes of earlier XPS models which shipped with linux. It was mostly stock Ubuntu. After throwing arch Linux on the thing it was more akin to "old thinkpad" levels of compatibility. I'm really impressed and not sorry that I gave Dell my money. It's a rock solid machine.
- jcranberry 9y ago
  Yeah I got one too, when the meta key didn't work at first my new computer euphoria took a vacation until I did the fix they posted online. There were also a few other changes I remember vaguely having to do before really feeling like it was a personalized machine. I love it though. Will say it can heat up a little fast, especially when the GPU is enabled.
benevol 9y ago
I encourage all Linux users to buy Dell as often as possible. We need more companies that actively support open source software. Next step will be open hardware.
le-mark 9y ago
Dell has been offering these for a long time. I bought a 1525n (laptop) with Ubuntu pre-installed in 2008, it was my primary machine for years. I don't use it often now, but it runs xubuntu 14.04 fantastically well.
- UnfalseDesign 9y ago
  Same here. I bought a Dell Inspiron back in 2009 with Ubuntu pre-installed. I still use it to this day though it is pretty much on its last leg. I think the title is a little confusing. It should be that Dell is expanding the number of computers they offer with Ubuntu. This title makes it sound like they haven't been offering it for years now.
arca_vorago 9y ago
With an egregious EULA. I wouldn't touch a dell Ubuntu image with a ten foot pole.
jonaswi 9y ago
I was so tired of being forced to buy overpriced hardware from Apple that I'm not even happy with just because I work with OS X. I then bought a new Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition and was surprised that a) the scaling does not even work with Dells own "tweaked" Ubuntu (even the installer looked horrible) and b) "coil whine" is a thing at this price point. I was so unhappy with it that I sold it and replaced it with an HP spectre x360. Except for thunderbolt everything worked fine so for me there was no real advantage over the "preinstalled" Ubuntu on the Dell.
- thomnottom 9y ago
  Does sound work in Ubuntu on the x360? I bought one when it first came out, but there was an issue with the BIOS (from my recollection, Windows turned off the sounds but Ubuntu couldn't turn it back on) and had to return it. Very nice build, although the battery made it back heavy.
  - jonaswi 9y ago
    I don't know, to be honest. The first thing I did was to remove Windows and install Ubuntu. Sound worked fine. Due to the thunderbolt issues I now use a MacBook again so I can't comment on the current state of it.
- bobowzki 9y ago
  I also just bought a Dell XPS 13 to replace my MacBook 13. I returned it after a day. I can confirm that a) the scaling doesn't work well at all yet, and b) absolutely awful "coil whine".
  - mixmastamyk 9y ago
    What exactly is the coil whine? Mine “chatters” when I move the mouse or there is animation, is that the same thing?
    - whamlastxmas 9y ago
sandGorgon 9y ago
in India, most laptop vendors sell a version with Ubuntu. Which is why India is kind of turning as the real market for desktop linux over the west - where it is affordable for most people to buy a macbook. This is a very large market that Fedora is potentially ignoring. I have much better experience installing and running fedora on bleeding edge hardware (NVME, etc) than any other OS. Currently I run a XPS 9350 non-developer edition with Fedora 27 and everything works out of the box.
sandworm101 9y ago
No they don't. http://www.dell.com/en-ca/ http://www.dell.com/en-ca/ (to which I am redirected from every link in the OP) has nothing other than Win10 or Win7pro. I don't know exactly who they are selling these Ubuntu laptops, but it isn't to me. http://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops-netbooks-and-tablets/sc/laptops/alienware-laptops http://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops-netbooks-and-tab... I'd jump at the chance to buy a Ubuntu laptop. Not for me, but for those family members who want laptops but cannot stand windows. I already am going to spend this chirstmas installing Linux on my parent's new machine, bought at Costco with win10. I would have ordered them a dell Ubuntu laptop, but I guess Canada is just too small a market. Victory to Costco and another "sale" for Microsoft.
edelsohn 9y ago
Dell XPS 13 battery bloated, warped keyboard and track pad, and Dell refused to accept responsibility for the dangerous defective product.
pjmlp 9y ago
As usual not on the German store.
Sir_Cmpwn 9y ago
My best Linux experience laptop continues to be the venerable ThinkPad X200 (circa 2008). It has perfect Linux support - every single piece of hardware works with drivers in the upstream kernel. It has good battery life, it's lightweight, and it's very durable - it's almost 10 years old and both of mine look brand new. The keyboard, RAM, disk, etc is all user-upgradable and each screw is labelled so you know what to remove to get into which components. The keyboard is the best I've ever seen in a laptop - and it's user replacable. The laptop has WiFi, ethernet, bluetooth, a fingerprint reader, and a webcam, all of which work perfectly with open source drivers. The hardware is so well understood that I've also had most of it work correctly on NetBSD, Minix, Haiku, and 9front. 9front! It's also supported by coreboot. It's not an 8-core powerhouse, but I don't expect that from my laptop. It compiles the Linux kernel in about 10 minutes on one (of two) cores. It runs KVM just fine. If I need to do something really heavy I'll SSH into some remote box that can handle it better, but I've done that pretty rarely. It copes very well with almost any workload I've given it. You can pick one up on eBay for anywhere from $40-$150. No other laptop even comes close for me. Is it glamorous? No. Does it play games? No. But it's the best damn laptop you will ever use.
- the_watcher 9y ago
  A few years back, I decided I wanted to try out Linux after finally getting tired of Windows (which I'd used all through school). I bought a Thinkpad X200 for $65 on eBay. I had Linux up and running on it in an hour, and used it happily until I bought my 2013 11-inch Macbook Air (which for my money is the perfect machine in terms of form factor, I'll use it until it dies). Thinkpads are impressive machines.
triangleman 9y ago
I thought they have done this for a long time, at least since they sold that poor woman a laptop with Ubuntu, causing her to drop out of college.
zeep 9y ago
Good news but I prefer Fedora nowadays... Of course it is an easy switch and being tested with Ubuntu means that all hardware should be linux compatible.
api 9y ago
I don't like Ubuntu, but I'd buy one. The real meaning of this is that they've validated the hardware to work against modern Linux.
ezoe 9y ago
Dell Precision laptop has nVidia GPU. No thanks. I want a laptop with 4k built-in display and no nVidia GPU.
dm319 9y ago
Do you remember when people (well linux people) used to say that Microsoft pressured companies into not providing linux? Was that true?

150 points by watchdogtimer 9y ago

The big deal, IMHO, is not so much that it comes with Ubuntu preinstalled, but that it (I naively assume) contains only hardware supported by Linux. I have been ridiculously lucky when buying hardware, but I am told it is not that difficult, even today, to run into machines with hardware that is not well-supported by Linux. So I think I would actually prefer if vendors sold machines that have been tested to work well with Linux, kind of like the "Designed for Windows"-stickers on PCs and notebooks. If a machine is made of hardware that Linux supports well, I do not care what OS is preinstalled, since I will probably wipe it and install one myself anyway. But having a guarantee from the vendor that I can do so without trouble or fear of bricking my machine would be helpful.

teekert 9y ago
I agree, but it would be a nice bonus not to have to pay for Windows at all. This also gives a clear signal to Dell.
- ekianjo 9y ago
  You never really pay for Windows. Most OEM vendors make up for the price of the license by installing tons of additional crap on every Windows they ship out, so practically Windows does not make your laptop more expensive.
  - positr0n 9y ago
    If Windows were free what are the odds the market would force OEMs to do that anyway to shave a percentage point off their prices/profit margins? I'm betting near 100% and only premium machines wouldn't have crapware.
    - ekianjo 9y ago
      Yeah I think they would do it anyway, regardless of Windows cost. What's interesting is that so far, they don't when it comes to Linux installations. Not that there is that much crapware they can actually install for Linux, but they could potentially bundle Chrome and stuff like that if they really wanted.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Dell charges you 100 euros more for Ubuntu than for Windows. http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-13-9360-laptop/spd/xps-13-9360-laptop?~ck=bt http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-...
  - jcranberry 9y ago
    On the Precision machines, which you can configure manually, switching from Windows to Ubuntu makes the machine cost about 100 USD less. The price difference is probably other hardware.
adrianm 9y ago
My monitor, a Dell UP2715K, is one of the most unsupported pieces of hardware I've ever dealt with on Linux. It has been a nightmare. Nvidia graphics card support has caused me weeks of grief as well. So why have I kept it? Because when I finally got everything to work, I have become addicted to the quality of the text! I honestly can't work with other monitors now due to the low DPI looking like absolute crap. Apple has ruined me. Too bad no one else has stepped into the 5K monitor market.
- krylon 9y ago
  I was confused about how a monitor would cause problems until I understood that it is a very-high-res display. I am happy that my dual-display setup at home works the way I want it to. Before getting my current desktop PC, I had not used GNU/Linux on a system with more than one display, and I had heard horror stories of how that did not work out very well. Fortunately, for me it just worked(tm). Speaking of monitors, Eizo makes a monitor with a 1:1 aspect ratio, i.e. the display is a square, 1920 by 1920. I would so LOVE to have one of those, but of course it is prohibitively expensive (at least for my monitor budget).
VeejayRampay 9y ago
To this day, my Lenovo will not go into hibernation when battery is critically low, even though I have it configured in the power settings. Not that big of a deal, I simply need to be aware of the battery meter all the time, but I wish it would just work.
- ryanlol 9y ago
  If hibernate only fails when the battery is low, this doesn't necessarily sound like a hardware issue.
- suprfnk 9y ago
  My Thinkpad X220 gives 3 beeps when it's at 5% battery. Probably OS independent, though I've only run Linux on this thing. Enough time for me to grab the charger or put it in hibernate. Does yours not have that option in the BIOS?
  - VeejayRampay 9y ago
    Haven't checked the BIOS, I'll have a look, thanks.

Tepix 9y ago

The headline was altered in a confusing way, this article is about the Dell Precision line. FWIW, I have a Dell XPS 13 9350 laptop with Linux on it (Ubuntu 17.10) and it runs marvellously.

igravious 9y ago
Yes, “Dell Precision Machines Available With Ubuntu Pre-Installed” is the article title – likewise I have a Dell XPS 13", this one an L322X though. What version of Ubuntu it came with pre-installed I could not tell you, can't remember for the life of me which one.
reacweb 9y ago
Yes, ubuntu runs very well on DELL computers since many years. As a customer, I am looking to computers preinstalled with ubuntu for two reasons: - I want to stop giving money to Microsoft when I do not use it. Microsoft may use this money against me. - I want the best installation of drivers for my hardware without loosing time.
mherrmann 9y ago
I have the same machine with Ubuntu 16.04 (pre-installed). I had a MacBook Pro 2014 before and am very happy with the switch. Pros: - small and light yet a large screen - awesome battery life - $500+ cheaper than a comparable MBP - OS X's shell isn't bad, Ubuntu's is even nicer - I can customise Ubuntu to my heart's content - no stupid apps I don't want or need bothering me (iTunes, Garage Band, ...) Cons: - screen less crisp than MBP - speaker quality worse - Ubuntu is not very clever about remembering the sound settings for my headphones, have to re-plug and re-apply settings often (may be fixable/fixed in 17.04) - web cam placement is in the lower left corner of the screen so the people you chat with look up your nostrils. My productivity is probably the same but the XPS feels much more like it's "mine" and I'm not being force-fed stuff by Apple I don't need.

rbanffy 9y ago

s/5/5 more/

akerro 9y ago
True, I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop in 2013 and it was with Ubuntu pre-installed.
- rbanffy 9y ago
  I got myself an "n Series" Vostro in 2012 that came with Linux. Served me well for several years.

j7ake 9y ago

They look kind of expensive (1000 plus dollars) compared to the refurbished Lenovo x220 and up (200 to 500 dollars). How do they compare ?

Jonnax 9y ago
You're asking how a brand new computer compares to a laptop from 5 years ago with a 1366x768 screen.
- deno 9y ago
  And those Dell laptops still come with 16:9 1080p screens. Meh.
  - julesallen 9y ago
    I've spent so many hours trying to get HiDPI working with Linux and have returned two machines to Dell (thankfully their 30 day no quibble return saved me twice). I do a fair bit of image editing and the GIMP is unusable and lots of older X classics that are unlikely to be updated. Until HiDPI issues are resolved I can't use Linux on the desktop on a daily basis.
    - deno 9y ago
      > and lots of older X classics that are unlikely to be updated. https://github.com/kaueraal/run_scaled https://github.com/kaueraal/run_scaled
- j7ake 9y ago
  So it's mostly the screen ?

mmjaa 9y ago

I just recently purchased a "GPD Pocket", which is in my opinion the best Linux machine I've ever owned. Its a unibody-like case (just like MacBook) with a touchscreen, in a very small package: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-laptop-ubuntu-or-win-10-os-laptop--2 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-lapto... I've been a Linux user since day one of its release, and an "Apple laptop user" since the day of the tiBook release - and these two aspects of my professional life have always been a little incongruous to me personally.. the MacBook is in my toolbox because it is, simply, a great laptop in terms of physical comfort level, even if I'm not a huge fan of MacOS - the physicality of the thing matters. And Linux, of course, is just plain powerful. So the moment I realised someone produce a laptop that wasn't from Apple, yet had very similar physical attributes (albeit smaller), which would also give me a way to escape MacOS and run Linux as a first-class OS, I jumped on board. The point is, I hope manufacturers continue this trend - to build a better laptop than Apple, but make it really worthwhile for the user to install Linux on it. I've had a lot of systems, but my GPD Pocket is really one of my favourite devices - the best of the hardware world combined with the best software you can find, and when I open it up and start using it, I really don't have any desire to buy another Apple machine. Could this be the start of the exodus? Time will tell - the GPD Pocket has many aspects that are not so great - but if they follow it up with an improvement over its existing design, I will definitely become an ex-Apple customer. The physicality is important, and it seems its no longer an Apple-exclusive desire to build such wonderful machines. (Note: this means I don't find any of these Dells' particularly attractive for the same reason .. but maybe someone has compared them in reality and knows where I'm coming from here?)

nl 9y ago
GDP is a really interesting company. Their Win10/Android handhelds/game consoles seem to be under the radar in the West, but judging from Chinese sites seem to be killing it there. I think I'd find 7" too small - I had a 10" Netbook for a while, and it wasn't awesome. I did like my 7" Nexus tablet though, so maybe? Personally, I'd love to see official Linux support for the Xiaomi Mi Laptops, which seem perfect to me.
- 9y ago

bitexploder 9y ago

Bought a 7520 and am keeping it on 16.04. could not be happier. Highlights: 32 GiB of RAM 15" 1920x1080 FHD matte screen with no mic or webcam 1TB storage Xeon processor (equivalent to top end Mac processor) So... Many... Ports Battery life with screen I picked is amazing Ability to fully customize the beast Painless Linux experience (truly). Down sides: Heavier than a MBP A teeny bit of coil whine Charger is 180W....and big too Cost -- as much as a rMBP, but for the dollars the hardware is dramatically better in the areas I care about. Go spec it out if serious and make own decision though :) I love this computer. I know some people may consider the 1920x1080 15" screen not as nice as Retina (you can get a Retina density display on the 7520 if you want), but I find 144ppi perfect for 15". Better than anything of yesteryear. Also I was able to get /exactly/ what I wanted at each option for a reasonable price and no compromises. Anyhow I can finally tell people this is a good idea if you are comfortable on Linux.

enriquto 9y ago
I just got the same... notice that besides the 1TB SSD you can put inside an additional 4TB HDD. the only problem is that turboboost does not seem to work out of the box, is it working for yours?
- bitexploder 9y ago
  You know..... I haven't checked. I only kicked the tires on the discrete GPU. I have been looking at this now. It seems, according to `turbostat` that one core reaches 3000mhz (indicating turbo is not kicking in), but... see below: I have https://ark.intel.com/products/97463/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1505M-v6-8M-Cache-3_00-GHz https://ark.intel.com/products/97463/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3... so Turbo should hit 4ghz I tried this: https://askubuntu.com/questions/871308/enabling-disabling-turbo-boost-16-04 https://askubuntu.com/questions/871308/enabling-disabling-tu... and put a 1 in /sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/no_turbo and it dropped the cpu frequency from ~2700 to 2200 according to the `turbostate` command. However, when I run i7z it reports a frequency of 3000 (maximum frequency without turbo), which is correct, and a frequency of ~3600 mhz (freq multiplier of 36x, which is one of a possible 40x, 38x, 37x, and 36x turbo multipliers) so I /think/ it is doing the right thing. I am going to assume turbostate is not correctly reporting the frequency using the correct multiplier, but that may not be true. It is definitely scaling the CPU speed. And, anecdotally, it compiles things very quickly :) What sort of investigations have you performed?

ACow_Adonis 9y ago

Still not a single one in Australia? :( Honestly, it cannot be that hard...I'm this close to writing off future dell purchases on principal... That's as someone who loves his XPS 13 and had to put ubuntu on there himself...

EspadaV9 9y ago
I have been asking about their plans to bring these to Australia for at least a year now with my recent message to them on Twitter not getting a reply and their sales chat saying they aren't available. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any laptop available in Australia that comes preinstalled with any for of Linux, and the XPS does have good support, so to me it still seems to be best option for now.

rekshaw 9y ago

Have they fixed the Windows key? I remember from my XPS Developer Edition it came pre-installed with Ubuntu but the windows key was not replaced with a would-be-awesome Ubuntu key. A tiny detail, but still...

dijit 9y ago
I would pay a non-trivial amount of money to remove the windows branded key from mine. But the precision I bought this year did indeed have a windows branded meta key.
TorKlingberg 9y ago
I remember at open sopurce conferences, people used to give out stickers with Tux or an Ubuntu or Debian logo to stick on top of the Windows key. Not quite the same of course.

jasonjayr 9y ago

That list is not really complete --- just 2 weeks ago, we needed 2 "small form factor" desktops for a project, so I emailed our Dell sales guy, mentioning "we're going to install Linux on these anyway, don't care about the windows license". 3 days later, we had 2 x OptiPlex 3050's, with a fully functional Ubunutu image right from Dell. I'm not sure the Linux option was available for that via their web site, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they support Linux on more systems than their site indicates.

nyordanov 9y ago

If only they'd put discrete PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys instead of making people use Fn+arrows.

linkmotif 9y ago

Does this mean you can buy a dell without paying for the Windows license?

Vinnl 9y ago
Yes, and you've actually been able to for quite a few years - these are just the newest models continuing that tradition.
slitaz 9y ago
Yes. When you select to configure your Dell, you can see how much you save when choosing Ubuntu.
- linkmotif 9y ago
  Is this a special section of the site or something? I’ve heard this for years but when I’ve looked around in the past I never did seem to find it. Especially configurations that show you how much you saved!! Huge thing keeping me from buying a PC is paying for Windows. I’d prefer no part of my purchase go to the Windows license. Hard for me to stomach paying for Windows just to buy a computer.
  - chucksmash 9y ago
    It used to be marketed as "Project Sputnik" and was harder to find (I sort of remember you had to start the configuration from a specific page and what a pain it was to hunt around to find it). I just bought another Precision 5xxx in September and the option was right where you'd expect it to be in their configurator though.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  In Germany you actually pay extra for the XPS 13 models with Ubuntu. http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-13-9360-laptop/spd/xps-13-9360-laptop?~ck=bt http://www.dell.com/de-de/shop/notebooks-und-ultrabooks/xps-... Windows 10 Home, 1 298.99 € Ubuntu, 1 329.00 €

oneeyedpigeon 9y ago

Shame the laptops are all — I think — 15" and above. And shame that page doesn't provide any information apart from a photo and the model number: at least list the screen size, maybe processor etc. so I'm not completely in the dark having to dip in and out of each one.

Vinnl 9y ago
I've got the XPS 13, which is 13" and comes preinstalled with Ubuntu as well. These are merely _new_ models with Ubuntu.
- oneeyedpigeon 9y ago
  Thanks for the info — the XPS is definitely one of a very small number of candidates to replace my Macbook Pro 13". Is ubuntu totally seamless? What would you say is the biggest downside to that laptop?
  - joss82 9y ago
    It's a great piece of laptop. It copied the MacBook for all important points. The touchpad is the only downside to me. The OS and matte screen are huge pluses.
  - Vinnl 9y ago
    I'm pretty happy with it so far. I can't really name any downsides that are specifically bothering me (of course, cheaper would always have been better, but I don't think that's specific to this laptop). People have been complaining about the webcam being located below the screen since the bezel is so small on the other sides, but I don't video chat that often so people looking at me from below is not that much of a problem. Another thing is coil whine, which I guess has been present in mine as well, but I'm usually listening to music or am not in a silent environment, so that hasn't bothered me either.
  - kirillsimin 9y ago
    It's a fine laptop, and Ubuntu runs well. The biggest downside for me is the position of the camera. It's underneath the screen.

sremani 9y ago

The pain-point for me with Ubuntu (I personally installed) on laptop is the power management. Are these pre-installed models any better w.r.t power management?

patrickaljord 9y ago
> Are these pre-installed models any better w.r.t power management? I would add another question: will they remain better wrt power management in future upgrades?
rlpb 9y ago
I'm very happy with the battery life of my XPS 9360 running Ubuntu (17.10 currently). I get a full working day out of it. So far (about six months) I've received some number of firmware updates (3-6?) through fwupd. These are integrated well into Ubuntu and the Linux ecosystem generally. The updates happen through UEFI and no other OS is required in order to receive them. I believe Dell prepare the updates for this pipeline themselves. Disclosure: I work for Canonical and use the laptop for work. But my choice of laptop, and money to buy it, is my own (it isn't a business expense; my contract merely requires me to have and maintain my own laptop).

slitaz 9y ago

That is for the US. What about Europe?

dijit 9y ago

I bought a Dell Precision 5520 earlier this year. I have to say that the Ubuntu it shipped with was not /quite/ there. But it did not suffer the custom kernel woes of earlier XPS models which shipped with linux. It was mostly stock Ubuntu. After throwing arch Linux on the thing it was more akin to "old thinkpad" levels of compatibility. I'm really impressed and not sorry that I gave Dell my money. It's a rock solid machine.

jcranberry 9y ago
Yeah I got one too, when the meta key didn't work at first my new computer euphoria took a vacation until I did the fix they posted online. There were also a few other changes I remember vaguely having to do before really feeling like it was a personalized machine. I love it though. Will say it can heat up a little fast, especially when the GPU is enabled.

benevol 9y ago

I encourage all Linux users to buy Dell as often as possible. We need more companies that actively support open source software. Next step will be open hardware.

le-mark 9y ago

Dell has been offering these for a long time. I bought a 1525n (laptop) with Ubuntu pre-installed in 2008, it was my primary machine for years. I don't use it often now, but it runs xubuntu 14.04 fantastically well.

UnfalseDesign 9y ago
Same here. I bought a Dell Inspiron back in 2009 with Ubuntu pre-installed. I still use it to this day though it is pretty much on its last leg. I think the title is a little confusing. It should be that Dell is expanding the number of computers they offer with Ubuntu. This title makes it sound like they haven't been offering it for years now.

arca_vorago 9y ago

With an egregious EULA. I wouldn't touch a dell Ubuntu image with a ten foot pole.

jonaswi 9y ago

I was so tired of being forced to buy overpriced hardware from Apple that I'm not even happy with just because I work with OS X. I then bought a new Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition and was surprised that a) the scaling does not even work with Dells own "tweaked" Ubuntu (even the installer looked horrible) and b) "coil whine" is a thing at this price point. I was so unhappy with it that I sold it and replaced it with an HP spectre x360. Except for thunderbolt everything worked fine so for me there was no real advantage over the "preinstalled" Ubuntu on the Dell.

thomnottom 9y ago
Does sound work in Ubuntu on the x360? I bought one when it first came out, but there was an issue with the BIOS (from my recollection, Windows turned off the sounds but Ubuntu couldn't turn it back on) and had to return it. Very nice build, although the battery made it back heavy.
- jonaswi 9y ago
  I don't know, to be honest. The first thing I did was to remove Windows and install Ubuntu. Sound worked fine. Due to the thunderbolt issues I now use a MacBook again so I can't comment on the current state of it.
bobowzki 9y ago
I also just bought a Dell XPS 13 to replace my MacBook 13. I returned it after a day. I can confirm that a) the scaling doesn't work well at all yet, and b) absolutely awful "coil whine".
- mixmastamyk 9y ago
  What exactly is the coil whine? Mine “chatters” when I move the mouse or there is animation, is that the same thing?
  - whamlastxmas 9y ago

sandGorgon 9y ago

in India, most laptop vendors sell a version with Ubuntu. Which is why India is kind of turning as the real market for desktop linux over the west - where it is affordable for most people to buy a macbook. This is a very large market that Fedora is potentially ignoring. I have much better experience installing and running fedora on bleeding edge hardware (NVME, etc) than any other OS. Currently I run a XPS 9350 non-developer edition with Fedora 27 and everything works out of the box.

sandworm101 9y ago

No they don't. http://www.dell.com/en-ca/ http://www.dell.com/en-ca/ (to which I am redirected from every link in the OP) has nothing other than Win10 or Win7pro. I don't know exactly who they are selling these Ubuntu laptops, but it isn't to me. http://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops-netbooks-and-tablets/sc/laptops/alienware-laptops http://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops-netbooks-and-tab... I'd jump at the chance to buy a Ubuntu laptop. Not for me, but for those family members who want laptops but cannot stand windows. I already am going to spend this chirstmas installing Linux on my parent's new machine, bought at Costco with win10. I would have ordered them a dell Ubuntu laptop, but I guess Canada is just too small a market. Victory to Costco and another "sale" for Microsoft.

edelsohn 9y ago

Dell XPS 13 battery bloated, warped keyboard and track pad, and Dell refused to accept responsibility for the dangerous defective product.

pjmlp 9y ago

As usual not on the German store.

Sir_Cmpwn 9y ago

My best Linux experience laptop continues to be the venerable ThinkPad X200 (circa 2008). It has perfect Linux support - every single piece of hardware works with drivers in the upstream kernel. It has good battery life, it's lightweight, and it's very durable - it's almost 10 years old and both of mine look brand new. The keyboard, RAM, disk, etc is all user-upgradable and each screw is labelled so you know what to remove to get into which components. The keyboard is the best I've ever seen in a laptop - and it's user replacable. The laptop has WiFi, ethernet, bluetooth, a fingerprint reader, and a webcam, all of which work perfectly with open source drivers. The hardware is so well understood that I've also had most of it work correctly on NetBSD, Minix, Haiku, and 9front. 9front! It's also supported by coreboot. It's not an 8-core powerhouse, but I don't expect that from my laptop. It compiles the Linux kernel in about 10 minutes on one (of two) cores. It runs KVM just fine. If I need to do something really heavy I'll SSH into some remote box that can handle it better, but I've done that pretty rarely. It copes very well with almost any workload I've given it. You can pick one up on eBay for anywhere from $40-$150. No other laptop even comes close for me. Is it glamorous? No. Does it play games? No. But it's the best damn laptop you will ever use.

the_watcher 9y ago
A few years back, I decided I wanted to try out Linux after finally getting tired of Windows (which I'd used all through school). I bought a Thinkpad X200 for $65 on eBay. I had Linux up and running on it in an hour, and used it happily until I bought my 2013 11-inch Macbook Air (which for my money is the perfect machine in terms of form factor, I'll use it until it dies). Thinkpads are impressive machines.

triangleman 9y ago

I thought they have done this for a long time, at least since they sold that poor woman a laptop with Ubuntu, causing her to drop out of college.

zeep 9y ago

Good news but I prefer Fedora nowadays... Of course it is an easy switch and being tested with Ubuntu means that all hardware should be linux compatible.

api 9y ago

I don't like Ubuntu, but I'd buy one. The real meaning of this is that they've validated the hardware to work against modern Linux.

ezoe 9y ago

Dell Precision laptop has nVidia GPU. No thanks. I want a laptop with 4k built-in display and no nVidia GPU.

dm319 9y ago

Do you remember when people (well linux people) used to say that Microsoft pressured companies into not providing linux? Was that true?