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Dell’s Linux Ultrabook gets more pixels, European availability
- avar 14y agoI have a new Dell E6330 which is certified to run with Ubuntu, and came with it pre-installed: http://www.ubuntu.com/certification//hardware/201202-10559/ http://www.ubuntu.com/certification//hardware/201202-10559/ I immediately wiped it to install Debian (I'm not accepting a Dell EULA to run Linux) and found that the touchpad wasn't detected as such. Some digging revealed that there was a third party patch to linux reverse engineered from the Windows driver, not one contributed by Dell. So it seems that their efforts to upstream code required to run their hardware on other distros than the OEM image are non-existant. The Ubuntu image that comes with them also possibly contains binarf blobs (didn't check since I didn't install it, but the Ubuntu page mentions than only the OEM image is certified, not stock Ubuntu).
- andrewcooke 14y agofrom the article: Code for the Cypress trackpad, one of the most fiddly bits, has even been made available upstream. http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/1212.1/00834.html http://lkml.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/1212.1/00834....
- batgaijin 14y agoDamn it, couldn't they have waited for Haswell?
- MichaelGG 14y agoWouldn't that mean a 3+ month wait?
- dhruvmittal 14y agoMaybe they'll pop out another version in a couple months?
- mtgx 14y agoBuy now before Microsoft kills the project.
- icebraining 14y agoAs usual, they're selling in Europe, for small values of the term. Does anyone know if it can be bought in non-listed European countries?
- slgeorge 14y agoHi, Dell will be enabling online purchases for European countries in the next couple of weeks. There's a blog post from them here: http://bartongeorge.net/2013/02/18/spuntik-2-is-here-xps-13-developer-edition-goes-1080p-and-launches-in-emea/ http://bartongeorge.net/2013/02/18/spuntik-2-is-here-xps-13-... Short version is that the following countries will be added: France, Germany, UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland You'll be able to buy through a sales person for these countries: Israel, Luxembourg, Morocco, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UAE
- icebraining 14y agoHi, thanks for the reply, but my problem is that I live in Portugal, which isn't listed. Despite the news, some of us can still afford the odd laptop :)
- tmsh 14y agoSystem76 and you're there. (Very impressed with a new system76 laptop so far.)
- tiziano88 14y agoI've been looking into them, and i like what they are trying to do. their laptop are just too awful though
- MatthewPhillips 14y agoTheir battery life has usually been pretty low, has that changed?
- argarg 14y agogetting 4 hours minimum with lemur ultra i7 ssd 8gb ram. I'm satisfied with that.
- kunai 14y agoI've looked into them, and they make pretty good products, but I'm just too hooked onto Thinkpads' timeless design, and of course, the TrackPoint, to switch.
- mercurial 14y agoYes, the TrackPoint is a serious problem. Once you're addicted, there is no going back to a lesser solution.
- kunai 14y agoAgreed. I tried the Retina MBP at the Apple Store when I was getting my iPhone fixed and kept hitting the G and H keys out of habit. I tried to get used to the multi-touch trackpad; after all Apple does make the best in the business, but it just didn't suit me. I just don't see how repeatedly swiping your finger several times to move across the screen is more efficient than a simple shift of weight across a red dot. It's like the convenience of a mouse and the versatility of a trackball, just better. I got so addicted to it that I had to buy one of these (http://shop.lenovo.com/us/itemdetails/55Y9003/460/60AC6A0372B14F5BA7B12F1FF88E33C7 http://shop.lenovo.com/us/itemdetails/55Y9003/460/60AC6A0372...) for my desktop.
- windexh8er 14y agoVery tempting... I've been considering a Lenovo Carbon X1 for a while, but the 1080P panel is proving hard to resist. Anyone have any honest feedback regarding the older version? Price seems a bit steep for the hardware included.
- clauretano 14y agoI've used the XPS 13 (the Windows 8 version, with a 1440x900 screen) as well as the X1 Carbon (touch and non-touch). The X1 is a better machine overall, though most users find the XPS to be better looking. My biggest complaints with the XPS 13 are the screen (terrible viewing angles) which won't be the same in this developer edition, and the trackpad, which has abysmal palm rejection and multi-touch gestures. In a never-ending quest to find the MacBook Air equivalent for users who refuse to use a Mac, the X1 Carbon is the closest I've found.
- gknoy 14y agoCan you elaborate on why you refuse the MacBook Air?
- sergiotapia 14y agoPersonally I HATE using the operating system. Mac OSX seems so backwards to me.
- Audiophilip 14y agoWhat stops you from installing [your favorite OS here] on it?
- majormajor 14y agoThere are a few reasons I prefer my T430s to my MBP, and would probably also prefer an X1 Carbon to a MBA: * Trackpoint! * Keyboard feel. Even the chiclet ThinkPad keypads still have "IT" for me. * No more fn-key chording needed for Home, End, Delete, Page Up, Page Down. Plus a non-technical, possibly silly, reason of "it's not what everyone else and their mum has." I also like the looks more (black is the new black!), though on that I realize I'm in a minority (I did love the rounded original MBAs, however). On the other hand, my MBP's screen has much better colors than the T430s's. :(
- acabal 14y agoVery nice. My only wish now would be to include a full keyboard (with pgup, pgdown, home, del in their own row). That's what's stopping me from buying it, and the X1 Carbon too. I've said it before and I'll say it again, for a laptop aimed at developers it's really surprising they decided to copy Apple and ditch those super-important keys. It's extra surprising when you note that laptops like the Lenovo Yoga 13, which is aimed at consumers and not developers, managed to fit a full keyboard in the same (slightly smaller?!) form factor. I'd pay a fortune for a 14 inch, IPS laptop with a full keyboard. Seriously, a fortune. I spend so much time at my laptop that I'm more than willing to invest in quality.
- kecebongsoft 14y agoI'd love to know more on why you said Lenovo Yoga 13 is aimed for consumers. I'm a python coder myself and I'll be getting this convertible ultrabook in the next few weeks. I've come across videos and site reviews but never heard that this laptop is more for consumers than developers.
- windexh8er 14y agoI think the assertion may be that it's an IdeaPad and not a ThinkPad, lending to the consumer train of thought. I haven't ever heard good things about IdeaPad in the past, while the ThinkPad line seems to do a good job of maintaining core values of build quality and ruggedness. I'm not sure Lenovo did much for trying to carry over that line of thinking into the Idea lineup... Maybe that has changed, but I'd have a hard time pulling the trigger on anything within that line unless I could use it first.
- acabal 14y agoMy reasoning was that it's the in the IdeaPad line, and that the whole tablet-conversion gimmick is more oriented towards iPad-style media consumption than productivity. Actually I was really close to buying one myself as a dev machine--it has an IPS screen, a full keyboard, and the tablet thing is a nice, if not strictly needed, bonus. My deal-breaker was no backlit keyboard, because I work a lot at night, and that the wifi card has zero Linux support (as in, you have to connect to ethernet to download the wifi drivers first). To a lesser extent I would have preferred a 14-inch screen and dedicated graphics, but I was willing to live without those because the Yoga was so nice otherwise. Will there ever be a perfect machine?! :)
- rbanffy 14y agoSo, for the price of a MacBook Air you get a Dell... Not to say I don't like them - I have a couple Dell boxes around - but they are not really on the same level here. And, with the Mac, I still have the option to run Linux. A Dell can't run OSX. unless there is a compelling price difference, this doesn't look like a great deal.
- infinii 14y agoActually, it costs more than a MBP 13 w/ Retina
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- windexh8er 14y agoI guess I wouldn't say the Linux coverage on a MBA is all that great from rev to rev. I've tried in the past and with mixed luck.
- recroad 14y agoResolution for MB Air is lower. Not many will be installing Linux on a Mac, so that point isn't really important for the general consumer.
- jberryman 14y ago> A Dell can't run OSX. Ha! Tell that to my hackintoshed Dell Mini 10v :-P
- 27182818284 14y agoI'm glad you pointed this out because it was also my blink-one-second reaction.
- josteink 14y ago> A Dell can't run OSX. If I wanted to run Lawsuit OS, I would be funneling my money towards a Cupertino based patent-troll. As I'm not really interested in funding such ventures, I'm happy other vendors which has served me excellently in the past are giving me interesting options for the future. Besides, it's not a normal Dell. It's Dell XPS. That's the premium line of products.
- simonsarris 14y agoI sit here in awe that they are selling a Developer Edition laptop without providing a single top view of the keyboard. https://www.dell.com/us/business/p/xps-13-linux/pd?refid=xps-13-linux&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=0&~ck=baynoteSearch&isredir=true https://www.dell.com/us/business/p/xps-13-linux/pd?refid=xps... Maybe I'm being way too picky, but the layout and feel of the keyboard is, aside from the screen, the other massively important thing that you don't get to change on a laptop. I mean we are typists before we are programmers. Isn't it worth letting me see how the ins/del/home/end cluster is laid out?! ~~~ edit: It looks to be agreeable. Ctrl occupies the bottom-left and Del occupies the top right, which I've found very reasonable in the past (easy to find quickly when hopping onto a new device) The Home/End/PageUp/PageDown are loacted on the arrow keys, which actually seems pretty reasonable: http://www.cdn2.loopygadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dell-XPS-13.jpg http://www.cdn2.loopygadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/... Note that the Thinkpad X1 does not have Ctrl in the bottom left, instead its the Fn key. On the plus side, the X1 kept Home and End keys up top, with dedicated PageUp/PageDown near the arrow keys. http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carbon_G16.jpg http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/...
- ineedtosleep 14y ago> Note that the Thinkpad X1 does not have Ctrl in the bottom left, instead its the Fn key. On the plus side, the X1 kept Home and End keys up top, with dedicated PageUp/PageDown near the arrow keys. For the most part, Lenovo's Thinkpads have a BIOS setting that allows you to switch the Fn and Ctrl keys. This has been around for a while now and is still an option on newer Thinkpads (although, I can't confirm that this option exists in the X1).
- windsurfer 14y agoI can confirm this. It's also a setting in the Lenovo toolkit (in Windows) if you want on top of the BIOS setting.
- chimeracoder 14y agoNot just that, but on any computer running Linux, you can just use loadkeys. You can also use xmodmap, but that's not going to work outside X11 (if you tend to do much work without X)
- AlexeyBrin 14y agoHas anyone tried the touchpad ? I have two Dells with a plastic touchpad - almost unusable when I need to scroll. I hate to carry a mouse with me when I have a portable laptop.
- thechut 14y agoWow, I am really close on getting this one. I have been looking for a new laptop to run Mint on for a while. The display is a huge plus on this, but the lackluster i7-3537U, the second slowest of the i7's, makes it hard to justify the price. The price is the biggest sticking point for me, it's basically the same cost as a 13" MBP Retina. It is very clear that Dell is purposefully positioning it in that exact market. For me, one advantage of using Linux is usually I get to spend less on my computers. This laptop seems overpriced to me, I think I will wait for something better.
- ajasmin 14y ago1080p still isn't all that impressive though. It's a decent density for a display of that size but right now it seems only Apple is pushing laptops beyond the HDTV standard. Desktop monitors over 1080p are really overpriced as well. I don't understand why a TV standard should set the norm for computers but if that's what it takes I'm hopping that 4K TV gets some traction.
- drivebyacct2 14y agoWell, the size of the screen matters as well. The Nexus 10 would be a better example in my opinion.
- ajasmin 14y agoA common argument is that it's easier to manufacture High-DPI displays for tablets and smart phones because you get fewer defects over a small surface. But we're talking about a 13″ 1920×1080 laptop display here. The screen is not that big compared to the 10″ Nexus at 2560x1600. Laptops really have to catch on.
- EwanToo 14y agoBefore laptops will catch on, Windows will have to - Windows on a small screen at a very high resolution really doesn't work well. It might be ok if you got up to a multiple of 1366 x 768 pixels, so you could scale icons up to 2x size, but lots of Windows applications simply don't cope with very high resolution screens, so icons, buttons, etc, are rendered far too small.
- mariusmg 14y agoThat's why we have keyboard shortcuts..... Harrrr.
- mrb 14y agoBuying tip: instead of buying the "Developer Edition" for $1550, you can get the "Windows version" with a slightly slower processor for $1400: see the 3rd configuration from the left here: http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-l321x-mlk/pd?~ck=mn http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-l321x-mlk/pd?~ck=mn The only diff between the 2 processors is that the i7-3537U runs at 2GHz and has 4MB cache, whereas the i5-3337U runs at 1.8GHz and has 3MB cache. If Dell offered the "Developer Edition" with the i5-3337U, they would be able to shave off another $50 from the Windows licensing fees and sell it at $1350.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- noahl 14y agoThe only thing I don't like about that is that I wish there was a box I could check that says "I'm buying a Windows laptop, but I'm really planning to run Linux on it. Please keep investing in Linux hardware support for this line of laptops." Actually, the world might be better if all manufacturers had that checkbox.
- tga 14y agoThe manufacturers can't hear what you're saying over the sound of the ringing cash register. You've already bought the Windows laptop, proving that Linux support from their part wasn't that important after all. The only way I'd see this working is if you could use the magical checkbox to say "I'm preordering this laptop only after you get all hardware properly working in Linux". Get enough Linux preorders like that and they might even task someone with prodding the component manufacturers to come up with proper drivers.
- slgeorge 14y agoAs tga says the vendor is unlikely to hear that since they're concerned about actual sales. It's more likely that they'd be aware if you at least phoned them and told someone during the ordering process, but I doubt it would make its way through. Overall, if you want to send the signal that Linux compatibility is important you have to buy a machine with Linux on it.
- memset 14y agoI have one of the current Dell Ubuntu laptops, the XPS 13. I really like it! Except. Except the thing literally freezes - completely locks up - several times a day. I've upgraded the BIOS and I've updated the kernel from the Sputnik repositories. No luck. (Has anyone else had this experience? Or suggestions?) It is very frustrating, for what is otherwise a pretty decent, durable, nice to use laptop where the hardware Just Works. But my current experience leaves me very wary of wanting to purchase another one of these!
- fdr 14y agoI have been using the current-generation XPS-13 (bought with Ubuntu pre-installed) and have not had hard lockups. I did have one kind of bug that seemed to make X completely lose its mind, but the virtual terminals still worked. I have upgraded to Quantal. I'd ask Dell for a swap.
- ramate 14y agoMore likely it's a software issue.
- girvo 14y agoHey, my HP DM1z does this too. Try this: in the grub boot options, type: thermal.off=1 At the second last line (I forget what its called, but basically its the options for the kernel). That fixed it on my HP, try it and let me know.
- memset 14y agounfortunately, this was a no-go for me! (fascinating reading on this particular option, though, so thank you!)
- EwanToo 14y agoI'd be sending it back for a hardware replacement, CPU, memory, who knows what, but complete lockups shouldn't be happening.
- drivebyacct2 14y agoI was so ready to snap one of these up, but it turns out Ubuntu 13.04 runs so well on my MBA that I have no need to switch hardware to stick with my Linux setup. That having been said, the Dell now represents a step-up for screen resolution. Now if only this Dell or the X1 Carbon would rip off MagSafe, my decisions would be easier.
- mogrim 14y agoWhen you say "runs so well" do you mean a straight Ubuntu install, or did you need to start playing around in the terminal and generally faffing about to get it going? (Nothing against the terminal, but a straight install is likely to be more reliable, long term...)
- drivebyacct2 14y agoThe only thing I ran in the terminal after install was my script that apt-gets all the software I like. No drivers, no macfanctl, just a straight install. Media keys work, etc.
- matb33 14y agoIs it retina? I'm worried about how tiny everything will be... I haven't found anything concrete about how Unity handles high dpi Edit: you said MBA, I read MBP... Nevermind, no retina :)
- thomasmeeks 14y agoThis is on my list next time I do a laptop refresh, though that's a little ways away. Traded in a 13" MBP for an Alienware m14xr2 about 9 months ago, still very happy with the Alienware. Bit gaudy, but it is a solid case, two hard drives, and very snappy.
- hayksaakian 14y agoI'd really rather something in the 11 inch range. Still trucking on an eee PC 1000h, but I'm leaning towards the MBA 11 inch over this.
- rorrr 14y agoHow can you do any real work on a 11" screen? I'd get a tablet if I need something that small.
- hayksaakian 14y agoIts the portability of a tablet + the keyboard and fully capable OS that makes it possible. It was admittedly hard to get used to.
- kgabis 14y agoI guess you can: http://imgur.com/8SndTkZ http://imgur.com/8SndTkZ
- chrismorgan 14y agoFor myself, I find I can do almost all my work on my ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, a 10" Android tablet with keyboard dock; so much so that it's become my primary machine for most things (which I certainly didn't expect when I got it—I picked it up second hand at around a third of the regular retail price; I never would have paid full for it with my expectations of it at the time). It's got a decent keyboard and marvellous battery life. Most of my work is done in Ubuntu, installed inside Android via Debian Kit (http://sven-ola.dyndns.org/repo/debian-kit-en.html http://sven-ola.dyndns.org/repo/debian-kit-en.html). From a terminal emulator, I can then run proper versions of Vim, Python, Mercurial, etc. as required, and have it all just work marvellously. (Before going with Debian Kit, I'd had clumsy parboiled editions of Vim, Python and Mercurial.) It's great for web development. Not a particularly speedy machine (the TF700 or even the TF300 would be considerably better than the TF101), but quite sufficient for most things.
- winter_blue 14y agoWhy are these Linux machines that appear on HN always sold at MBP price ranges? This one has a good reason -- the high-def screen, but OEMs like system76 stump me with their over-the-top prices. I actually got an Ubuntu-certified Dell Inspiron N5050 from Dubai for about $450 (AED 1650 for the laptop + AED 50 for a RAM upgrade to be exact.) Its specs are; 8GB RAM, 320G HDD, 15" screen, Core i3-2370M 2.4GHz. It's really not that bad for the price. I should have gotten an i5 17-inch (Inspiron 17R), in retrospect, but oh well - this is still great. Forgot to mention, the Linux support on the Ubuntu-certified Dell _rocks_. Every little thing from the integrated webcam to the wifi/bluetooth drivers all work; which is really the main thing I was after in a laptop.
- icebraining 14y agoThis is an ultrabook, you can't expect prices to be anywhere near those of a bulky 15".
- oscilloscope 14y agoThe System76 Gazelle is $875 with a 1080p screen and Ivy Bridge 4-core i7. They offer a screen upgrade with wider color gamut for $50. Upgrade to 8GB RAM is $45. It's not that over-the-top, especially for a small OEM. But an ultrabook, it's not.
- winter_blue 14y agoYou're right, this is quite good! I might consider buying this... The screen upgrade is $80 b.t.w. (not that big of a difference.) A lot of my work involves compiling AOSP code, which takes way too long (and AOSP's one shot makefile doesn't work for me for some reason); so even a faster processor would def make a difference in my productivity when building locally on my laptop... > But an ultrabook, it's not. It is indeed quite thick, and not per-se that visually appealing (they could do with some better design). I do want to check though, if there are any vents on the underside/bottom of the laptop. Some laptop designers stupidly put vents on the bottom breaking the very designation of "laptop" :-|
- Zak 14y agoGreat. Now, when can I get one with a screen taller/squarer than 16:9? I really dislike TV aspect ratios for code.
- rplnt 14y agoEveryone does. But due to users being told to love wide displays (and they are good for movies) these are the only one in production. If they were to put 4:3 in it, it would probably get really expensive. PS: wide is not a problem on big screens, but for 13", 14" or even 15" it just doesn't make much sense (except for watching movies).
- Zak 14y agoI'm inclined to think that this is more a matter of commodity PC manufacturers lacking the courage to do anything different. I'm sure if Dell wanted a large number of good-quality high-resolution 4:3 IPS panels, they could get a reasonable price. Yes, they'd be more expensive than 16:9. Even if the quantity was high, 4:3 is inherently a little more because it's more area for the same diagonal measurement. Everyone's strategy for the past few years seems to be "watch what Apple does and try to make a cheaper version of it". There actually are two current production laptops I know of with 4:3 screens: the OLPC XO, and the Panasonic Toughbook 31.
- lucian1900 14y agoI quite like wide screens for programming, I just have two panes of code side by side.
- Zak 14y agoI have two panes of code side by side on a 15" 1600x1200 laptop. I've used 15.4" 1680x1050 laptops for programming and find them to be worse. I imagine 15.6" 1600x900 or 1920x1080 would be worse still. Maybe the wider format works better in the 13" size, but at 15" it gains me nothing I want at a loss of valuable height.
- 14y ago
- q3k 14y agoYet it still looks like it has a glossy screen...
- nir 14y agoReading the comments in this thread one can only wonder why more manufacturers aren't targeting the Linux user market. They're missing out on so many cleverly snarky comments and discerning I-actually-prefer-ctrl-in-light-grey users that must be such a joy to work with.
- mseebach 14y agoI currently have a previous-generation MBP 15" (the last one before the retina), as far as I can tell pretty max'ed out on the specs. I really don't like OSX and want to run Linux instead, and running Linux with poor hardware support on the MBP is not really appealing (This is my primary work machine, I don't have time or patience to fiddle with things, I particularly don't have time to deal with something acting up in a meeting -- works out of the box is a deal breaker, this is why this offering is appealing). What am I going to miss if I get the XPS 13 with the 1080p screen?
- Artagra 14y agoAssuming you have the Early 2011 Macbook Pro, the change will be as follows: CPU - Quad Core 45w to Dual Core low voltage (big change for CPU intense work, but for 90% of what people do you won't notice the difference) GPU - The Dell only has integrated Graphics - so any gaming will be worse than on the Macbook. Screen - Increase in resolution from either 1440x900 or 1680x1050 to 1920x1080, and gaining the IPS panel. Going from 16x10 to 16x9 (this really annoys some people) HDD - change from traditional drive to SSD (assuming you didn't put an SSD into your Macbook). If you already had an original Apple SSD in the Macbook, then it will just be faster. Memory - lose the potential for 16gb, limited to 8gb. Optical bay - lose the optical drive, lose the potential for dual drives. Battery life - can't give you a good answer on this, without a review in Linux. In Windows, the Dell can loop video for 325 minutes, which is similar to the Macbook Pro. Under heavier load, the Dell would last longer but do less processing work during that time. Once you add Linux to the mix, I'd guess a 30% decrease in battery life. Build quality - the Dell is good, but not great. I would give a slight advantage to the Macbook.
- nicholassmith 14y agoWithout seeing the XPS 13 dev edition, Dells in general have significantly worse trackpads and keyboards than MacBooks. If you don't use them often, not such a deal breaker. However, Linus himself uses Linux on a MacBook so the support mustn't be too awful now. I'd recommend giving it a try inside Bootcamp first.
- rplnt 14y ago
- TwoBit 14y agoIf it uses a Synaptics touchpad, I'm not interested.
- sp332 14y agoIt's Cypress. It says this in the article.
- akandiah 14y agoOne of the benefits of the Lenovo X1 over the Dell is the inclusion of a WWAN card on the higher end machines. With an embedded SIM card, you never have to worry about tethering again! It's rather surreal to have access to the Internet as soon as you boot-up in a remote location.
- reirob 14y agoI support the idea of a laptop for developers and congratulate Dell for this bold step in the right direction. However I personally would not consider buying this machine because it lacks a Trackpoint. Waiting for the successor of Thinkpad X1 Carbon in the hope that it will have higher screen resolution and maybe more vertical screen space.