That's an absolutely terrible idea if you intend to run Linux on it. If you select the Ubuntu version and it's preloaded with Ubuntu at factory then Dell knows

That's an absolutely terrible idea if you intend to run Linux on it. If you select the Ubuntu version and it's preloaded with Ubuntu at factory then Dell knows that it's worth working (and paying for) Linux support. If you take a Windows version and load Linux later then Dell things you are a Windows user and won't care about Linux support. This is one of the biggest issues with Lenovo even though lots of Linux people run them.