Skip to main content

Dell To Offer Ubuntu Linux on Consumer PCs

Dell To Offer Ubuntu Linux on Consumer PCs

Computer maker Dell recently announced it would offer selected consumer PCs with Linux as a pre-installed operating system option, but that it hadn’t yet settled on which distribution, or “flavor,” of Linux it would support. Now, the company has made its decision: Dell will begin offering the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution within a few weeks.

Dell has so far declined to discuss system configurations, so pricing remains an open question. Many industry watchers expect a Linux-based offering to feature a price tag substantially lower than an equivalent notebook or desktop system pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows; however, Dell may decide to aim Linux at the higher end of its customer base and offer Ubuntu on high-performance systems, where the price savings from the use of an open source operating system and software bundle might not be very dramatic. Although Ubuntu 7.04 “Feisty Fawn” is generally considered one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions, Dell is not expected to offer LInux systems as a general consumer system—at least initially—in order to avoid escalating support costs helping users who don’t know a thing about Linux.

Recommended Videos

Dell also hasn’t outlined what software it will bundle with Linux-based systems, although the company has committed to using open source software drivers wherever possible. However, for the time being, Dell will likely have to ship proprietary drivers for many video cards.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Dell Black Friday Deals: Save on XPS 13, Alienware gaming PCs, and more
Best Dell Black Friday Deals

Black Friday may be over, but we're still feeling pretty excited about all the Dell Black Friday deals still available. Dell is one of the biggest names in the laptop, monitor, and gaming PC and laptop world, so it's a retailer worth paying attention to. Consistently offering some extra special sales, Dell is here with some awesome Black Friday deals. Whether you're looking for a budget-priced laptop, a high-end gaming PC, or a monitor to make working from home easier, there's sure to be something that will grab your attention here. To help you narrow things down, we've picked out some of our highlights amongst the Dell Black Friday deals -- but if you see something you like, grab it now, as there's no guarantee it will stick around.
Top 5 Dell Black Friday Deals
Dell Inspiron 15 - $230, was $330

The Inspiron 15 is one of the best Dell laptops on the market and a bit of an industry standard for non-gaming laptops. This version comes with an Intel Pentium Silver N5030, a budget CPU that can still handle a good amount of productivity work. Its integrated graphics will let you get away with some casual gaming, although we aren't very impressed with the 4GB of RAM since we consider 8GB to be the minimum these days. Nonetheless, the Inspiron 15 is more than usable, and with the 128GB of storage, you still have some room for your files while supplementing it with a cloud storage service. Its screen is 15.6 inches and HD with relatively small bezels, and to be honest, at this price range, it is an excellent buy if you need the basics.

Read more
In just three years, 30% of PCs may be built on ARM architecture
An Apple MacBook Pro 14 sits open on a table.

A new report suggests that ARM-based systems might become more and more common in the future, ramping up at an unprecedented pace.

ARM's system-on-a-chip (SoC) can be found in Apple M-series chips, as well as in Chromebooks, among other devices. Can the adoption of these devices rise as high as the report predicts?

Read more
The best Linux distros for 2022
Person typing on a laptop.

Linux is a powerful and fully customizable operating system with an endless number of distributions that differ significantly from one another, offering complete personalization for all applications. Trust us -- it gives MacOS and Windows a run for their money.

When choosing a Linux system, it's common to pick a distribution, or "distro," that compiles all the open-source features you want into one installation package. With the sheer number of Linux distros, it would take a long time for you to sift through them all to find your favorite, so to help you narrow down your search, we’ve compiled a list of the best distros that Linux has to offer.
Linux Mint 20.3

Read more