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Dell releases Ubuntu 7.04 desktops at Windows prices E-mail
by Stan Beer   
Thursday, 24 May 2007
The day Linux advocates have been waiting for has arrived . Dell has announced three different systems with Ubuntu 7.04 installed: the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook. However, those expecting lower prices for their Linux boxes may be disappointed because there is little or no price differential between the Linux and Windows models. In fact, the entry level E520 Windows desktop is significantly cheaper.

The pre-installed Ubuntu systems will be available at www.dell.com/open today. Starting price for the E520n desktop and the E1505n notebook is US$599; the XPS 410n starts at US$899.

By comparison, the starting price for a Dell E520 with Vista Home Basic, Celeron processor and 512MB RAM is US$369, while a Core 2 Duo model with Vista Home Premium and 1GB RAM is $679. The  entry level of the Vista Home Basic version of the E1505 notebook is US$699, $100 more than its entry level Ubuntu counterpart. At the higher end the XPS 410, with Core 2 Duo processor, Vista Home Premium, 1GB RAM and 19 inch LCD monitoris exactly the same price as the Ubuntu Linux version at US$899.

Of course, it's hard to compare systems without seeing the equivalent configurations. However, early indications are that Dell will not be trying to sell its new Linux boxes on the price of the operating system. For Linux stalwarts, that should not be a problem. They can point to the plethora of free open source applications that will come bundled with the Ubuntu boxes, giving them a full strength working system from the get go without the need to buy additional applications.

The true test, however, will be how easily users will be able to configure the pre-installed systems to do the things they've been used to doing with Windows  - wireless networking, music, videos, games - as well as driver support for their peripherals

Accordng to the Direct2Dell blog, hardware support will come from Dell as well as the Linux section of the Dell Community Forum, with updates coming from the Linux team at www.dell.com/linux http://linux.dell.com. Users also have fee-based options for operating system support through Canonical, including 30-day Get Started, One-year Basic and One-year Standard.{moscomment}

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