Ubuntu is coming back to Dell Laptops
This is a good idea in theory but potentially bad in execution.<p>What I'd like (and I suspect many other developers would too) is a nice laptop that <i>I</i> can install Linux on, and have it Just Work.<p>What it looks like Dell is providing is a nice laptop, but with a custom build of Ubuntu installed.  If Dell's Windows installs are any indication, that means it's going to be loaded with crapware or custom non-OSS drivers.  This is just speculation, but the fact that you can't dual-boot Windows on it is a big hint.  Who knows what crapware they're going to load up on it, and then you'll be tied to their special brand of Ubuntu if you want upgrades or support.<p>What Dell should do instead is work with hardware manufacturers to iron out Linux driver bugs for just <i>one</i> nice laptop.  Then sell that laptop with a stock Ubuntu build and let developers go to town.  I'd pay a <i>lot</i> of money for something like that.  Instead, today I have to buy a cheap Dell laptop, install Ubuntu, and deal with the driver headaches that exist to this day.  (And don't tell me Linux is a magical fairy land because it Works For You, because it <i>doesn't</i> Just Work for me.  It hasn't for years and it still doesn't today.)