ASUS Announce 2 New Windows 8 Laptops, Both Available With Ubuntu

The hottest thing about this story is that the Ubuntu version is priced 60Euro below the Windows version. That's perfect. Now if it comes to the US in a form factor that supports a keyboard large enough for my hands (17mm key pitch or greater), I'm getting one of these.

If I remember right, this is where Dell stumbled with their Ubuntu notebook venture. Pricing their Linux version the same as their Windows version wasn't a formula for success. We all felt that the "extra" was going right back to M$.

HP, for a time, charged a premium price over the Windows models for Linux. When I bought my HP netbook preloaded with Ubuntu there was no price difference. At the time there was some noise about OEMs having to pay the Windows tax on non-Windows systems because of the contracts they've signed.

Right now ASUS and Microsoft aren't on the best of terms as ASUS sees the MS tablets as a direct challenge to one of their niches in the hardware market. They might, as a result, be just a tad more independent than other OEMs.

Quoting:They might, as a result, be just a tad more independent than other OEMs.

Sounds like something we should encourage.

Perhaps, until their marketoids start saying you need to run Windows to do "real work" and start dismissing Linux again. Some of us have long memories.

> Some of us have long memories.

It's not like your memory has to be that long.

At least it's Ubuntu and not Xandros.

That's probably because there is no more Xandros.

In general I believe in supporting OEMs who decide to support Linux. I've taken a lot of flack on this site for defending Dell or for saying that the boutique Linux system online shops are just too expensive. I think that if ASUS continues to support Linux on quality products we should support them. Ditto any other OEM that steps out from the Microsoft shadow.

caitlyn, yes, absolutely.

> In general I believe in supporting OEMs who decide to support Linux.

To the extent they support Linux, yes.

Dell had a very brief fling with Linux when she was toying with the idea of dumping her abusive boyfriend. But she's now given up and is back in that same old abusive relationship. Try finding a consumer line Linux box on Dell's site now, I'll wait. Yes, Dell sells Linux machines: Servers, workstations, and a few business class machines; not consumer hardware.

I just went to Dell's website and enter Linux in the search box. I then selected products. The top entry under Shop says the following: "Looking for PCs with Linux? Shop Dell’s Small Business & Home Office site." And the last time I followed the links on that page? About half of the machines didn't give me the option to order them with Linux. I just checked the Latitude 2120 from one of those links. It is offered with Ubuntu. Ubuntu 10.10, to be precise.

There's support, and then there's Dell. :(

But yes, the boutique Linux shops are overpriced. It may very well be a case of you get what you pay for, but when all you can afford is hamburger, it doesn't matter that the shop has the best steaks in town.