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Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed for Developers

Posted by jadi on · 37 comments
DEVOPS ANGLE; By Klint Finley 		Mail this story
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A few years ago Dell began offering the Ubuntu distribution of Linux on its desktops and laptaps, but quietly dropped the option from its online store in 2010 (though it’s still possible to order certain machines with Ubuntu). Today at the Ubuntu Developers Summit Dell announced that it is dipping its toes into back into the Linux laptop market with Project Sputnik, a developer-centric laptop running Ubuntu 12.04 on Dell’s XPS13 Ultrabook hardware.

siliconANGLE » Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed for Developers Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed for Developers Klint Finley | May 7th READ MORE

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Tux A few years ago Dell began offering the Ubuntu distribution of Linux on its desktops and laptaps, but quietly dropped the option from its online store in 2010 (though it’s still possible to order certain machines with Ubuntu). Today at the Ubuntu Developers Summit Dell announced that it is dipping its toes into back into the Linux laptop market with Project Sputnik, a developer-centric laptop running Ubuntu 12.04 on Dell’s XPS13 Ultrabook hardware.

If you already have an XPS13, you can find the install image here.

Project Sputnik, a product of Dell’s new internal incubation fund, features not just full hardware support for Ubuntu on the XPS13, but a notion of “profiles” for developers. Barton George, the lead on the project, writes:

Hardware enablement is table stakes but where Sputnik starts to get interesting is when we talk about profiles. No two developers are alike so instead of stuffing the system with every possible tool or app a developer could possibly want, we are trying a different approach. As mentioned above, the actual “stuff” on the install image is pretty basic, instead we are working with a few developers to put together a tool that can go out to a github repository and pull down various developer profiles. The first profiles we are targeting are Android, Ruby and JavaScript. [...]

What I’d like to see is not only a gold-standard configuration, but also a meta-system to manage your developer configuration… The devops revolution is about configuration as code. How cool would it be if my laptop configuration were code that I could store in a source repo somewhere?

I talked to George today, and he said that although for now only download images are available “If we’re successful, we’d like to ship laptops with a basic configuration pre-installed, and then have the profiles available for download from a repository.” George also writes that Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has some big ideas about tying Sputnik to OpenStack clouds to help build a true DevOps-centric laptop.

Developers can leave Dell feedback on the Dell IdeaStorm site.

Earlier this year it was reported that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Hybrid would dual boot Linux and Windows. It turns out it actually dual boots Windows and Android (which is based on the Linux kernel but is otherwise incompatible with Linux desktop operating systems). There are a number of other companies offering Linux laptops.

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Comments (37)

17 earlier comments in the full thread.

Fettoosh ·
Quoting: I hate to defend Dell, but there's a very sound economic reason they offer Linux at a higher cost than PCs with Windows ...


@Khamul,

I understand all of that, but considering all the costs of getting windows running properly, it is pretty hard to believe that the cost of pre-installing Windows isn't much much higher than Linux. Once a Linux version is certified, and that could be done with help of the community, how much of a cost it would be to clone a disk? No more than 5 minutes of very low labor.

Besides, if for some reason their cost is unbearable, why not offer no OS machines?

Dell never intended to support Linux, it was just playing games.

Quoting:I'm sorry, but I detect more than a little anti-Dell bias.


The only bias I have, and I don't hide it, is only due to their shenanigans documented on the Internet. I don't see the same type of games from any other OEM. HP offered Linux on some of their PCs long time ago, I actually bought two of them (EVo 500 in 1998) and they stopped right after that. They didn't play the same type of games Dell did and still at it.

How many times Dell offered Linux on some models to go back withdrawing them shortly after citing lack of interest in Linux without even a little attempt at marketing it? Wouldn't you be biased?



tuxchick ·
Dell has been playing stupid Linux games for years. You need uber detective skills to find any desktop Linux machines on Dell.com, and every single page on the site has WE RECOMMENT TEH WINDOWSES banners all over the place. Their desktop Linux support is tepid and two-faced, and barely competent. Which is rather amusing, given their extensive and unapologetic line of Red Hat and SUSE servers. 3-4 years ago they pulled all of their laptop and desktop Linux machines for several months because they were retooling to a newer Ubuntu release. Yeah. Retooling. Had to upgrade all those big machines on the assembly line. The no-OS machines are sops to Redmond, gotta placate JabbaSoft.
JaseP ·
Dell's Linux machines are part of their bargaining process with M$. "We'll just start recommending Linux more," probably goes a little way when negotiating their OEM licenses with M$. Maybe not more than a couple of $0.01 per copy,... but when you ship that many machines, it adds up quick.
jdixon ·
> Dell's Linux machines are part of their bargaining process with M$.

Bingo. Anyone want to bet Dell's Microsoft license is up for renewal later this year?

JaseP ·
@jdixon:

And Win8 is coming out soon too...
lxerguest ·
I'm far from expert on server hardware,but an article a couple of years ago on how large numbers of Dell-built servers were going kaput because Dell tried to save a few pennies on the regulating capacitors was part of what gave me my anti-Dell bias.

So home-built PC with Asus mainboard,Intel cpu, Samsung hard drive,Corsair memory,and Antec case/power supply, to go with my Samsung netbook were the recommendations I took, and haven't regretted since. Don't think it costed me more than Dell would have either.Not saying Dell is cr@p,but I was not exactly steered their way.

BernardSwiss ·
So, if I had (I don't) the spare moo-lah, which would actually be a better deal

-- a Dell "Linux" netbook ('scuze me, "ultrabook") or laptop, or

-- a similar Apple netbook or laptop, running Linux?

lxerguest ·
When you finally have the moolah,your choices may be greater,like Samsung Chromebooks with support for the latest powerful Intel Ivybridge cpus,coreboot open BIOS which resolves some of the hardware compatibility issues plaguing some Linux netbooks ,and with 5-second boot as a bonus.

To me the choices of Dell or Apple you're restricting yourself to,seem to force a compromise between either dubious cost-slashing approach to quality but Linux support vs attention-to-detail quality but supporting a Linux-unfriendly patent-terrorizing high-profit-margin proprietary-wall-building company.



On the other hand, with my powerful number-crunching , quiet, cool-running desktop due to last for many years,I may opt for a 1Kg 200$ long battery life ARM-based Genesi Linux smartbook of the type reviewed here by the Bodhi Linux guy,though a later more powerful generation perhaps.
tuxchick ·
Bernard, how about a nice machine from a real Linux OEM like System76 or ZaReason?
caitlyn ·
System76 and ZaReason both charge premium prices. In addition, if we want Linux to be able to have any prayer of competing on the desktop even in a small way we need major vendor/manufacturer/OEM support.
tuxchick ·
Caitlyn, they charge fair prices for solid, quality products and great service. Something the Tier 1 vendors don't do. Tier 1 vendors they spec everything to the absolute minimum, outsource their customer service, and live under Microsoft's shadow. The independent shops do a great job, and zero percent of their sales go to Redmond.
caitlyn ·
I'll repeat myself: if we want Linux to make any inroads in the consumer and corporate marketplace we need Tier 1 vendor support. No way around that.
jdixon ·
> So, if I had (I don't) the spare moo-lah, which would actually be a better deal

A $250 or so 10" Acer netbook from Walmart reloaded with Linux. They don't seem to be on Walmart.com any more though, so time may be limited.
jdixon ·
> Caitlyn, they charge fair prices for solid, quality products and great service.

Fair, perhaps. But if you can't afford it, it doesn't matter how fair it is.
gus3 ·
@jdixon: Reloaded, or pre-loaded?
tuxchick ·
[quote] I'll repeat myself: if we want Linux to make any inroads in the consumer and corporate marketplace we need Tier 1 vendor support. No way around that. [/quote}

Which has what to do with Bernard's question? You're always dissing the independent Linux shops.
caitlyn ·
No, I am not dissing the independent, itty bitty boutique vendors. I am saying that if the goal is to get Linux into the mainstream they are not the ones to do it.

As to Bernard's Apple vs. Dell question, since I have zero recent experience with Apple I am not qualified to answer that one. I'll point out that touting System76 or ZaReason doesn't answer that question either.
BernardSwiss ·
I have looked a couple of times at System76 and especially ZaReason. They didn't have quite what I wanted, last time I checked -- hopefully next time I look I'll be luckier. (Actually, I should look now -- it's been a while)

I am much likelier to buy System76 or ZaReason than either Apple or Dell equivalent.

But I'm still curious about the comparative merits -- with and without Linux -- of the Apple versus Dell hardware (also someone (friends &/or family) is sure to ask me, and I don't have an answer).
jdixon ·
> Reloaded, or pre-loaded?

Reloaded, gus. The ones I've seen come with Windows 7 Starter Edition. I haven't looked into what would be involved in doing so, but the Acer Aspire One's have traditionally been doable.

> But I'm still curious about the comparative merits -- with and without Linux -- of the Apple versus Dell hardware (also someone (friends &/or family) is sure to ask me, and I don't have an answer).

I wish I knew more myself. Historically, Apple hardware has been of significantly higher quality than Dell hardware. But now that Apple is using essentially of the shelf x86 hardware, I'm not sure that's the case. It probably still is, as Apple is aiming for the "a premium product at a premium price" market, but it's not a given.

The real question is how is service when it does break. Every product line has units that fail. A good company handles those failures for you. Bad ones don't. Dell is at best in the middle of the pack, some would argue the lower quarter. I've had both good and bad experiences with them (but if I'm buying a Dell for my personal use I usually buy off lease Dell equipment from http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/ where the warranty is virtually non-existent anyway). Apple is usually rated fairly highly, but again I've heard of both good and bad experiences. I suspect if you live near an Apple store, it makes things much easier.

Personally, I prefer to buy off lease equipment or bare bones kits and save money. So far, I've had good luck doing so. The one new Dell I've purchased was my Mini 9, and it was on sale for $225 at the time, which was too good a deal to pass up.
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Khamul ·
@jdixon: "Historically, Apple hardware has been of significantly higher quality than Dell hardware. But now that Apple is using essentially of the shelf x86 hardware"

Is it? Sticking an Intel CPU in, in the place of a PPC CPU, doesn't suddenly make your HW "off the shelf". There's a lot more to HW than the CPU choice, like how you put it all together. In the notebook world, there's a huge difference in quality between, for instance, a Lenovo Thinkpad X or T series, and an HP (or insert some other cheap brand), even though they may have the exact same CPU and northbridge. The displays are different, the keyboards are different, the chasses are different (Thinkpads have a magnesium chassis), etc.

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