andresscalderon

Create a Linux-based Dell PVR with no need for monthly service fees

Linux, New Product Ideas, Desktops and Laptops submitted by jeverettk Jan 31

A PVR (think Tivo) PC without monthly service fees? No price bump for the premium OS package to run it? Interface that lets you customize your own skins and functions? Free add-ons for web-based media?

Thousands of Linux users already have this MYTHical* toy. There's even a pre-programmed Ubuntu remaster* made especially for this purpose. Dell already packages all the hardware needed into current systems. The only real obstacle is that the average user would break down in tears trying to set it up.

Sure there's some work involved: Conceive it. Build it. Test it. Tweak it to just plain work. Maybe develop a super easy set up wizard that even my Mom could use (or just politely copy, distribute, and attribute someone else's work).

THEN, package it with really sweet surround sound and specially recommended graphics card and some crazy sharp display screen options - or even a HiDef projector.

Now, you've got yourself a Linux-based system that won't be relegated to a back of the house page hidden in your website. If you really want to take Linux to the bank, show this...stuff off!

*Checkout mythbuntu, might as well check out other MythTV remasters as well, like KnoppMyth, MythTVOS, etc. Remasters may differ from originating distros enough that some extra homework is required, but the support community would quickly build itself (read:explode). Come, on - blow my mind. 21 Comments »

Match hardware options for all Linux PCs

Linux submitted by mozartsopera Feb 4

Dell's offerings of Linux PCs varies too greatly from country to country. If people in the UK can get more powerful processors (N-Series Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6750 Processor (2.66GHz, 1333Mhz FSB, 4MB cache)) and multiple hard drives (640GB (2x320GB) 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive - Dual HDD Config) than so should people in the states. I can understand trial implementations to test the waters before having a larger rollout; but how difficult can it be to offer more options for processors, hard drives, etc?

When will the options match? 1 Comment »

more linux choices

Linux, Operating Systems, Service and Support submitted by capnskyler Feb 13

i would ask that more linux distributions be considered.
ubuntu is made originally from debian,and also offer fedora 8 and perhaps gentoo as well.
you can use part of the linux distribution's online help as part of your own help system.
perhaps a linux live cd/dvd to be included with each ubuntu equipped computer sold?it lets user test drive and not have to worry about installing to the HD.
and i'd say NO to the millions LOL of linux distros,just the major players,and theones that are the easiest to use and install.even the advances of the last 2 years have made linux SIGNIFICANTLY easier to install and get everything working on the first try.

thank you 5 Comments »

Latitude XT with Linux? Latitude XTn?

Latitude products, Linux submitted by aikiwolfie Feb 16

Are Dell planning to release a version of the Latitude XT with Ubuntu or some other flavor of Linux?

This is both an idea and a question. I would really like to see a version of the Latitude XT with Ubuntu. Looking at the video that has been posted on D2D and is now currently doing the rounds on the Linux Community site, it would seem Dell are teasing us a bit.

So how about it Dell? Are you big enough to bring the Latitude XT to Ubuntu? 6 Comments »

XPS One with Ubuntu

Linux, XPS products submitted by aikiwolfie Feb 16

I think this idea is really obvious and something Dell should have thought of before. All in one form factor systems aren't really intended to be upgradeable. This isn't a problem for newer versions of Linux as they will run very well on lower end hardware. This means the XPS One will age more gracefully and stay relevant to the home consumer market longer.

Yes there are issues with the ATI graphics drivers for Linux. But we could always just stick an Nvidia graphics option in there for Linux models, The XPS One-n. 39 Comments »

put fingerprint scaner for ubuntu m1330

Linux, XPS products submitted by treyboy Feb 19

i would like to see a fingerprint scanner on the m1330 with linux i know i would take a lot of programing but i think dell could pull it off! and its on of the best features in the m1330! (aside from all the other features : ) )
so what do you think?

TreyBoy Comment »

Multitouch touchpads exclusively for laptops sold with linux

Linux, Laptops submitted by sotopheavy Feb 20

Since you insist on charging more for a laptop with free Linux pre-installed than with Expensive Microsoft Windows Vista pre-installed, You could at least throw in a multi-touch touchpad exclusively for linux laptops. It will justify the higher cost as long as you do it only on laptops that have linux preinstalled. Multitouch enthusiasts and the open source community will jump on this functionality and create rich innovative applications within a short time. It also provides a smaller (linux user only) test base to expirament with multitouch and create applications to speed up and test it's readiness for full on windows users.

Pardon my grammar. 9 Comments »

Options in the Ubuntu XPS m1330

Linux, XPS products submitted by hoodedthing Feb 20

Hurray! Ubuntu in the m1330! Thank you Dell!

Okay, maybe I'm being ungrateful, but before I run off and place my order, I want to have a few more options. Why are the higher-end processors not available in the Ubuntu version of the m1330? What about the intel next-gen wireless chip? What about a fingerprint scanner? What about blu-ray (okay, that one's not in the windows version either, but still)? What about other colors than just black?

Links to similar thread, which just asked for individual options:
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10076837/put_fingerprint_scaner_for_ubu...
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10076838/offer_white_and_blues_cases_fo...
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/76380/M1330N_whats_missing_NVIDIA_GPU_F... 10 Comments »

Linux for Business Line of Computers

Linux, Small Business, Desktops and Laptops submitted by jctosu Feb 20

Many Business owners and computer administrators would like to see Linux as an option for being pre-installed in Business class Desktops and Laptops. For Business users being able to choose to run Linux over Windows may result in a better choice for many owners trying to cut down on overall price, improve their competitive edge, and reduce system down time. QUITE SIMPLY MANY BUSINESS OWNERS WANT LINUX ON THEIR MACHINES. 9 Comments »

Fix Ubuntu M1330n Keyboard Settings

Linux, XPS products submitted by aikiwolfie Feb 21

This isn't a huge deal but annoying enough to give some lesser experienced users some trouble getting their new Ubuntu M1330n set up on the first boot.

Basically the "System > Preferences > Universal Access > Keyboard Accessibility > Repeat Keys Delay" setting is way too sensitive. On my system it was way down at something stupid like 100 or so milliseconds. Every time I touch the keyboard I got a big line of "gggggggggg".

Once I managed to get logged in I set it to 300 milliseconds which has solved the problem. 15 Comments »

Ubuntu on 12.1 or 13.3 inch laptops

Linux, Laptops submitted by miceagol 05/31/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Preload Ubuntu on your 12.1 (XPS M1210) or 13.3 inch (XPS M1330) laptops. As it is now, there's only one choice for a laptop, and that choice is not a light laptop. The 12.1 inch and 13.3 inch laptops are much better to carry around than heavy 15 inch++ laptops.




Check out the Idea in Action update.
73 Comments »

Offer Ubuntu on the XPS M1330 laptop

Linux, XPS products, Laptops submitted by technikal 06/26/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Offer the coolest OS on your coolest laptop. I'd be great to buy such a cool laptop knowing ubuntu would work flawlessly on it. Maybe even add Beryl into the default install so that the graphics on the screen were as nice to look at as the laptop itself. I'd even take a dual-boot with Vista - just something to assure me that on the system is Linux ready.


Check out the Idea in Action update.
29 Comments »

Wiki-Dell

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Community, IdeaStorm submitted by thebittersea 02/18/07 **COMING SOON**

User Based Customer Support & Community Knowledge. Top quality contributors should also have a reward system through Dell.

14 Comments »

The Real Advantages of Linux

Linux submitted by cosh 03/30/07 **COMING SOON**

• Linux is free. It's free for use on an unlimited number of computers. For ever.
• There are a variety of excellent distros of it now. Similar goals, but different approaches, so you pick exactly what you want.
• An amazing library of free, open programs are available for download with any and all distrobutions. Linux lets you explore these by category and choose which ones to try.
• Linux is efficient and runs on pc's that have a significantly lower spec (and are therefore cheaper) than what Vista ever could.
• Linux is proven secure. No viruses for Linux have ever propagated successfully, and there were only ever 14 of them.
• Linux is absolutely top-of-the-range Open Source Software. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people have reviewed Linux's code, making constant improvements across the OS. Now, the end user can rely on it. Linux is amazingly stable.
• Linux never stopped caring about where you wanted to go today. The designers always listen to problems, and then fix them.
• OpenOffice is a flexible and powerful office-suite and is free for all to use. Again, this is high-quality Open Source Software.
• Linux will let you play your music and movies without fuss.
• Linux will let you browse the internet and email safely.
• As well as being free in price, Linux is freedom. It never places DRM restrictions on you or spys on the way you use music and media. It just does what you ask.
• Thanks to continuing work on the Windows compatibility layers WINE and CrossOver, you can run increasingly complex Windows programs directly in Linux if you prefer, including Office, Internet Explorer, Photoshop and iTunes. Explore some screenshots here.
• Linux has huge online dedicated support communities. Dell can use those, to reduce the efforts of providing its own Linux support desks.

And for comparison, the disadvantages of Windows

• Windows is frustratingly expensive plus you have to pay for it again if you have another computer. Windows license management is glued onto the operating system. It scans your hardware and uses the hardware key (sent to Microsoft's website of course) to track one copy of Windows across different computers.
• If you don't like something that's changed in the new version, tough.
• Windows makes even the basic computers in the Dell range more expensive because it's a memory and resource hog. Vista's requirements have forced basic memory used to manage the OS up four-fold. So with far more memory - you get the same results.
• There are over 114,000 known viruses for Windows. See this list of viruses, and note how many do and don't begin with "W32" (which means Windows).
• Windows is closed-source. Thousands of defects are permanently left in it because there simply aren't enough people working on it to iron them all out (or probably even notice them).
• Windows is bossy and obtrusive. Vista is swamped with irritating security dialogs. You opened this file. Cancel or allow? You want to view this website. Cancel or allow? etc. People don't want to run operating systems - they want run applications and get on with what they're doing.
• Windows Media Player (reportedly) submits reports of DVDs you watch to a file on Microsoft's server, tracked with an individual id. See this page. Surely to god nobody wants this? Or this?!?!
• Look at this Microsoft diagram of how Vista plays HD video. Notice the repeated decryption and reencryption before the data gets sent to your screen. Notice the multiple "protected environments", and the fact that your prgrams are deemed to be "unprotected". Who is Vista trying to protect the video from? - YOU. This blatantly outrageous content protection is because it thinks you will try to share the video with friends and it doesn't want you to. Plus the multiple decryption stages of each frame of video put a frightening strain on the computer meaning only high-end computers will be able to play HD content in Vista (for the near future).
• It's just... not nice. Not just the OS, but Microsoft's attitude. See the Halloween Documents if you haven't already. Microsoft's reports make a shocking read. Their attitude is cold and ruthless, and we don't like that, and we don't like Dell to be tied so tightly into that.

Linux is not the be-all and the end-all, but it is growing faster, much faster, than Windows. The Linux community can scale ten times the number of developers that Windows can. Arguably, it's set to soon be superior to Windows in virtually every respect.

Dual-booting options with Windows and Linux give maximum choice to the user. This option is a must for Dell computers. Microsoft's vendor-lock-in contracts which force PC retailers to support and "recommend" only Windows are unethical and we don't like them. It's gone on for too long. Let's be honest Dell, ask yourself, what are Microsoft so afraid of? Will they lose money through dual booting both Windows and Linux? No not if Windows was the better OS... So is Microsoft quietly admitting to it... Come on Dell, we all want you to show the world how much more a computer can be! We want you to show the world what a computer is meant to be, and marvel at people's suprise and delight! Giving your customers choice can only be a good thing. Don't ignore this chance to become the open source pioneer.

Might I suggest that promotion is vital. Linux computers will not sell well if they are hidden in some back-alley part of your website. To get the best results for the work you put in, make sure people can see it and that it is well-described, so people who've never heard of it don't get confused.

Make sure that you make these computers available to markets outside America too. Don't ignore us here in Europe! The European Commission's had quite enough of Windows anyway, after fining Microsoft €497 million ($603 million USD) for anti-competitive behavior.

Another idea, to iron out compatibility problems and get interesting extra feedback, beta-test some of your new Linux range with a large-ish selection of people before making it fully available. Unlike with Windows, you have full options to customise the style, background and layout and almost complete behavior of the OS. You might want to put your own touches on it. For example the default installation of Ubuntu is a light-brown/orange colour, which lacks much universal appeal. Test to see whether people want something layed out similarly to Windows or just barebones Linux defaults for the particular distro(s). (I personally would like something similar to Windows' look.)


Open the window. Linux is ready for Dell, and Dell is ready for Linux.

We appreciate the promises you've made already Dell. Thank you. We're all behind you and look forward to the results.



52 Comments »

Have AMD CPUS As an option for the Ubuntu Line

Linux submitted by timberwolf753 Feb 8

Give the people choice of CPU's to use in your Ubuntu Line. I want to buy one but I don't use Intel CPU's becasue they suck up power and that is why I use Energy Efficient AMD CPUs. So please, Let us choice if we want an AMD or Intel CPU in our computers. 2 Comments »

Make a calendar with all COMING SOON and IN PROGRESS ideas

Advertising and Marketing, IdeaStorm submitted by krasmussen 09/22/07 **REVIEWED**

One of the biggest annoyances with IdeaStorm is that the horizon for an idea being implemented is very blurry, if at all existing. If you're lucky, you get "third quarter 2009", but mostly, there is no timeframe at all. This leads to the feeling that not much is being done, and exactly that feeling is what IdeaStorm should be eliminating.

Therefore, I propose that you make a list or calender with all the COMING SOON and IN PROGRESS ideas with timeframes for all of them. Just a "december 2008" would be nice, or better yet, "deadline 31st november 2008".

I don't know if this is connected with some goal management inside Dell, if it is, maybe you should work on improving that, too?






Today, the best way to know the progress of an idea is through Ideas in Action, our Weekly Update or Dell comments in the thread.






19 Comments »

Speed Up The Time It Takes To Process Ubuntu Orders!

Dell, Service and Support submitted by aikiwolfie Feb 4

On Friday I ordered an XPS M1330n. The order still hasn't been processed. I know this because I can't check the progress on line and I haven't received the e-mail yet. I know it can take four working days (not sure why) to process the payment. However with all past orders processing hasn't taken more than a day. Even with orders placed at the weekend.

As I've order a Ubuntu system I'm clearly not a top priority for Dell. 4 Comments »

Dell: Support Open BIOSes for Linux

Dell, Linux submitted by phubert 10/10/07 **REVIEWED**

An Open BIOS for Linux would free it from the DOS legacy code and speed boot times.

The current BIOS is a legacy throwback... it's time to replace it!






Our current priority is to expand Linux availability by bringing more platforms and languages to market. Read what daniel_j has to say.





26 Comments »

Provide more processor options for linux desktops

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Desktops, Linux submitted by rebresb Feb 13

Only one Linux desktop model is available (Inspiron 530N) and only one processor choice exists for it (dual core 2160). This CPU is a low-to-moderate performance choice; it is near the lowest offering in the Windows line-up. While Linux clearly out-performs Windows on modest hardware, the choice of Linux doesn't merely reflect a cost-savings and performance-optimized decision. Users may want the choice of high-end CPUs for intensive applications with Linux. Windows is not the choice of those who want high-end equipment; it requires high-end equipment to run "well". Linux users seeking peak performance will thus want fast processors. (Note that the most/fastest supercomputers run Linux). Support for such processors / motherboards isn't an issue for Linux, so certification by Dell shouldn't be difficult (??). The profit margin is likely higher on these CPUs (??), so that should be attractive. So why doesn't Dell include fast Intel or AMD offerings such as quad-core, 64 X2, core 2 extreme, etc.? 6 Comments »

Let Us Build A PC Without Microsoft Works or Office!

Software submitted by aikiwolfie 12/22/07

Dell I have absolutely no need for Microsoft Works 8.0. Especially on a PC designed for multimedia entertainment! Please give me the option of having a PC without any office software at all.

Please SIMPLIFY MY IT experience by giving me the opportunity to avoid the uninstall process. 26 Comments »