noxlord

There should be an option of having no trialware on all computers

Software submitted by jervis961 08/23/07 **REVIEWED**

Here is a news article about trialware and how Dell feels that regular customers want it but small business ones do. Do they not look at the ideas here?

"Not interested in all of the trial software that clutters up new PCs? You're not alone: According to Dell's recent research in both focus groups and broader surveys, small-business users overwhelmingly view trialware as an irritant, not a benefit. That research has led Dell to axe the extras from its new Vostro line of small-business desktop PCs and laptops. Eliminating demo applications is a major step for Dell, which has caught flack for the quantity of trialware on its consumer PCs. (One frustrated customer went so far as to develop a "Decrapifier" utility. The company says that consumers who buy PCs for personal use do express interest in preloaded trial software, but that small-business users have different needs. By eliminating the trialware from Vostro machines, Dell says it has cut the system setup time in half. For now, Dell is the only major PC manufacturer to ship small-business systems without preinstalled trialware as a standard practice. (Some competitors, such as HP, allow customers to choose a no-trialware configuration.)"


Dell offers a broad amount of software choice and minimal software shipped. Read jeremy_f's post on the options we give our customers





149 Comments »

Alert to dell_admins; Merge Identical ideas not ...

IdeaStorm submitted by jorge 08/15/07

dell_admins, its seems once again you read one thing and think something totally different. In respects to merges, we don't want all ideas merged into one! We want identical ideas merged, we never said Linux in Canada equaled Linux in Paraguay. Besides it was your dell_admin1 who got that started by stating she wanted a poll of where to have Linux, people do read and interpreted so hence the mass of ideas for each country (simmer down dell_admin1).

Now the rest of the ideas need to be identical to merge, or the idea poster needs to acknowledge the similarity before a merge can happen. Merging at will is only causing even more dupes if you have noticed, people think their ideas have disappeared (I have had that happed) and where is the idea now? Who knows, because there is still no way of finding out where it went after a merge.

Solution, don't merge at will, I know and have seen you ask the idea poster and patiently wait, as well as seeing merge at will and the back-lash of the merge of ideas that were not identical/similar.

So stop the madness and do it right or don't do it at all. I can only add that having a list of similar ideas is better than merges, the ideas still stand alone or can be viewed alone in their original form, maybe disable the vote on listed ideas. See http://d354310.u39.digiweb.ie/ideastorm/idea.htm?id=61771 for more info on what we're talking about on cosh's idea: http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/67110
comments at the bottom. 7 Comments »

Stay aware of Vista's problems. - PC Magazine's Chief Editor just wrote a great column.

Dell, Linux, Operating Systems submitted by jmxz 08/18/07

Jim Louderback, the Editor in Chief for PC Magazine just wrote a great article summarizing some of the issues with Vista. It's not just a fringe group of XP luddites and unix users having issues with Vista - Major frustrations go to the top of the leading windows advocacy publications.

Also relevant for IdeaStorm - in the article he bashes a Dell notebook with Vista.

09.04.07
By Jim Louderback.
After five years at Ziff Davis Media and nearly 16 years in editorial content ...

...my latest beef is with Vista.

Maybe it was something in the water? I've been a big proponent of the new OS over the past few months, even going so far as loading it onto most of my computers and spending hours tweaking and optimizing it. So why, nine months after launch, am I so frustrated? The litany of what doesn't work and what still frustrates me stretches on endlessly.

Take sleep mode, for example. ...totters off to sleep but never returns. I have to cold-start it to bring it back. This after replacing virtually every driver inside. It's gotten so bad that I've actually nicknamed it Chip Van Winkle. And I've nicknamed my primary Dell notebook Philip Marlowe. ...

Networking, too, gives me huge headaches....I've configured every PC on my home network to share drives and printers, yet owing to some undiscovered element, there's no guarantee that any of them will be visible at any given time....

...Vista has replaced XP's quick reaction time with molasses....

could go on and on about the lack of drivers, the bizarre wake-up rituals, the strange and nonreproducible system quirks, and more. But I won't bore you with the details. The upshot is that even after nine months, Vista just ain't cutting it. I definitely gave Microsoft too much of a free pass on this operating system: I expected it to get the kinks worked out more quickly. Boy, was I fooled! If Microsoft can't get Vista working, I might just do the unthinkable: I might move to Linux.

Sorry for the long quotes - but it's important for Dell to know that it's not just long-time Unix users (like me and a few others on IdeaStorm) frustrated with Vista and suggesting Linux. PC Magazine's Editor in Chief and long time Windows advocate has come to the same conclusion.

Idea 1: Dell - please stay in touch with how much people outside of Microsoft's Salesguys are frustrated with Vista.

Idea 2: Dell - please don't force this OS on your customers on *ANY* model computer you sell and make sure both XP and Linux options are available.

PS: why's there no "Vista" category on IdeaStorm. 19 Comments »

Explain the customer's hardware choices

Dell Web Site, Sales Strategies submitted by peyre 08/21/07

It would be helpful, especially to less computer-literate customers, to offer explanations for the hardware choices you have available when customizing your computer. This would be especially good for the CPU: telling the difference between Pentium D and Core2 Duo, for instance, and the significance of the Front-Side Bus. The video card section could tell you why you might want an NVidia vs. an ATI vs. the onboard Intel card. That sort of thing.

Also, the pop-ups for Intel and AMD chips aren't very helpful; they read kind of like advertisements for the two chips. A single page that gives basic information on what's different between the two would be much better. 5 Comments »

Enable us to change an existing idea vote, if we make a mistake

IdeaStorm submitted by cosh 05/01/07

A few times I've accidentally clicked on the wrong button, or voted after reading the title of an idea but wanted to change it once I read the whole thing. Could you make it so we can still click the promote button after demoting or the demote button after promoting?

Better than having inaccurate vote counts because of clumsy people like me!

Thanks! 131 Comments »

Sell Linux PCs in Canada.

Linux, Sales Strategies submitted by sorooros 08/14/07

How hard can it be to ship boxes north of the border? Dell.ca needs Linux option! 12 Comments »

Add 802.11n wireless option for your Linux offerings.

Linux submitted by jmxz 08/15/07

I can't find any of your Linux offerings with a 802.11n offering. Seems most 802.11n chipsets have pretty weak driver support right now; but fundamentally 802.11n does work with Linux (heck, Cisco 802.11n devices are even linux based). Adding 802.11n as an option along - even in a partially working state with a disclaimer that drivers are not stable - would help some linux customers including (a) those people who don't mind helping debugging the driver, and (b) those people willing to use wired networking until the drivers get more mature.

Also, of course Dell could tell the vendors to provide a working driver as Michael Dell himself suggested
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000815S0014

"One of the big challenges has been the driver world," Dell said. "Chipset companies and peripheral companies need to develop for Linux. Dell can be a powerful ally. We can say, 'if you want to work for Dell give us drivers with support for Linux.'

---

Dell - please stay focused on the highest-voted ideas, though. Don't distract yourselves with this one until you've addressed the ideas below which have been the top-ranked ideas for at least 6 months without adequate responses..

1. 147,808 - dhart - Pre-Installed Linux [and not just on a couple obsolete models in limited geographies]
2. 127,719 - dhart - Pre-Installed OpenOffice | alternative to MS Works & MS Office
3. 107,313 - robinjfisher - Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser
4. 89,183 - ootleman - No Extra Software Option [only a couple models are crapware-free today]
5. 78,007 - gergnz - Provide Linux Drivers for all your Hardware
6. 73,600 - agreer - No OS Preloaded [and not just on a couple obsolete models]

7 Comments »

Child-Friendly environment to protect parent's files.

Software submitted by lizblake 06/04/07 **REVIEWED**

After my child and his friend erased our family photos and somehow inverted the display of our family computer... I purchased a software program to give the kids the equivalent of a "gilded cage" to run only software and websites I approve. Similar software would make a great addition to the Dell home computer line-up and could be aimed at families with toddlers, daycare centers, churches, daycare centers, kindergartens, etc.

The software I purchased was called Peanut Butter PC [content removed by moderator] If you don't wish to develop your own, maybe you could license Peanut Butter PC... We absolutely love it.

Liz Blake


We constantly evaluate products that can improve data safety, Internet Safety and access controls. Read jeremy_f's post for more details, and stay tuned for additional enhancements.




97 Comments »

"Europe" is not only France + Germany + UK

Linux, Service and Support submitted by warp10 08/08/07

Dell started selling PCs equipped with Ubuntu in Europe a few days ago. Anyway, looks like Dell think Europe is only France, Germany and UK. [1]
In Europe there are many countries that are good markets for Dell, and that wait the possibility to buy Ubuntu-installed Desktop and Notebook.
Please, give to the *whole* Europe the possibility to buy these computers.

[1] http://www.ubuntu.com/dell 19 Comments »

Dell Must Use Ubuntu Stickers! {Pics Inside}

Linux submitted by thebittersea 06/10/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

97 Comments »

Make touchpad scrolling work out of the box on linux

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Linux submitted by iv2101 08/21/07

just preinstall the necessary drivers on the Ubuntu machines 2 Comments »

Dell Web Site should be 100% W3C compliant

Dell Web Site submitted by yesmathew 08/12/07

Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C's mission is:

To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.

W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines. Since 1994, W3C has published more than ninety such standards, called
W3C Recommendations.

As Dell hardwares are OS independent, Dell Web Site should be 100% W3C compliant. To validate your site please proceed to http://validator.w3.org/ and make it 100% compliant. Also consider validating your CSS style sheet at http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

Other important references:
- W3C Q&A Blog: http://www.w3.org/QA/
- The Web Standards Project: http://www.webstandards.org/

28 Comments »

Always include all software and driver reinstallation discs for free (or at least let us get the option to)... don't make us pay extra

Software submitted by winoffice 05/01/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Always include ALL software AND driver reinstallation discs for FREE (or at let us get the option do get the for free if we want as follows)...don't make us pay extra in case that we have a disaster and need to reinstall from scratch...!

No Discs Included (Included In Price)

All Discs Included (this means everything -- all software discs -- OS/Security software/etc., and all driver discs -- this means Windows or Linux drivers or both, whatever applies -- add $0)

Other options (OS disc only, all software discs only, driver discs only, etc. -- add $0)

For some computers, Dell does not include the reinstallation discs. Even if Dell offers them, Dell charges extra for us to get them. In fact, the only time I seen reinstallation discs being offered without charge were for Dell XPS desktops with the flashy lights -- that is, the Dell XPS 600, 700, and 710 systems, for those ware the only systems to offer operating system options like "Microsoft Windows XP Media Center WITH REINSTALLATION CD".

Also, most of the time when software reinstallation discs are not included, driver reinstallation discs (such as XPS flashy lights, as well as printers and monitors) are not included either. Therefore, don't just include the software reinstallation discs -- include as well the Windows/Linux drivers for the hardware (depending on the OS purchased with the computer, if any, which in turn depends on the user's preferences).

Besides, Microsoft as well as ALL software companies include the discs when you get the software seperately, so why can't Dell do the same when the software is preinstalled...?
Customers no longer have to pay extra for re-installation media.




89 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 »

LED Back Lighting

Monitors and Displays submitted by drew08867 06/28/07

Dell should transition all monitors to LED back lighting. More cost effective (in terms of energy use), greener, longer life. 11 Comments »

Downloadable, PDF format, full technical specs for all systems

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site submitted by benjesuit 06/12/07 **REVIEWED**

Before I buy, I would like to have the options of downloading the full technical specifications of the system. Not just the brief specifications. Place a link under "tech specs" tab that allows you to view or download the full specification PDF file for those of us who care about and understand such things. This way everyone is satisfied.
We are looking to improve the specs pages by making them consistent across all product lines, provide more in-depth specifications and making them available in a printable format.





35 Comments »

Ubuntu on all models where it works

Linux, Operating Systems, Small Business submitted by jonsmirl 08/01/07 **IN PROGRESS**

I'm still throwing away copies of Windows. Recently I have ordered some Dimension 9200s from Small Business. All of these machines are running Ubuntu today without problem. They're being used to replace some PE400SCs that are starting to die. A 2GB quad core for $649 was too good a deal to pass up. It makes a great small server.

Please offer Ubuntu as a choice on all configurations where it works. I would have still paid $649 for the box and you could have kept the money you're sending to Microsoft.
We continue to explore different Linux opportunities on our systems. Check out daniel_j's comment below.




40 Comments »

Put Ubuntu on the list of operating systems when building a PC!

Linux, Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by samb0057 08/10/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

Ubuntu is hidden in a dark corner of the website. I work in IT support, and I have a client who was having virus problems a little while ago. I fixed the problem by installing Ubuntu on their PC. Very recently they called me asking for advice on a new computer, I told them about your new offer providing Ubuntu pre-installed on PCs and they wanted to purchase, but could not find the section on your site (this person is a very basic user, doesn't know what open-source means, probably didn't even see the open source link). There is no way they would have found your Ubuntu section on their own.

I urge you to offer Ubuntu as a choice of OSes in the system configuration wizard, the only way to really sell Ubuntu is to offer Ubuntu as a primary option, rather than a hidden alternative. I personally am looking to buy a new laptop, and you guys have always been my number 1 PC manufacturer (I don't think I've ever bought a new retail PC except from you guys), but I feel that your Ubuntu offerings are lacking. If you offered Ubuntu on some of the great deals you offer on your home page, I would be willing to pay just as much as I would for a Windows Vista system and I probably would have already ordered.







158 Comments »

Dell's Website must work with Firefox running on Linux

Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by qgonjon 07/16/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

It's discouraging to have a Tier 1 vendor (Dell) selling Linux products and yet not really tailoring to Linux. Don't get me wrong Dell, I am not trying to take away all the good you have done. Offering Linux is a step in the right direction and I would like to see more steps taken in a monthly or quarterly basis. But, it seems that the basis for your current Linux promotion is for the Open Source enthusiast like me. I use Linux at home and at work as my main operating system. I use Firefox as my browser and I'm trying to order a Dell Inspiron 1420N. However, it seems that the embedded flash script that shows the different colors choices for the Inspiron is not working under Linux. It also shows that I can't see the different images thereafter. It works with Windows running Firefox as my vmware machine verified. But that is not the type of user that will most likely purchase a Linux laptop.

My request is simple. Can someone fix and verify that this page works well with Linux browser technology? So, that users can enjoy purchasing your Linux products and demonstrate that Dell really cares about their customer's operating system preference.

Dell I wish you the best in this venture as your success in this territory will help the Linux Desktop become a reality to the open source community.





73 Comments »

Make A Wireless Dell

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Desktops, Monitors and Displays submitted by reg 08/07/07 **COMING SOON**

Apple has a real, valid point: Too many cables in a typical PC setup.

I think Dell could make a combo cable, or a unified display (display/camera/stereo speakers).

Dell should work on a nice clean design - like Apple's clean design - less cable rat nests, more computing power. 220 Comments »