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1240

Have publicly available torrents/ISOs of all driver and media discs

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Software submitted by remover 06/15/07 **NOT NOW**

As a former dell technician and now computer repair shop technician, I frequently encounter Dell machines where there driver disc is missing and or out of date. Having worked on the phones I know it's not cheap for Dell to keep these in stock and to keep shipping them out.

My suggestion: use a free peer to peer download system to distribute these discs. BitTorrent. It's free and simple to set up. Along side the torrents you could have ISOs ready for download if the person is unfamiliar with BitTorrent.

While the most common consumer may not be able to utilize it to full effectiveness, it gives local technicians and either knowledgeable users or friends of the less-than-knowledgeable users will have access to the most up to date disk images.

Just my two cents.
Scott Lyons 29 Comments »

1760

Biodegradable Packing material

Environment submitted by ewagnerjr2000 04/19/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

When I received my 32" lcd screen it had an extremely large amount of Styrofoam. Dell is working to be environmentally friendly, maybe they should consider a better packing material at least one that will biodegrade.





26 Comments »

300

End Planned Obsolescence

Desktops and Laptops submitted by wendyk 06/05/07

Your own Zero Carbon Initiative Press Release references an average three-year lifespan for computers (in the "plant a tree for me" section. Why not design computers to last far longer, with easy-upgrade components manageable by non-technical users? 4 Comments »

900

Make batteries compatible

Laptop Power submitted by lysglimt 04/20/07

I have a Dell Latitude laptop where I have bought spare batteries for when I travel. I was about to buy a new Latitude, same model - just newer. But my spare batteries won't work! They are the same voltage but the design is slightly different. So I have to trash 3 perfectly fine working batteries and buy new ones. Please think long-term - think 5-10-20 years ahead. Make sure the batteries and other parts are standardized and always fit. 9 Comments »

560

Dump the trial CDs

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Environment submitted by uklinedancer 04/25/07

Along with the idea of not installing all this trial bloat-ware that we need to uninstall, I suggest Dell stops shipping those CDs for Tiscali, Orange, AOL, whatever (I'm in the UK, YMMV). Drives me nuts - we resell Dell and we discard 100% of these before the customer gets their system.

With all the environmental issues going around, and considering all the positive stuff Dell is doing, causing the dumping of tons of unwanted CDs each year is a big negative.

In fact, I'd almost rather they didn't ship the CDs and left the software on the hard drive. I can charge the customer for cleaning the stuff off, but I realize that most people just don't want any of it. 2 Comments »

4480

More Dell <-> Community Communication

IdeaStorm submitted by mistern 05/15/07

Certainly, Dell's move to start IdeaStorm was a good one, and I think it will improve the situation quite a bit.

What I'd like to see is more direct and spontaneous (but somewhat official) communication between Dell employees and the users of this site. dell_admin1 does communicate with us, but mainly about administrative issues.

You get our feedback. We want your feedback. Agree?




jmxz's part of the idea (his article was merged here):

IdeasStorm needs more participation from Dell Management and Employees

Dell has meetings with the management to discuss Ideas that are posted to the site. Why can’t some of those managers stop by and ask questions or maybe enlighten users when they suggest an idea that isn’t feasible. I’m not saying they need to spend the whole day doing this but maybe just pop in once in a while. I believe that such conversations lead to better ideas not only from us but from Dell employees as well. This kind of interaction would also make users know that they are being listened to. Further information in the comments of this Idea. 209 Comments »

1410

Dell Linux Developer Community

Dell Web Site, Linux, Software submitted by lamar_air 06/18/07

A place where Dell can look for community involvement on Open Source projects.
Any software Dell-Linux offers should be open source, non-proprietary, and be available for community development just like the rest of the Linux World!

Software Engineer – Canada 1 Comment »

520

Dell offer no-OS on all your product line of Desktops/Notebooks/Servers

Operating Systems, Sales Strategies submitted by jorge 06/18/07

Dell offer to sell all you possible computers in the Desktop/Notebook/Servers category with a no-OS option. No-OS as in the manufacturing process only connects the hard drive(s) and then makes sure they check in with the BIOS as recognized as in working. This will save you on manufacturing time and cost which can be propagated to the customer. Selling with no-OS will also only give customers buying such systems hardware support and not OS support as they received a system without any OS.

Why sell no-OS systems? Because some (especially big corporations and government agencies) must re-install the OS due to company requirements and security restrictions which prevent the use of any pre-installed OS/software.

Start Jul 2nd : link to florida web design companies pageprovided by florida web site design 10 Comments »

280

This website is brilliant!

IdeaStorm submitted by fleahh 04/22/07

Dell rocks you!

Bringing ideas from the users to reality. Microsoft ofc doesnt like it because the users dont like Vista.

Anyway, my post is about updating drivers. I have a 2.5 year old Dell Inspiron and the drivers from ATi have been updated very often for its graphics card, however drivers from Dell havent been updated for a very long time. VERY LONG TIME.
When i try to contact LIVE SUPPORT they wont let me talk to them because i didnt purchase my computer in the US. What a useless option to have, since they are the only ones that can update the driver, no matter where you buy your computer, you should be able to contact THE tech support.
Anyway, i finally get an email from Dell support and what do they tell me? They say that Dell drivers are always up2date!! A LIE! I pointed them out that ATi has updated their drivers several times and Dell drivers remain the same release! What does the Dell support then tell me? They said, go to www.ati.com and update your drivers there. *LAUGHING OUT LOUD*
I tried that, ages ago, and i tried it over and over, but ATi wotn let you update your drivers from that page and tells you to contact your manufacturer.

So everything goes in circles.
PLEASE KEEP YOUR DRIVERS UP TO DATE. 5 Comments »

1180

Let customers choose what trialware/demoware to pre-install to subsidize their machine.

Sales Strategies, Software submitted by jmxz 04/19/07

Many people understandably complain about third party software on Dells (it's one of the top rated items on ideastorm).

Many people also respond by defending this software pointing out that it subsidizes the cost of the machines.

And perhaps show it in a "optional trial / reduced functionality software" section like this:

McAfee Trial - (subtract $10)
Norton Trial - (subtract $15)
AOL trial - (subtract $20)
MSN default search engine (subtract $20)
Microsoft Works - (subtract $100)
on your purchase pages.

That would give people who don't want the hassle of the third party windows software ways to avoid it; and it would give power users who don't mind it and know how to uninstall/avoid it the benefit of the cheaper subsidized machine.

Personally I would get them all -- yes, including Norton and Macafee and any other antivirus programs - because the first thing I'd do is remove Windows from the machine anyway. But it would be interesting to see if I can get a machine sufficiently cheaper that my savings would offset the time it would take to install Linux vs the presumably higher cost of buying a less subsidized pre-installed Linux machine. 9 Comments »

4033

Ditch the Home/Small Business/Enterprise trichotomy

Sales Strategies, Small Business, Laptops submitted by majid 02/17/07

What products I am interested in do not correlate with myself or my company size. It used to be that high-end thin-and-light laptops would not be available in the Home segment, only the Enterprise segment. I'm sorry, just because I am a small-business owner or a home user does not mean I am ready to settle for inferior options deemed "good enough" by the powers that be.

This whole notion of three segments is a relic of a company-centric rather than customer centric marketing culture. 9 Comments »

152550

Pre-Installed Linux | Ubuntu | Fedora | OpenSUSE | Multi-Boot

Linux, Operating Systems - Multiboot, Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by dhart 02/16/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**



Offer the 3 top free Linux versions for free pre-installation on all Dell PCs.

Quality free and open source software drastically lowers the cost of new PCs, and helps prevent software piracy. For example OpenOffice.org, the Microsoft Office alternative, can shave hundreds of dollars off the price of a new PC. Cast your vote for OpenOffice and other free software.

Offer easy multi-boot options with Windows Vista, Windows XP, or NO Windows (yes, Linux can entirely replace Windows!)

Offer trade-ins and Linux CDs for older model Dell PCs. Cast your vote for the mini Linux Dell PC and the Universal Education Dell PC, both utilizing free software.

Would you try Linux if it were this easy?

CHOICE is what consumers want on their new PCs, not annoying surprise circus-ware (the typical smattering of confusing 3rd party popup-infested software found on most new Dell PCs). Quality free and open source software is well behaved, and may be legally pre-installed on PCs, and legally shared with friends and family, sharing is encouraged! Cast your vote for consumer CHOICE and public transparency at Dell.


Please take a look at www.dell.com/open for linux options on the Inspiron.

1824 Comments »

25130

Linux Hardware Compatibility List

Dell Web Site, Linux submitted by s3indiana 02/20/07 **IN PROGRESS**

Create a listing of Dell hardware that's compatible with the major Linux distributions (Fedora, OpenSuse, ubuntu, Freespire) providing compatibility with not just systems (desktops and laptops) but include peripherals (printers, camera's, flash drives, compatible routers, etc.). Include levels of compatibility so the reviewer can make an educated choice. This would provide the greatest assistance for those looking at alternatives...

We're working to add something like this to our linux.dell.com wiki. Click here to see what john_h has to say.





30 Comments »

15608

Sell more desktops without monitors, keyboards, etc

Desktops, Environment, Sales Strategies submitted by gordonbrown77 02/16/07 **COMING SOON**

Make it an option to not get things people may already have when upgrading a PC such as monitors, mouse, keyboard. This would be good environmentally and save people some money if they already have theae things and will not be keeping the old PC. 34 Comments »

26870

Dont eliminate XP just yet

Operating Systems submitted by javaprog07 02/17/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

Ok, well I know I may be chastised for bringing this up, but vista is still a young operating system with its own problems etc... I would like to see both Home and Business computers, especially notebooks have an XP Home and Pro option on top of Vista until it has at least been out for a year. For those seasoned users like me who just feel that you need to let a new OS mature before jumping right in. I am planning on buying a new notebook, and I would like to insure I wont have to format it on arrival just to have XP.
Check out the Idea in Action to find out more about Dell offering XP.




209 Comments »

27681

National Call Centers [and other Service Improvement Ideas]

Service and Support submitted by henrieb 02/17/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

As a corporate customer I like Dell's products and my USA customer support. I have read the web about all the people that have had problems with Dell customer service and mine and others are not isolated incidences. If you want people to be loyal take a hint from the corporate sales and give Home users even a little customer support. My corporate help does not read scripts, they have the power to take ownership and fix the problem. Granted I do buy Gold support. If Dell thinks it saves money for bad support; I have personally talked 20 or 30 people out of buying a Dell.

* Addition: After reading several of the comments on this topic it appears that what we really want is someone in customer support that will listen to us, and hopefully help us. Culture and language barriers just make this harder. Maybe a better way to track customer performance would be to find out if they really helped someone and not how fast they can end the call. Dell management needs to start taking ownership of this problem. Maybe Dell management needs to start calling Dell support with fake problems and see it the system they created can help them, it sure does not work for us.


663 Comments »

34058

Become the open source OEM

Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by ntaylor0909 02/17/07 **REVIEWED**

I read the same question on Linux forums, all the time: What is the best brand of computer/laptop to purchase for Linux. I know that there is the n series of computers and notebooks, but it could go a step further. Accept the recent offer of free Linux driver development from the Linux Kernel Community so that DELLs "just work" with Linux. Maybe look at some ideas like LinuxBIOS and/or OpenBIOS. Become the OEM that everyone recommends. There is a growing market for Open Source friendly computers and DELL could own that market.


In the past year, we've made a lot of progress on getting Linux to work well on all of our products. Our goal is to become the hardware vendor of choice for Linux users. Click here to learn more from john_h.





45 Comments »

35977

Silent / Quiet Computers: Sound levels in decibels

Desktops and Laptops submitted by pchris 02/17/07 **REVIEWED**

I'd like Dell to provide the sound level in decibels for each of their desktops, under max load as well as at idle.

How a manufacturer can produce an expensive computer, and then have the user acoustic experience of that computer dominated by the noise generated by a cheap fan worth just pennies, for the entire lifetime of that computer, is incomprehensible. Computers are noisy when brand new, but those cheap fans begin to rub and oscillate and make additional annoying noises, frequently within a short period of time of purchase.

Personally, the peace and quiet of my personal workspace is very important to me, it's my sanctuary from the world where I can focus and be creative. To have that experience disrupted by cheap fans is sad, especially when slightly more expensive fans and some reasonable design would solve the issue. Another reason why I consider buying an Apple.

If the cost of a better sound design and fans is significant, it could be an extra cost option.
In general, Dell provides noise data of its products in the Environmental Datasheets. Tests are conducted according to ISO standards in a NVLAP accredited acoustics facility. Click here for more details




152 Comments »

38480

coreboot (formerly LinuxBIOS) instead of proprietary BIOS

Linux, Desktops and Laptops submitted by yesmathew 02/20/07

coreboot (formerly known as LinuxBIOS) is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS (firmware) you can find in most of today's computers.
- Fast boot times 3 sec.
- Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
- Can boot Windows too...

External links:
- http://www.coreboot.org/Welcome_to_coreboot
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linuxbios<

An Example:
- http://wiki.laptop.org/go/LinuxBIOS 92 Comments »

39942

More RAM!

Desktops and Laptops submitted by mwmtjm 01/30/07 **UNDER REVIEW**

Do away with 512MB of memory as a base option to buy consumer desktops and notebooks. With Vista running best on 1GB at a minimum, don't make customers have a basic experience with the new OS because Dell wants to be able to advertise at a lower price point. The success of Vista -- and subsequently for Dell -- will be largely in word of mouth. Take a long-term view and build the momentum one great customer experience at a time right now!


113 Comments »



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