pminton

Save Energy by Removing Ideas from IdeaStorm that have been demoted beyond a chance!

IdeaStorm submitted by jorge 06/05/07

Dell can reduce the cost of running IdeaStorm by removing extremely demoted ideas which will not get implemented. How is that you ask? Well first off the server will require less energy to search its db, it will take less energy to display all the ideas, etc... Then for the end user using IdeaStorm, they will not have to page through thousands of bad ideas therefor reducing the amount of energy used to navigate the site. Users will also not need as much computer time to read/vote on the ideas in the IdeaStorm db. This one was too easy! And easy to implement and will save energy now! 5 Comments »

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 »

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 »

No pre-installed software!

Operating Systems, Software submitted by power3d 06/04/07

It would be good if we could buy the hardware only without any kind of software.
I am not excluding optional software (windows or Linux), but it would be good if we also had the option NO PRE-INSTALLED SOFTWARE. 4 Comments »

Ship Linux (or Windows) Live-CDs for Data Recovery & Internet Access

Linux, Operating Systems, Service and Support submitted by mistern 05/18/07

light up keyboards

Dell submitted by theonlyho 05/13/07

Maybe I'm not up to date, but since Apple has lighted up keyboards, it'd be awesome if laptops have lighted up keyboards also. It might be out on Dell now or not, lighted up keyboards are handy either way. 5 Comments »

Region free DVD drive option for laptops/notebooks.

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Service and Support, Laptops submitted by benjesuit 05/22/07

For those of us who travel and have overseas friends and family, the option to have a region free DVD drive would be a great plus when it comes to renting or borrowing DVD's from other regions. 15 Comments »

No McAfee

Software submitted by doomlord52 02/19/07

I think everyone agrees here. No McAfee. i cant unistall my copy because it will take all my settings for the Microsoft firewall with it. That includes my outlook settings, internet, and just about every program. Why cant i say "no McAfee please"??? is it really that hard? use Norton.... 72 Comments »

OpenOffice, Firefox, Gimp, Java and other Open Source Software preinstalled.

Software, Desktops and Laptops submitted by scaforchio 06/01/07

I think that is a good Idea for Dell computer to come with a package of preinstalled Open Source softwares (i.e. Open Office, Gimp, Firefox,Thunderbird, Java,ecc.)

Dell can become a standard for Open Source fans. 19 Comments »

IdeaStorm people - mark ideas done when they get completed.

IdeaStorm submitted by jmxz 06/01/07

I just noticed another IdeaStorm Idea that was

http://ideastorm.com/article/show/66173< Dell's XP vs Vista page incorrectly (as shown here http://ideastorm.com/article/show/67016) suggested that XP had poorer performance than Vista.

Perhaps thanks to IdeaStorm it looks like the page was updated; but now, unfortunately Dell doesn't even say anything about performance - despite that being one of the biggest differences between XP and Vista.

I guess giving the customer no information is better than giving them misleading information - so it seems that idea (66173) could be marked completed.

2 Comments »

Use Less Packaging Materials than Any Other Company

Environment submitted by jerseyshore 06/05/07 **REVIEWED**

It may not be as exciting, but become the leader in using less packaging for every purchase made....less cardboard.....better packing.....and more


We have made huge strides in reducing the amount of packaging we send out with our products. For more details from todd_d, click here.




7 Comments »

Show a little Tux (the penguin) right to each component known to be compatible with (a specified brand of) Linux

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by mistern 06/04/07

Even when buying computers with Windows pre-installed, many people would like to know if their computer would be fully compatible with Linux. Of course, this logo would have to be specific to a very certain distribution of Linux, I would suggest Ubuntu 7.04 (or the latest version of it).

Show a greyed out penguin if a component has limited compatibility with Linux, for example WLAN cards that need their Windows drivers to work.

Added to increased customer satisfactory, another good reason for you (DELL) would be that you could sell more, say, sound cards.



You could also add a little BSD demon to indicate (Free)BSD compatibility.

This is idea is related to 67943: State Linux Compatibility of All PCs Preloaded with Windows As Well As All Peripherals. 12 Comments »

remove mcafee 30 days trial software

Software submitted by robertobiggio 05/03/07

its a pain to remove mcafee, u have to go into msconfig to remove this antivirus.

to much trouble, pls, who wants mcafee,
consumer is more important than a little software bundle fees, isnt it? 4 Comments »

Linux guide

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by s_wel 06/03/07

How about dell with ubuntu providing a manual which basicly lists all the common funtions that a normal user would ever wish to do an a windows based pc and then show for each of those tasks a guide of how exactly to achieve that in ubuntu just to prove that everthing you can do on windows can happen on ubuntu to except gaming which is still a windows dominated area(unless microsoft go's soft and gives dx to ubuntu) *****very unlikely***** 2 Comments »

Genuine Operating System Disk

Operating Systems submitted by stomarelli 05/29/07

All systems should be shipped a GENUINE OPERATING SYSTEM DISK. We are paying for a license and should be able to use it on a different computer if needed. 5 Comments »

Make longer lasting batteries for better portability

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Laptop Power submitted by winoffice 05/05/07 **IN PROGRESS**

Don't make us recharge our laptops' batteries so often! A recent Cnet article (posted at Cnet's news site at about May 5, 2007) explains that Windows Vista's Aero Glass feature gives you less battery life. So, if we want Windows Vista, then we either have to recharge more often, or pay extra for more and better batteries! Instead, make Dell get rid of the batteries which quickly lose their charge...and come up with something that would give us longer battery life as follows (under Windows Vista), without making us stay away from Windows Vista or pay an extra $99 for another and better battery.

Basic laptops: at least 2 1/2 hours battery life
Entertainment laptops: at least 3 1/2 hours battery life
XPS laptops: at least 4 1/2 hours battery life 34 Comments »

Do not hire nontechnical people for techsupport

Service and Support submitted by jbrogers 02/17/07

This is the main problem with the India call centers - they have no idea what they are doing. They are obviously reading a scripted diagnosing tool and have no personal knowledge of computing issues.

I have both home and business accounts with Dell. When I call in for support on my Business account, I get a good old-fashioned American geek, who instantly understands that I am fairly technical, and doesn't treat me like an idiot.

The Indian call centers, not having knowledge themselves, do not recognize that I know anything, and treat me like an idiot as they read from the diagnosis tool. Yeah, I know the computer is plugged in. Yeah I know that I have internet connectivity. Sheesh.

33 Comments »

Explain how dropping extended hardware warranty indicates whole-hearted Linux support

Linux, Service and Support submitted by mistern 06/05/07 **IMPLEMENTED**

I think every Dell customer is interested in an honest and trustworthy partner Dell.

So, please, explain somewhere, why you dropped extended hardware warranty on your Linux systems, you surely have good reasons that just need to be explained.

If you don't have good reasons except maybe Microsoft's incentive plans (which is what probably most people expect), please tell us too.





This was an ordering system glitch (which is now fixed), for more details click here.





15 Comments »

No OS Installed (at a lower cost!)

Dell, Operating Systems submitted by fuscob 05/06/07

We understand that there is already an option to have no OS preloaded on the machine, but it doesn't save any money. A copy of XP Pro OEM costs $139 - the consumer should get that money back if they choose not to have Windows preloaded. 10 Comments »

Pre-installed Linux must play commercial DVDs

Education, Linux submitted by jonmca 05/03/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

You probably know this, but a "show stopper" requirement for most consumers and many educators and business road warriers is having laptops and desktops that can play commmercial DVDs. I have a hunch that preinstalled Linux on Dell machines will be a terrific success if Dell Linux desktops and laptops have this capability. I've been told that http://www.videolan.org/ has one possible approach.

Having Linux playing commercial DVDs may also catapult Dell into the complex Digital Rights Management contoversy so it would be wise to get Dell's legal staff involved ASAP and also have this discussed this at the highest strategic management levels at Dell (if this is not already being done).


Check out the Ideas in Action post from Daniel Judd. And you can also check out this follow-up post from John Hull who leads our engineering efforts behind Linux on consumer systems.
32 Comments »