Dell's U.S. website has started offering Ubuntu 9.04 on a Mini 10V and Inspiron 15N laptop. The move comes less than two months before Microsoft's Windows 7 launch - essentially reinforcing Dell's commitment to Ubuntu. But will Dell pre-load Ubuntu 9.04 on a desktop PC? Here's some analysis.

In recent weeks, Dell.com’s U.S. website has not offered Ubuntu Linux desktop PCs. But that situation could change the week of August 2. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Dell's U.S. website has finally made good on a promise to re-introduce an Ubuntu desktop PC. The move should silence critics who were worried that Dell wasn't committed to the growing Ubuntu desktop and mobile markets. Here are the details.

It would appear that Dell is making life difficult for UK customers who want to buy a Dell PC running Linux. Being a snooping journalist myself, I went to have a look for myself and indeed it is a lot harder to buy a Linux powered Dell than all the hype, fuelled in no small part by the Dell PR machine of course, would lead you to believe.

Dell has no intention of selling non-Windows consumer and commodity PCs/Notepads. They simply can’t as the net profit on a Dell system is derived directly from the Windows OS via “Desktop Real Estate” and any Microsoft leads and co-marketing funds [kickbacks] provided — and not from the hardware.

Finally the OS juggling games can stop and we can just have Ubuntu and Windows options on all of Dell's computers from now on. Well, all of their netbooks, that is. One of the most annoying things about Dell is their seemingly random decisions about what computers are going to be offered with what OS. Apparently, though, Dell realized how annoying this was.

A month ago I ordered one of the new Ubuntu Dell on the Dell France website : the Inspiron 6400. The base price was around 450 euros, and I took almost all the upgrades, for a final price of around 750 euros. The specs are : a Intel dual proc, 2Gb of RAM, 160Gb HD, 15′4 inch screen, i965 video chipset, DVD+RW burner, 9-cell battery, and a 4-year-warranty. That’s it for the laptop itself. I will now focus on Dell’s integration of Ubuntu (more specifically feisty), something that intrigued me.

At first glance, Dell's Ubuntu Linux strategy has hit a couple of bumps in recent weeks. But The VAR Guy has done some digging and learned that Dell and Canonical are working on a few surprises that could bolster Ubuntu's presence in PC markets around the globe. Here's the scoop.

Recently I found that Dell has partnered with Canonical to offer the latest version of Ubuntu (7.04) with the sale of new Dell computers. This piqued my interest because of the hoops I had to jump through to get my Dell Intel Pro Wireless (IPW) 2200bg card to work with Fedora Core 4. My theory is that Ubuntu 7.04 should be incredibly easy to install and configure on my Dell laptop.