Android may give Linux a boost on netbooks, but according to Dell, its Inspiron Mini 9s with Ubuntu have already seen a steady sales stream coupled with low return rates.

A few weeks ago we ran some rumored specs of Dell's answer to the Eee, the Dell Inspiron 910 (aka Mini Inspiron and Inspiron Mini).

I declare Shenanigans! Dell is at it again with their Inspiron Mini. When Dell first launched open source PCs on their desktops, they did the same thing. Why do they even offer Ubuntu if it costs more? Why would someone pay more for Dell to install Ubuntu? Are they deliberately trying to spurn the adoption of Linux?

While there are many netbooks on the market from a variety of different vendors, for the most part they are composed of the same hardware. When it comes to Dell with their popular Inspiron Mini 9 netbook, they happen to be using Ubuntu but with a few modifications.

Dear Michael,

I have been a fan of yours for many years - since I was a kid in fact!... I watched you embrace GNU/Linux; I remember thinking: I wonder if people realise what this will actually mean. I am sure he does. So, here I am: I bought an Inspiron Mini 10. I have no choice but return it. And now I can't stop wondering: how could Michael Dell get it just so wrong?

Dell has added Ubuntu as an option to its Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, a Dell spokeswoman wrote in a blog post this week. Also on Dell's to-do list: a 2-Gbyte RAM option, and an ATSC TV tuner.

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.

So this guy buys a Dell Inspiron Mini 10.1-inch netbook but either isn't happy at its lack of cellular coverage, or just has a severe phone fixation and decides to rip it apart and turn it into a Dell Mini 3i phone, complete with Android-based OS.

Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 Netbooks running Windows XP and Ubuntu are on sale. But US newspaper advertisements from Dell and Best Buy show Dell’s Windows XP netbooks to be a far better bargain than Dell netbooks with Ubuntu Linux. Here are the details.