Initially, I was skeptical about Dell's decision to sell selected consumer PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed.

But after a few days of testing, I'm a skeptic no more. And I'm not alone. Dell insiders tell me that the Ubuntu PCs, introduced in late May, are selling well -- though they decline to share exact sales figures with me.

Dell's Ubuntu strategy once again faces Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD). Multiple times in the past 12 months or so, Dell's strong Ubuntu efforts have been undermined by disappearing desktop offerings. Here's what's wrong - and right - with Dell's Ubuntu initiatives.

There have been many whispers and flat out rants in the blogosphere about Dell’s lack of advertising, support and passion for the Ubuntu systems that they are selling. This could actually hurt the Dell initiative.

The latest panic in desktop-Linux-land was that Dell would no longer be selling Ubuntu pre-installed on laptops and netbooks. Alas, for those who love drama, it wasn't true. In fact, Dell is expanding its Ubuntu desktop offerings.

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.

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.

Everyone was excited when Dell announced they would sell Ubuntu computers, but every since it has been a downhill road. For one thing, Dell keeps randomly changing their selection. Today they have four computers on their Ubuntu site, by the end of this week they might have 7. Between random website glitches and actual changes, you can't predict what machines they will be selling when you check.

Just when I was getting nervous about Dell's Ubuntu Linux strategy, the PC giant delivered some good news at the OpenSource World conference in San Francisco, according to PC World. The Dell statements don't address all of my concerns but they do restore my faith in Dell's commitment to Ubuntu.

With Dell's new Ubuntu offerings, everyone had been wondering how much cheaper, if any, an Ubuntu PC would be compared to a PC with Windows Vista on it. Now that Dell has actually posted their Ubuntu offerings, I've configured some similar PCs on their site and compared them. I'm pleasantly surprised - the Ubuntu machines are noticeably cheaper.