[T-Keith]

I saw mention of this on another site and had to check it out myself. Dell.com no longer offers Ubuntu on the mini 10 or 10V! One of the biggest selling points for me was that they offered Ubuntu and that the hardware would be better supported. Plus none of my money is going to Microsoft to support their monopoly.

It gets worse, Dell does still offer Ubuntu on a couple models, the XPS 13 being one of them. But it costs $50-100 more then Windows 7? I tied their chat support to get an answer, they told me that it cost them more(obviously bogus because they were selling it for less before) and that too many people "didn't like it".(Poor marketing and support on their part IMO)

I also checked HP, and they no longer offered their "MI" edition Ubuntu powered minis. Could it be a coincidence that this happens about the same time as Windows 7 is released. I am not much of a conspiracy nut, but this is fishy.

-T

[Carnifex]

It is no secret Microsoft, Intel and Dell do not really want $200 computers to be sold.

[Thorsteenster]

Originally Posted by Carnifex

It is no secret Microsoft, Intel and Dell do not really want $200 computers to be sold.

Yeah, that's why Dell has Outlet coupons.......

[reflex]

I certainly hope they've stopped selling Mini 10's with Linux. GMA500 graphics are a horrible choice for a Linux machine. The loss of the 10v is a disappointment, though.

I really hope (good) ARM netbooks become a reality. Linux-only, improved battery life, cheaper prices. Even mediocre Linux+ARM netbooks would be nice, if only because of the competitive pressure they'd exert on mediocre Windows+x86 netbooks.

[TheAAPLFreak]

Hmm... this is a load of BS. Sure, many people opt for XP on their Minis (I did so for two reasons: 1) Financial, and 2) I needed another XP install CD), but that's no reason to completely wipe their stock! It doesn't compute.

I myself like Linux, because Microsoft needs another competitor. OS X is pretty big, but that in itself is not big enough. Either Apple needs to open up/people need to make Hackintoshes, or someone else needs to make an OS that can dethrone Windows as a big competitor (and maybe raise Apple as well).

[T-Keith]

After a bit more searching, I did find this page: Dell PCs Featuring Ubuntu

It shows the mini 10V with Ubuntu for the same price as Windows XP(no longer cheaper), but this seems to the only way to get to it. Going through the regular mini page doesn't show Ubuntu, nor does it show up in the "operating system" tab during customization.

[Carnifex]

Originally Posted by reflex

I really hope (good) ARM netbooks become a reality. Linux-only, improved battery life, cheaper prices. Even mediocre Linux+ARM netbooks would be nice, if only because of the competitive pressure they'd exert on mediocre Windows+x86 netbooks.

This is the reason I wish I had a couple million dollars in startup capital right now. Chances are good the big boys like Dell and HP are not going to play in this field, so the first company that comes out with a good product for a reasonable price, will have virtually no competition in the short term.

[MikePA]

Originally Posted by TheAAPLFreak

...or someone else needs to make an OS that can dethrone Windows as a big competitor (and maybe raise Apple as well).

Ask IBM, who has bazillions of dollars, how well OS/2 did.

[JEBB]

There are some refurb Vostro A90s with U8.04 for as little as $219.

[Grimlock]

Hey everyone,

I recently (October 27) ordered the Mini 10v from Dell with Ubuntu pre-installed and 2gb RAM. I was only able to customize it this way at the Dell Small Business store by following a link posted by someone on these forums.

Anyhow, I've been reading more on this site since then and it seems that Dell no longer offers the 10v with Ubuntu or with 2gb RAM, even in the Small Business store.

I don't want my order to be delayed, only to eventually receive a "canceled" notice from Dell. Do you recommend that I just cancel my current order and start over with the stock 10v (Win XP, 1gb, etc)?

Thanks in advance