Dell offers another Ubuntu Linux laptop

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Dell will offer Ubuntu Linux 7.10 on its XPS 1330 laptops in France, Germany, Spain and the UK

By Todd R. Weiss | Framingham | Thursday, 24 January, 2008

More laptop computers preloaded with Ubuntu Linux are coming from Dell in response to demand from potential customers around the world.

Starting this week, Dell will offer Ubuntu Linux 7.10 on its XPS 1330 laptops in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, the company said on its Direct2Dell blog. US customers will be able to order the machines in "a week or so," the company said. For customers in Spain, this will be the first time that Dell has offered a pre-loaded computer for sale with Ubuntu Linux. Pricing details for the US machines were not available.

The move to add more Linux-loaded offerings in more countries came from consumer requests on the Direct2Dell website, according to the company. The new XPS 1330n laptops include built-in DVD playback.

Dell launched its first three Ubuntu-loaded computers in the US last May, including two desktop machines and an Inspiron E1505n notebook.

Dell is targeting the Linux enthusiast market with the PCs, and began the programme after receiving customer feedback collected at ideastorm.com, a website set up last year to solicit customer suggestions. More than 100,000 people participated in surveys about the systems and what kind of Linux to install in the machines.