

Dell's Ubuntu Ultrabook Now Available, Costs $250 More than Windows 8 Model - MadMaxx
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/dells_ubuntu_ultrabook_now_available_costs_250_more_windows_8_model

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ltcoleman
Don't get me wrong, I dislike Dell's hardware and sales tactics. I do however
understand why the new Ubuntu laptop would cost more. Dell has affiliates that
get to install their software on your new pretty machine, and they pay for
that advantage. Dell is most likely making money on their Windows machines
because of the 3rd software they can peddle on those machines. It did not look
to me like they have taken this approach with Project Sputnik. I would gladly
pay extra to not have to deal with spamware. On top of that, Dell spent a
large amount of time and resources to not only be the first OEM to provide
such an offering but also to provide two new solutions to developers that use
their laptop. Their new Cloud launcher and Profile tool seem worthy to spend a
little extra cash for as well.

To make remarks about how Dell should have the Linux laptop cheaper because
the OS is free is somewhat asinine. You must try to put on your "business hat"
when you think about such things.

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brudgers
I'd go that it's even more straightforward than that. Linux on what is
essentially a consumer laptop - i.e. one that is being marketed to individuals
rather than enterprise - will entail much higher support costs.

While Microsoft has a huge free support infrastructure accessible to end users
and top quality onboard help, for most lay people Linux support is inadequate.

Dell will in many cases be taking on support for ideologically motivated non-
hackers who don't know root. The higher price also weeds out the worst kind of
customer, the person who just wants Linux because it's free.

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ashika
This article is ... problematic;

The author apparently made no attempt to do an apples to apples comparison and
drew a hasty conclusion. After realizing the error the only change to the
article is a small update at the end saying everything he said before was
wrong. This is diggbait at its worst.

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jimmthang
Too expensive for an ultrabook.

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mtgx
Ridiculous. Dell is trying to overcharge people for wanting a free OS. It
should be the other way around. It should be $100-$150 cheaper because they
don't have to pay for the Windows license.

~~~
brudgers
Windows 8 Pro is currently $39 retail. I suspect Dell gets it for less.

Dell is not a charity. It is a business. One driven by profit, not FOSS
ideology.

~~~
beagle3
That's an upgrade. The lowest "non-upgrade" version I can find right now is
$79. But your point stands.

~~~
brudgers
It's not an upgrade. You can install it clean, or over the top of Windows
7/Vista as an upgrade. Microsoft got rid of upgrades this time around.

The first time I installed it clean on it's own partition. Then I started
thinking about all the tedious work it was going to entail.

So I deleted the partition and installed it over the top of Windows 7. With a
two exceptions - failing to install .NET 3.5 required by Zune to sync with my
phone and blowing away XP mode and my processors not supporting SLAT for
Hyper-V - I've got no complaints.

