Re: Dell to sell Linux PCs

On Tue, 2007-03-27 at 08:27 -0700, BRUCE STANLEY wrote:
  

Andy Green <andy@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
        BRUCE STANLEY wrote:
        
        > If you go out to the Dell Website and select the "Dell
        Workstations"
        > option, you will see that you can select Red Hat Enterprise
        Linux v4
        > for your operating system.
        > 
        > If you click on a Windows option for the same configuration,
        > you will see that the starting priced for any version of
        windows
        > is higher than the starting price for Linux.
        
        It doesn't work like that on the UK Dell Website. Last time I
        looked I 
        couldn't even find any mention of Linux, but I checked today
        and it is 
        mentioned. Here is what the navigation looks like right now to
        try to 
        do as you suggest.
        
        1) http://dell.com redirects me to
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=uk&l=en&~ck=geo
        
        Oh yeah on EVERY page: "Dell recommends Windows Vista (TM)
        Business"
        
        2) Select Desktops | Small business gets you to
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/desktops?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd
        
        where there is an advert for Vista in the top third of the
        page.
        
        3) "Choose" button for Dell Precision
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/precn_desktops?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd
        
        Oh wow a "special offer" on -- "Windows Vista at no extra
        cost"
        
        But it does mention RHEL is an option, not a choosable option,
        just 
        mentions it.
        
        4) Click "Select" on the most expensive one, the 690. Gets you
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/precn_690?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd
        
        Hm, RHEL is not mentioned any more, but "Windows Vista TM at
        no extra 
        cost" is.
        
        5) Click "Customize & Buy" for the left hand choice of two
        690s, it's 
        the expensive one I figured it would have RHEL as an option.
        Gets you here:
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/topics/vistabundles/bsdbundles?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd&~section=W03692
        
        Wow a whole page titled "Welcome to Windows Vista" with a gal
        who looks 
        really happy. There are two buttons at the bottom, "Choose
        Vista" and 
        "Choose Windows XP". Nothing about RHEL or Linux or anything
        except 
        kissing one ring or the other.
        
        6) Well I "chose" Vista let's say
        
        http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=DRS66902&l=en&oc=W03692&s=bsd
        
        Err choice between 3 types of Vista.
        
        7) Back up to 5), try the "Choose XP" button
        
        http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=DRS66902&l=en&oc=W03692xp&s=bsd
        
        Choice of XP or XP x64, no Linux.
        
        8) Back up to 3), try the cheaper of the pair
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/topics/vistabundles/bsdbundles?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd&~section=W03691
        
        Yeah "Choose Vista" or "Choose XP"
        
        9) Back up to 2), try the cheapest, the 390 which also lists
        RHEL
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/precn_390?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd
        
        10) Okay choose the most expensive on the left and "Customize
        and Buy"
        
        http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/topics/vistabundles/bsdbundles?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&l=en&s=bsd&~section=W03392
        
        Aiieeee "Welcome to Windows Vista"
        
        So it's nice if you can get Linux in the US Dell site, but I
        can only 
        find it mentioned and I certainly am not being allowed to
        compare prices.
        
        -Andy
        
        

Interesting.  Can you select the USA option from the Main page?

Or, can you order Linux via a salesman rather than ordering it 
on line?

If not, maybe for some reason Dell is not yet set up to ship
Linux systems out of the USA.  

Can't imagine why that would make a difference though.

    

Doesn't matter, the Canadian and US sites don't allow you to select
Linux either, you can only Customize with XP or Customize with Vista.

You would probably have to order by phone or email. They do not want 
to advertise their pricing for Linux, likely because they are still 
way overcharging for it.

We order the Dell rack mount servers without any O/S, and do our 
own custom installs, which we feel is preferable to a cookie cutter 
Linux/Unix install.