[ale] macbook and linux

[Brian Pitts]

Geoffrey wrote:
> James Taylor wrote:
>> The specs are not to great compared to what I can pick up for sale at
>> similar or better prices from Costco, Office Depot or even
>> Microcenter.  You don't pay the microsoft "tax", but you pay more for
>> less performance.  It might feel good, but it doesn't make sense
>> economically.
>>
>> It's hard to take Dell seriously about this when they offer the low
>> end of each of their lines for not great prices on their non-ms
>> boxes.
> 
> You're right.  I just priced an Inspiron 1420 with Ubuntu and with 
> Windows.  Identical systems:
> 
> Ubuntu:  $1518
> Windows: $1318
> 
> And the windows laptop has a 250G drive, whereas the Ubuntu could only 
> go as large as 160GB.
> 
> So you're paying $200 MORE not to get windows, along with the smaller 
> hard drive.

Dell has publicly committed to the Ubuntu systems being $50 cheaper than 
those with  Vista. [1] The last time I know of that Vista cost less, it 
made the front page of slashdot. [2] Dell fixed the error and apologized:

"As a member of Dell's consumer pricing team, I want to let you know 
that the recent pricing error on the Inspiron 1420 with Ubuntu was a 
simple oversight -- the pricing promotions available on the Inspiron 
1420 with Vista were not applied to the Ubuntu systems. But we have now 
fixed this error. If you check today, you should find the same promos in 
play on both the Ubuntu and the Vista systems. Thanks for calling this 
error to our attention ? and keep the feedback coming."

If you've found another such mistake, please point it out to Dell and 
the linux news sites so that it gets fixed!

-Brian

[1] 
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/66879/Implemented_Ubuntu_Dell_is_50_Less_Than_Windows_Dell
[2] http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/10/2354207