Elvis has left the building…today initial shipments of the Ubuntu 8.04 version of the Inspiron Mini 9 headed out the door. So for those of you who placed pre-orders, you may want to check your order status over the next couple of days as it should update as we ramp up volume. To the customers who purchased an Ubuntu version of the Mini, we look forward to your feedback.
Dell’s software engineers spent a significant amount of time and effort developing a customized interface that is simple and intuitive. Within 1-2 clicks you can access the Internet, start a video chat session, check e-mail, play a game a game, etc. And you can “customize” the interface to highlight favorite Web sites or activities. To see more of the Ubuntu interface, watch this vlog that features Doug Anson from Dell’s CTO team as he steps through some the features of the Dell custom interface. Doug was Dell’s lead who worked with Canonical to bring the Ubuntu interface for the Mini 9.
I’d like to address some of the questions that have been floating out in the comments section:
Why did Dell delay shipping Ubuntu Linux on the Mini?
I’ll try to keep this simple. On every new product, our product and software engineers are testing and qualifying components, updating drivers and checking software up to launch, and occasionally late in the game we come across in issue that impacts the launch schedule. That’s what happened here – we came across an issue in the final days before launch that had to be dealt with. Our commitment is to ship a Linux device that “just works” of the box and we couldn’t let something go out the door that was less. Our choices were: a) delay the launch of the Mini altogether; b) launch with a Windows XP version only, or c) launch with both Windows XP and Ubuntu, and allow customer to place “pre-orders” for the Ubuntu Mini.
While the Linux fan base may not be large, it is passionate, and given the anticipation around the Mini, we felt customers were best served by allowing them to “pre-order” the Ubuntu system, while our engineers focused on taking care of the issue. Not to get into the weeds, but for example, if we update a driver, the device has to go through the full gamut of qualifying and testing to make sure that the new driver doesn’t “break” something else. It’s complex, tedious work that takes time to do right.
Why are the Ubuntu and Windows XP base configurations different?
The fact is, Linux takes less “resources” to operate — it takes up less room on the hard drive, needs less memory. This is one of the most admired features of Linux – it doesn’t take a lot of hardware to deliver a positive user experience. So, on the Mini specifically, the Ubuntu Linux version delivers a solid experience with 4GB of storage and 512MB of memory. There are a lot of folks however, who are just not interested in Linux – and that’s why we also offer a Windows XP version. There’s no learning curve and no concerns about compatibility – it delivers the same familiar experience found on full-sized laptops and desktops. However, Windows XP loaded on a 4GB hard drive does not t leave a lot of room for anything else – therefore we made the decision to offer Windows XP on 8Gb or 16GB systems only, to ensure those customers got the best Windows experience from their Mini.
Why isn’t 2GB of memory available on the Mini?
First let’s revisit the Mini’s “purpose in life.” It was conceived and designed to deliver great on-the-go Internet connectivity – to check e-mail, surf the Internet, stream media, connect to Web applications, etc. None of these applications take a lot of memory. Now, if you’re like me and regularly find yourself with 35 “open” e-mails all waiting for some kind of response or action, that’s when more system memory comes in handy. But honestly – if you’re checking e-mail on the go, you probably wouldn’t have dozens of e-mails open, would you? Based on that premise, 1GB is certainly sufficient, and keeps the price of Mini down.
But in the pursuit of full disclosure, there is another reason why the Mini tops out at 1GB of system memory – Dell chose to offer Windows XP on the Mini, which is limited to 1GB of system memory. Microsoft’s guidance for “netbook” hardware specification is that devices that exceed the 1GB of memory are capable of running Windows Vista Basic, which delivers a better experience.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Thanks for the informative update, and especially that full disclosure bit at the end. It is a bit disappointing that you are forced by market demands to limit your offering simply to appease the market leader.
Anyways, I look forward to seeing how the mini stacks up against the eeePC.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Thank you for finally answering some questions the Ubuntu community (and I’m sure the Linux community at large, too) has been wondering about.
I still have two questions, though.
1. Since the delay had to do with a commitment to shipping a “just works” product with Ubuntu, does that mean power management is perfect? In other words, does resume from suspend-to-RAM always work? I’ve heard about a few spotty resume issues on some of the other Ubuntu-preinstalled Dell laptops.
2. What’s the official word on the pricing difference between XP and Ubuntu? Some people have made a major case about Ubuntu being more expensive if you match specs with XP. I have my own suppositions about the reasons, but it’d be nice to hear an officially stated reason from Dell.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Cool I cant wait to see my unit ship.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I have mine on pre-order, and I can’t wait. I have used the entire Asus Eee 7xx series, and while cool, and very useful, they lacked the full experience I’m hoping to get from the Dell. Is this laptop stuck at 1gb or is that just the official offering? For instance would I be able to buy 2g of RAM at newegg and be able to use all of it?
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
3 questions (GPL’ed, TV-out, English recovery disc):
1) Are the customizations to the ubuntu interface licensed under the GPL 2 or 3? I imagine they are, so this interface will be folded back into ubuntu netbook remix and available to all — perhaps soon.
2) The mini 9 shown in this video was connected to a big screen. Will the mini 9 have TV-out functionality? If so, a VGA-to-S-Video or VGA-to-component adapter would enable almost any TV screen or projector to be used for presentations or videos.
3) System recovery CD/DVD. Can I get the US version of this disc somehow? I’m getting what I think will be a hardware-identical Japanese mini 9 (with Japanese keyboard). It will come with DELL ubuntu Japanese. I will image the hard drive when I first get the mini 9, but then I want to restore the system *to the US version*. How can I get that disc? I will have already purchased the mp3 and other codec licenses, so there is nothing other than DELL’s goodwill that would prevent me from getting a copy. Anyone care to send me an original disc or better yet an iso image with checksums??? Email me at conquest [at] spamcop [dot] net to set up such a transfer. I will give you something in return (souvenir from Japan?).
Thanks,
Greg Conquest
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I upgraded my RAM to 2gb before I even turned it on for the first time. So no problems there. Am running Vista Ultimate with Aero enabled. After my previous experiences with an EEE PC 900 there’s no comparison. The Mini absolutely flies…
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
In Canada, if you choose 1GB ram, 8GB SSD and 1.3MP webcam, the WinXP version is actually $10 cheaper than the Linux version. That is very bogus. The base linux system is $40 cheaper than the windows, but when you look under the hood, the base windows system has 1GB ram and 8GB SSD, whereas the Linux only has 512 and 4GB.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
@ gregconquest
you should be able to install the English localization without reinstalling the OS….
start symaptic and verify that the Language selector is installed.
in synaptic search for Language-sel
You should see 2 packages with Grey boxex
language-selector
language-selector-common
if this is installed then search for language-pack-en
install the meta package language-support-en
this should install all needed packages to upgate the system to english.
then open the language selector and change the language to english…
note this might not update open office. there is a separate language package to change oo to english.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Has anyone actually received their Mini 9 + Ubuntu yet? The Dell product page is still showing “Pre-Order” with Ubuntu - wonder why? I’m getting even more anxious waiting for my own system to ship!
Andy
September 26th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Thanks, John. I am both glad and surprised that it might be so easy to change my system from Japanese to English. I will try what you say.
Two notes:
1) There is no “Language Selector” on my menu. “System - Administration - Language Support” is the closest thing I have. I could not find a change in name from “Language Selector” to “Language Support” anywhere online. You’d think such a change would be documented . . .
2) This blog is not the best place for a back-and-fourth discussion on this. The Dell Ubuntu Support section http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=342 of Ubuntu Forums http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php has more wide-ranging discussion with better discussion threading, so I’ll post any further followups there.
Thanks again,
Greg Conquest
September 29th, 2008 at 12:01 am
on the auto status on the login mine still lists “pre-production” I am also getting a bit antsy
September 29th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Greg,
Go into Synaptic to add/change programs.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Did they really start going out the door last week? Still waiting on mine, and I ordered the first day it was available for preorder…
October 1st, 2008 at 12:03 am
Yes, once the “pre-order” tag is off the Ubuntu Mini 9, I’m on board. Though I also wouldn’t mind some colors to choose from. Ruby Red would be my choice.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
The order site still shows “pre-order”, and there hasn’t been any change in the actual shipping date. What’s this new delay all about?
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Yes, please give us an update. I haven’t been able to find any reports of people actually receiving Ubuntu minis.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
*cough* *cough* Bueller? Bueller?
October 5th, 2008 at 2:06 am
This is becoming totally ridiculous, you couldn’t make it into a joke. As of now, after this “reassurance” the system is still in production phase. The mini with Ubuntu is still on pre-order. Curiously, if you order it now, there is NO webcam option with ubuntu. Yes, you read that right, there is NO webcam option on the mini with Ubuntu (just try to configure it online). In addition to be curious to know if I will ever get my mini (which should already be here according to this blog), I am also very curious to know if what I will get when (if) it will arrive. Probably it will not have a webcam, I am waiting what’s next. Dell screwed this up big time. There is no information about the delay (software, hardware). This is not the first mini with Linux, and Ubuntu isn’t really such an exotic distro. I would understand a small startup having this problems, but not a major corporation.
Sorry for the rant, I just can’t stand when something is handled by incompetents trying to convince us consumer of how great they are.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
A new “idea”/petition on ideastorm about the webcam issue is available:
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10093037
October 5th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I just noticed that there is now a “Build yours with Ubuntu” option on the medium/high versions of what were the Windows XP only Mini 9’s. And those Ubuntu versions are cheaper than the Windows XP verions. However, no Webcam option for the Ubuntu versions.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
THIS DELAY BETTER NOT BE ABOUT 8.10 I WILL BE TOTAL AND UTTERLY PISSED IF IT IS…
I ORDER IT WITH 8.04 AND THAT IS WHAT I WANT 8.04 IS AN LTS RELEASE WHEN WILL THESE THINGS ACTUALLY SHIP….
October 6th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Intrepid (8.10) will be officially released October 30th. The Mini (Ubuntu version) was supposed to be released October 9th, so I doubt Intrepid is the reason for the delay. In addition, Dell always waited a few months before deploying the current version of Ubuntu.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I agree with NickF, this probably isn’t about Ubuntu 8.10. I still wouldn’t mind some clarification as to why the webcam option isn’t available.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I am just venting at this point and all i really want to know is have any systems actually been shipped?
October 7th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Could we please get an official update from Dell on the status of Mini 9 shipments - and Ubuntu configuration specifically? Several forums are reporting that there are significant parts shortages (per Dell reps) and that NO Mini 9s are currently shipping. I’d like to know how long a wait it will really be before I see my fully configured Mini 9!
October 7th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
More here:
http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10093037?page=last#lastPost
October 8th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
For what it’s worth, my Ubuntu-loaded mini has a ship date of 10/10, and it just went to the “boxing” stage this morning, per the automated order status line.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Just checked my order (ship date: 10/22), and it also went to “boxing stage”.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Shipped today… should have iyt on monady.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Well my order has just been delayed from 10/16 to 11/13. This is disappointing as I ordered it 9/10. Several checks with sales rep. showed it was going to be on time.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
The Ubuntu Mini 9 is looking pretty awesome!
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 am
Please, Please, Please…. Give us the TRUE scoop on the Mini’s 3G capabilities. There is a WWAN slot, is there an antenae? I’m sure Dell will offer 3G support on the Mini in the future, what is Dell going to do to support all of us (thousands) of people who bought this and want 3G too? We need some straight answers.
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