Dell confirms exact PCs receiving Ubuntu treatment

The specific PC models that will have Ubuntu Linux as an option have been revealed, says a company e-mail published online. Only a single notebook, the 15.4-inch Inspiron E1505, will have the option of pre-installing the open-source software in place of Windows XP or Vista; two desktops, the standard mid-tower Dimension E520 and the more performance-oriented XPS 410, will also receive the choice. Precise hardware configurations weren't part of the leak, but the choice of models indicates that only Intel-based systems will be on offer, excluding AMD entirely.

The final costs of the systems were similiarly left out of the announcement. However, the e-mail confirms reports of a Thursday launch and suggests that the company isn't predicting high-volume sales, expecting less than one percent of its yearly sales to involve the Linux home systems. The inclusion of Linux is there primarily to boost support among Linux enthusiasts, Dell says.