I've purchased one already, in the hopes of future official support of Ubuntu from Dell. Things are working pretty well with the exception of bumblebee for using discrete graphics ("Failed to initialize the NVIDIA GPU at PCI:2:0:0"). Other than that (and of course 3200x1800!), works great.
I have a theory about why Dell is not (currently) planning to support Ubuntu for the m3800. It has to do with the docking station. With the other Precision laptops, they have a dedicated, proprietary dock port. Because that's ugly (an probably due to space considerations) it was left off of the m3800. Instead Dell opted for a USB3-based docking station made by DisplayLink. The problem here is that DisplayLink does not plan to support Linux for its USB3-based video card (DRM support issues). Until that happens, Dell can't put forth a "business product" that does not include the peripheral that they market as a docking station. That's my theory.
So if you're holding out for official Ubuntu support. That may not come because of anything directly with the laptop but could be blocked by peripheral compatibility.
I have Dell xps 13 DE and pretty satisfied except I am not used to high resolution small screen and hence has smaller fonts. So like to get a pre-installed Ubuntu in a bigger laptop like Precision M3800. But what about having a dual boot official laptop from Dell with both Windows 8.1 & Ubuntu 13.04.??
Just so you don't get your hopes up, hell will freeze over first before Microsoft allows its OS to be dual-loaded with any other OS. They tried so hard to lock out other OSes with the secure boot option. Fortunately if failed. But no, if you want dual-boot, you'll have to install one or the other by yourself.
I would REALLY LOVE to buy a precision M3800 to replace my old notebook BUT am afraid that I would have to spend many hours to fine tune a linux distro without having the full compatibility.
Having a distro supported by dell for this product would be, of course, very nice, but I understand from this post that it is more likely science fiction at the moment ;) Instead, I am planning to remove µsoft win and install a linux debian distro (at my own risk).
Before that, can someone tell me what is the status of linux compatibility with the M3800 ? And, moreover, if some hardware is not supported yet, can I reasonably hope that, in the near future (half year/ year) dell will release informations for the linux community to get the maximum of this wonderful machine.
Thank you, in advance, for the answer (and please hurry, cause my laptop screen is dying ;)
I posted not too long ago saying I was having issues with graphics drivers, but not so anymore. I don't know what I did differently this time around, but I managed to get bumblebee up and running. It's important to install as up-to-date nvidia drivers as possible. I believe I used xorg-edgers or something like that. I'm not the first to go through this process, so thankfully lots of success stories for similar-ish hardware to the M3800 so I'm happy I was finally able to get Minecraft going using the discrete graphics card ;) As an aside, full-screen Minecraft doesn't work properly in Ubuntu due to the status bar and launcher taking up space even when "full screen"... bleh. I run it in a window, so framerate isn't great, but it's good enough.
A few notes on my experiences:
1. My particular M3800 (or it could be all of them, but at least it happens with mine) does this creaky sound on the underside, off to the right, when I pick it up with one hand on the right -- but only sometimes. Not a deal-breaker though. Almost like it's slightly loose and it gets squeezed back into place and creaks a bit.
2. When I don't have music blaring and am quietly using my laptop, I can hear what sounds like the mSATA SSD making a ton of noise -- almost like it was a mechanical disk. At first I thought it was speaker static. It's a strange sound. I have Ubuntu strictly on the SSD, and Windows 8 on the 500GB drive btw. Interestingly, there are instances where I'm doing something perhaps somewhat taxing like dragging a window (well you wouldn't think it'd be taxing), but regardless, as I'm dragging the window, the strange static sound follows suit and stops when I stop moving the mouse. Weird...
3. The touch pad is finnicky in Ubuntu. I believe it's better tuned in Windows but I rarely boot into it so haven't tested it that much. In Ubuntu at least, I have simply stopped even trying to use the left/right bottom buttons. I am training myself to tap lightly to signify left click and tap with two fingers for right click. What happens is most of the time when clicking the left bottom button, it throws my cursor to the bottom left of the screen (where the trash icon is). Very annoying. I suppose this is where official Dell support for Ubuntu would have immediate benefits, as it seems to me like something that software tuning could help with.
4. QHD, while impressive, isn't practical in Ubuntu. I'm running it at 1920x1080, and am quite happy there. The fuzziness from not running a native resolution is actually not that bad -- and I'm the type that will loudly berate someone for plugging in a VGA cable when they have DVI/HDMI :) I have a 3 monitor set-up (two externals + laptop display) so I can't go fiddling with font-sizes etc otherwise my 1080p external monitors will all inherit these settings too... It is rumored that 14.10 will have proper hi-dpi support, but the source sounded like speculation. However I'm confident hi-dpi support is coming -- eventually. Thus I will tolerate the minor fuzziness of running at non-native 1080p. I wish the quarter resolution was available though (1600x900). It's not in the default dropdown in the Display GUI, but I'm sure with some manual work I could have it show up. I have an inkling that it may be the least fuzzy non-native option.
Other than that, I'm super happy with the laptop. Finally I can confidently unplug my laptop from its power source, while in Ubuntu, and use it without worry of the battery dying on me after 45 minutes. I think I can probably go 3 hours, maybe more -- depends what I'm doing. It doesn't compare to when I had a MacBook Pro, but if we get Dell support for the M3800, that number could probably go much higher.
I'll try to continue posting on my ongoing experience with the M3800 in Ubuntu.
0) I haven't tried to get nvidia to work. Intel integrated graphics work out of the box. I game in Windows.
1) Mine does not creak at all when I pick it up. Solid build.
2) Yes I hear this too but it's periodic. I haven't been able to nail down when it does happen and when it doesn't. It's like the speaker is not properly shielded from some power-line noise.
3) I use mine mostly with attached keyboard and mouse, so I can't comment too much. For when I do use it, I found the integrated buttons to be a distraction. When I just want to click (tap) as on a normal touchpad, my had has moved into the right-click area and I don't know it because there's no textural difference. But this problem is not really Linux specific.
4) I have one external monitor connected over HDMI. Sometimes it doesn't come on after waking up from sleep. Rebooting the monitor will restore it to working. I likewise run at 1920x1080 and love it. I have a mini-displayport adapter on order. I hope that will fix this issue. (It might be my monitor.)
While I'm talking about non linux-specific things, I don't much care for the rubberized palm rest. It feels nice when it's clean, but it's a dust magnet so it doesn't feel clean very often.
I am also very happy with this laptop. I'm looking forward to better support from Ubuntu in general for this lappy's capabilities. 14.04 will have TRIM enabled by default. HiDPI support is not super-important to me. I'd rather they take their time and do it right than have a Windows 8-type situation where somethings work and some thing break horribly.
Interesting that an adapter fixed your issue. I have consistent issues with WiFi and ethernet. WiFi occasionally just stops working and restarting networking usually does the trick. However with ethernet using the Dell-provided USB adapter, it frequently stops working altogether (and is rather hot). It does the strangest thing too: I can resolve DNS, but then it can't communicate any further. Chrome will just say "Connecting...", and when I ping, DNS resolves and then I can't actually ping the IP itself. I unplug the USB adapter and fallback to WiFi, and it starts to work.
It sounds more like a software issue, but I dug through networking settings and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary that would cause such strange behavior.
Of course, after unplugging/plugging back in it often starts to work normally again.
If this happens to other M3800 users, I'd love to know about it even if a solution hasn't been found. As I stated above I have a feeling it's my own fault, but the fact that the USB adapter gets really hot means I haven't discounted a hardware issue either.
I also have the dell usb ethernet dongle. Mine gets very hot, but not had any reliability issues with it. The wifi connection is less stable, but seems much more reliable than my previous two laptops, so I'm putting any wifi dropouts down to signal reception rather than problems with the s/w or h/w on my current laptop.
Initially, I did have issues with my trackpad not detecting left or right button presses, which worsened until I realised there was a mechanical fault, so got Dell out to replace it - it's been perfect since then. In ubuntu, I disabled the "two finger scroll" and "natural scrolling" mouse and touchpad settings, as they seemt ot make the pointer quite jumpy.
I've been using the screen in unity 7 / ubuntu 13.04 since November, and still love it at the native 3200x1800 super-high dpi. I know it won't be to everyone’s taste, but the window-chrome, text, icons and scrollbars are not only perfectly usable for me, they're delightfully small. Beautiful even.
YES.. At least the main linux drivers supported (video, communication, battery, ... ) ASAP !
I continue deferring my purchase untill the fiction you talked about get closer to reality (or until another vendor provide a linux supported close to M3800 spec)..
baxeico
12 Posts
0
January 14th, 2014 03:00
Hi Barton, any update on M3800 tests and compatibility? Any hope to have official Ubuntu support?
DELL-Barton George
7 Technologist
•
537 Posts
0
January 14th, 2014 08:00
Hi @BAXEICO,
No plans for official support of Ubuntu on M3800 at this point :(
matb33
9 Posts
0
January 18th, 2014 13:00
I've purchased one already, in the hopes of future official support of Ubuntu from Dell. Things are working pretty well with the exception of bumblebee for using discrete graphics ("Failed to initialize the NVIDIA GPU at PCI:2:0:0"). Other than that (and of course 3200x1800!), works great.
Explorigin
6 Posts
0
January 19th, 2014 03:00
NOTE: my own speculation here
I have a theory about why Dell is not (currently) planning to support Ubuntu for the m3800. It has to do with the docking station. With the other Precision laptops, they have a dedicated, proprietary dock port. Because that's ugly (an probably due to space considerations) it was left off of the m3800. Instead Dell opted for a USB3-based docking station made by DisplayLink. The problem here is that DisplayLink does not plan to support Linux for its USB3-based video card (DRM support issues). Until that happens, Dell can't put forth a "business product" that does not include the peripheral that they market as a docking station. That's my theory.
So if you're holding out for official Ubuntu support. That may not come because of anything directly with the laptop but could be blocked by peripheral compatibility.
Interesting reading: http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1ghvm4/drm_preventing_availability_of_laptop_usb_docks/
sijo0703
4 Posts
0
January 27th, 2014 22:00
I have Dell xps 13 DE and pretty satisfied except I am not used to high resolution small screen and hence has smaller fonts. So like to get a pre-installed Ubuntu in a bigger laptop like Precision M3800. But what about having a dual boot official laptop from Dell with both Windows 8.1 & Ubuntu 13.04.??
Explorigin
6 Posts
0
January 28th, 2014 05:00
Just so you don't get your hopes up, hell will freeze over first before Microsoft allows its OS to be dual-loaded with any other OS. They tried so hard to lock out other OSes with the secure boot option. Fortunately if failed. But no, if you want dual-boot, you'll have to install one or the other by yourself.
cgava
4 Posts
0
February 1st, 2014 01:00
Hello
I would REALLY LOVE to buy a precision M3800 to replace my old notebook BUT am afraid that I would have to spend many hours to fine tune a linux distro without having the full compatibility.
Having a distro supported by dell for this product would be, of course, very nice, but I understand from this post that it is more likely science fiction at the moment ;) Instead, I am planning to remove µsoft win and install a linux debian distro (at my own risk).
Before that, can someone tell me what is the status of linux compatibility with the M3800 ? And, moreover, if some hardware is not supported yet, can I reasonably hope that, in the near future (half year/ year) dell will release informations for the linux community to get the maximum of this wonderful machine.
Thank you, in advance, for the answer (and please hurry, cause my laptop screen is dying ;)
matb33
9 Posts
0
February 1st, 2014 08:00
I posted not too long ago saying I was having issues with graphics drivers, but not so anymore. I don't know what I did differently this time around, but I managed to get bumblebee up and running. It's important to install as up-to-date nvidia drivers as possible. I believe I used xorg-edgers or something like that. I'm not the first to go through this process, so thankfully lots of success stories for similar-ish hardware to the M3800 so I'm happy I was finally able to get Minecraft going using the discrete graphics card ;) As an aside, full-screen Minecraft doesn't work properly in Ubuntu due to the status bar and launcher taking up space even when "full screen"... bleh. I run it in a window, so framerate isn't great, but it's good enough.
A few notes on my experiences:
1. My particular M3800 (or it could be all of them, but at least it happens with mine) does this creaky sound on the underside, off to the right, when I pick it up with one hand on the right -- but only sometimes. Not a deal-breaker though. Almost like it's slightly loose and it gets squeezed back into place and creaks a bit.
2. When I don't have music blaring and am quietly using my laptop, I can hear what sounds like the mSATA SSD making a ton of noise -- almost like it was a mechanical disk. At first I thought it was speaker static. It's a strange sound. I have Ubuntu strictly on the SSD, and Windows 8 on the 500GB drive btw. Interestingly, there are instances where I'm doing something perhaps somewhat taxing like dragging a window (well you wouldn't think it'd be taxing), but regardless, as I'm dragging the window, the strange static sound follows suit and stops when I stop moving the mouse. Weird...
3. The touch pad is finnicky in Ubuntu. I believe it's better tuned in Windows but I rarely boot into it so haven't tested it that much. In Ubuntu at least, I have simply stopped even trying to use the left/right bottom buttons. I am training myself to tap lightly to signify left click and tap with two fingers for right click. What happens is most of the time when clicking the left bottom button, it throws my cursor to the bottom left of the screen (where the trash icon is). Very annoying. I suppose this is where official Dell support for Ubuntu would have immediate benefits, as it seems to me like something that software tuning could help with.
4. QHD, while impressive, isn't practical in Ubuntu. I'm running it at 1920x1080, and am quite happy there. The fuzziness from not running a native resolution is actually not that bad -- and I'm the type that will loudly berate someone for plugging in a VGA cable when they have DVI/HDMI :) I have a 3 monitor set-up (two externals + laptop display) so I can't go fiddling with font-sizes etc otherwise my 1080p external monitors will all inherit these settings too... It is rumored that 14.10 will have proper hi-dpi support, but the source sounded like speculation. However I'm confident hi-dpi support is coming -- eventually. Thus I will tolerate the minor fuzziness of running at non-native 1080p. I wish the quarter resolution was available though (1600x900). It's not in the default dropdown in the Display GUI, but I'm sure with some manual work I could have it show up. I have an inkling that it may be the least fuzzy non-native option.
Other than that, I'm super happy with the laptop. Finally I can confidently unplug my laptop from its power source, while in Ubuntu, and use it without worry of the battery dying on me after 45 minutes. I think I can probably go 3 hours, maybe more -- depends what I'm doing. It doesn't compare to when I had a MacBook Pro, but if we get Dell support for the M3800, that number could probably go much higher.
I'll try to continue posting on my ongoing experience with the M3800 in Ubuntu.
Explorigin
6 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2014 10:00
Since I also own one, I'll weigh in:
0) I haven't tried to get nvidia to work. Intel integrated graphics work out of the box. I game in Windows.
1) Mine does not creak at all when I pick it up. Solid build.
2) Yes I hear this too but it's periodic. I haven't been able to nail down when it does happen and when it doesn't. It's like the speaker is not properly shielded from some power-line noise.
3) I use mine mostly with attached keyboard and mouse, so I can't comment too much. For when I do use it, I found the integrated buttons to be a distraction. When I just want to click (tap) as on a normal touchpad, my had has moved into the right-click area and I don't know it because there's no textural difference. But this problem is not really Linux specific.
4) I have one external monitor connected over HDMI. Sometimes it doesn't come on after waking up from sleep. Rebooting the monitor will restore it to working. I likewise run at 1920x1080 and love it. I have a mini-displayport adapter on order. I hope that will fix this issue. (It might be my monitor.)
While I'm talking about non linux-specific things, I don't much care for the rubberized palm rest. It feels nice when it's clean, but it's a dust magnet so it doesn't feel clean very often.
I am also very happy with this laptop. I'm looking forward to better support from Ubuntu in general for this lappy's capabilities. 14.04 will have TRIM enabled by default. HiDPI support is not super-important to me. I'd rather they take their time and do it right than have a Windows 8-type situation where somethings work and some thing break horribly.
Explorigin
6 Posts
0
February 11th, 2014 07:00
Update on #4 mini-DP adapter fixed this issue.
matb33
9 Posts
1
February 11th, 2014 08:00
Interesting that an adapter fixed your issue. I have consistent issues with WiFi and ethernet. WiFi occasionally just stops working and restarting networking usually does the trick. However with ethernet using the Dell-provided USB adapter, it frequently stops working altogether (and is rather hot). It does the strangest thing too: I can resolve DNS, but then it can't communicate any further. Chrome will just say "Connecting...", and when I ping, DNS resolves and then I can't actually ping the IP itself. I unplug the USB adapter and fallback to WiFi, and it starts to work.
It sounds more like a software issue, but I dug through networking settings and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary that would cause such strange behavior.
Of course, after unplugging/plugging back in it often starts to work normally again.
If this happens to other M3800 users, I'd love to know about it even if a solution hasn't been found. As I stated above I have a feeling it's my own fault, but the fact that the USB adapter gets really hot means I haven't discounted a hardware issue either.
dave.ball
6 Posts
0
February 11th, 2014 09:00
I also have the dell usb ethernet dongle. Mine gets very hot, but not had any reliability issues with it. The wifi connection is less stable, but seems much more reliable than my previous two laptops, so I'm putting any wifi dropouts down to signal reception rather than problems with the s/w or h/w on my current laptop.
Initially, I did have issues with my trackpad not detecting left or right button presses, which worsened until I realised there was a mechanical fault, so got Dell out to replace it - it's been perfect since then. In ubuntu, I disabled the "two finger scroll" and "natural scrolling" mouse and touchpad settings, as they seemt ot make the pointer quite jumpy.
I've been using the screen in unity 7 / ubuntu 13.04 since November, and still love it at the native 3200x1800 super-high dpi. I know it won't be to everyone’s taste, but the window-chrome, text, icons and scrollbars are not only perfectly usable for me, they're delightfully small. Beautiful even.
gunjankumar
5 Posts
0
February 22nd, 2014 07:00
Yes, I would also like to by a Precision M3800 with Ubuntu. I hope this fiction moves in reality direction. :emotion-1:
cgava
4 Posts
0
February 25th, 2014 14:00
YES.. At least the main linux drivers supported (video, communication, battery, ... ) ASAP !
I continue deferring my purchase untill the fiction you talked about get closer to reality (or until another vendor provide a linux supported close to M3800 spec)..
Regards
Cédric (still looking carefuly this thread)
ravenor
2 Posts
0
February 28th, 2014 18:00
You know off-course that the M3800 is not the best deal for an Ubuntu machine? Why pay more?
The exact same machine is the XPS15, the only difference - the branding of the graphics and amount of memory on it.
Check it out - save yourself $1000.