Ordering a Linux PC

This may start to sound like a rant, but bear with me here. I already have an Inspiron with Ubuntu pre-installed, but it was a while ago, so I just wanted to see if the ordering process had improved since then. At the time, I just did a search for Ubuntu, found the 1525n in the search results and went from there. This time, I wanted to see what would happen if I just went through the 'storefront' of the website.

Ok, so this is what happened. I go to Home & Small Office, select Browse Laptops, and look at the list. I see there's a new Mini. I happen to know many of the mini laptops are running Linux, so I take a look at them. It says Ubuntu Linux right on there, good start. I'm happy, but this isn't what I was looking for - I'm looking for the same one I have now. There's the Inspiron 15. Click. Now, looking at these options, I don't see Ubuntu anywhere on here. A lot of genuine Vista, but I happen to know the 1525 can have Ubuntu. I try Customise, and look at the operating system option. Only different types of Vista. Something wrong here?

What about XPS, I know that has Ubuntu... nope. It is the 1330, right? I see Vista under Operating System(s), but no Ubuntu. It needs an Ubuntu option under there, maybe under product details or something if it can't go in Customise.

Let's take a look at the support page, just to make sure they're still available. I see an XP logo. I see a Vista logo. Networking, hardware, virus.... linux is this tiny little link in the corner of Additional. Why not an Ubuntu logo with the other two? There are plenty of links that can go under it, the official site, the official forums, the Wikipedia page, the Dell Linux wiki, even a free online quickstart guide that I'm sure would appreciate the attention.

So I go back to the storefront and do another search for Linux, this time just the browser search to see if it is mentioned on the page. No Linux, no Ubuntu. Let's take another look at those menus. A-scanning we will go.... PC Operating Systems? Windows XP is there..... and I find Open-Source Laptop Computers hiding under Dell Computer Deals. Outside of laptops, and sure enough, there's Open-Source PCs, and at least that one is under Operating Systems.

So it's there. If you know what to look for, it's there. But if you don't know what to look for, there's no sense of curiosity, no-one is going to look at the operating system options and think "Ooh, what is this, it's not Vista, [but] (or [and] if you're so inclined) it makes it $300 cheaper" which could be just the tipping point for someone having second thoughts. Put a link there, let them take a look at it.

Now, I know there may be hardware considerations here. A 1525n is not the same as the 1525 original (one would assume), so it may be a bit of work to have those options change when you select Ubuntu over Vista in the Customise page. Or is it? Why isn't Ubuntu more visible? If I were to recommend to a friend to get a Dell laptop with Ubuntu, and see them again in a few weeks with a Dell laptop running Vista saying "well, I couldn't find it"... fortunately when this did happen, the only result was "I couldn't find it, so I just didn't get one."

...But back to our hypothetical situation, then A: they've just paid microsoft a bunch of money for somethign that is going to be deleted immediately (and a nice shiny coaster), and B: they won't have a "restore to factory state" partition should anything go wrong. Granted they have me to fix it for them, but the Vista install had this quick restore, right? Well, the Linux one would have, too, if it came with it.

Looking in the Open Source section I found, I like the gentle reminder that it isn't Windows that doesn't actually say "Hey, you've made a wrong turn, you need to go over there". But then in the Customise seciton, when I select Operating System (which is a Windows logo???) the images that appear to the side are all screaming Microsoft Windows XP! Attention grabbing, yes, but not the right kind of attention IMHO.

This is definately sounding like a rant, but the point is, what can't be seen, can't be bought. I think something really should be done about some of these wrinkles by now, it's been two years already.

Ok, people, Discuss.