Dell Studio 17 with Ubuntu

So I'm running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 but had my ubuntu 8 cd in my case. So I figured I would boot up the live cd and see what Ubuntu does or doesn't pick up.

Did not detect native screen resolution 'may need updated driver'
Did not detect my wireless card 'may need driver or use win driver'
Sound worked fine


I'm not a huge linux user but I have installed Ubuntu, Mandriva, Suse, a few times each. I did this just for fun to see if Ubuntu would pick up all my hardware for me like it has on some other laptops. I'm sure you can get most of it going with some tinkering. Just figured I would throw this out there in case anyone was going to get a Dell Studio 17 for Linux use.

 

Without knowing which wireless card and which graphics card you have this isn't very helpful. And I think dell has their own customized image out there which might support more, but they make all their linux stuff really hard to find, so I don't know where to get that anymore.

 

http://www.dell.com/ubuntu/

Is it really that complicated?

 

He mean's drivers, customized disc, etc.

 

I'd give it a shot with the next Ubuntu release in October. My laptop is brand spankin' new and everything will be supported in the next release. Right now I don't have any sound or wireless.

 

Best post right here.

 

Graphics card is in my signature. Wireless is Dell Broadcom mini wireless B/G. I just wanted to see if it auto detected any hardware. I have had a few laptops '2' pickup everything in the past which was nice. Seems like the wireless card is always the biggest pain in the .... Wish they would have better wireless support. Most avg users don't no how to use ndis wrapper etc for the windows drivers 'myself included'. Always tried but never could get it working unless Ubuntu picked it up from the get go.

 

About the wireless networking adapter: I was told that the appropriate driver ( "b43") is included with Ubuntu, but the only issue is the firmware that must be loaded onto the adapter whenever the system boots.

Apparently, the firmware may not legally be redistributed, and it cannot, therefore, be provided in any Linux distro.

However, the Ubuntu repositories include a b43-fwcutter application that you can install, and that will download and extract the firmware for you, if you let it. Just do an apt-get install b43-fwcutter and answer affirmatively when it asks you about fetching the firmware, and you should be set.

I haven't tried this just yet, but sometime this week I will take home a Studio 17 from a colleague of mine, who finds it too big for his purposes and decided that he wants a Studio 15 instead. I'm planning to try out Ubuntu on it, and if it works, then I may decide to keep it.

 

I'm typing this on my colleague's Studio 17, running the Ubuntu 8.10 ( "Intrepid Ibex") beta release from its Live CD, and connected to the net through the wireless interface.

Under the Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), I couldn't get the wireless interface working (at least from the Live CD--I didn't want to install Ubuntu to the harddisk, since I might have to return the laptop to its owner, if Ubuntu won't run satisfactorily).

The 8.10 beta Live CD activates the wireless interface straight away (as I'm accustomed to with Ubuntu); all I have to do is type in my WEP key to get connected. It uses a proprietary driver named "wl" for the wireless networking hardware.

 

Intrepid Ibex alpha 6 installed nicely on my hp dv5t and all was working well. It did update the kernel as I loaded it, however.

 

As for your video card, ATI support of Linux used to be sporadic at best. Not until the Linux users stopped supporting ATI (by not buying their cards or comps with their cards in them), did ATI start working with Linux devs more.

Nvidia isn't a whole lot better but yet again, it is. To get the full use of 3D on Nvidia, you'd have to install and use the "restricted" (read as: proprietary) driver. Not a major pain, but still a bit of a PITA in having to do so. It's just a matter of a few clicks and a reboot.

As for the bold text in your quote above. It isn't that Linux needs better support of any driver. It IS moreso that Linux needs better support FROM hardware vendors to either,

A) Provide proper Linux drivers for THEIR hardware
B) Release their drivers to the open source community, who would gladly code their drivers to work in Linux

Luvr would be correct that, Linux can't "legally" provide drivers that are not GPL'ed (read as: free to distribute). Some drivers and codecs are available to d/l through Ubuntu servers, if you enable those repositories... but, as in the case of codecs, you're prompted that they may not be legal to install depending on your location. You'll never see them distributed with the core OS.

One final thought, Ryan. What you have on the LiveCD (although it's the latest release) is a beta release. I've just installed Intrepid on my desktop, after booting for the first time into the system, the 56 updates that were available did include two updates relating to ATI. I say that, to say... don't count Intrepid out (based on a beta version of a livecd). The minor hiccups you're reporting, are just that... minor hiccups. Perhaps instead of waving the white flag, you could have reported them to the bug tracker.