Ubuntu-Certification

Buying certified hardware

Asked by Kjetil Kjernsmo

I've gone through the process of finding a new laptop now, and I must say, the pages with certified systems proved pretty useless. For one thing, there is no way to determine the type of system I want (e.g. screen size, SSD), so I just waded through 81 products. For each product, I googled it. At the end of the day, after spending several hours on it, there was not a single box that I could just go out there and buy. What I'm actually after is to not pay the M$ tax.

So, it comes down to a simple question: How do I go out and buy an Ubuntu system without first buying a MS Windows system and then wipe the hard drive?

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Jeff Lane  (bladernr) said : 		#1

Jeff Lane suggests this article as an answer to your question. It really all depends on where you are located, and what you're shopping for. If you're in the US, the pickings are very slim. The only one I know of right now, off the top of my head is the Dell XPS13 which was developed as part of the Sputnik project at Dell. There are smaller vendors that will probably sell Ubuntu Pre-Installs as well, like System 76.

That said, the Dell XPS13 is only certified using the Dell pre-installed image.

I wish I had a better answer for you, but the reality is, we make the OS but we have no say in where a vendor sells it. You'll find they sell a lot more in Asia than they do here, though they also sell them in Europe to a degree as well. But in the US, you're going to find it very difficult to find much of ANY Linux distribution pre-installed unless you buy from a smaller retailer who does it (like System 76, which I mentioned earlier).

Keep in mind that NONE of this is an official endorsement of any company at all.
FAQ #1717: “Why can't I buy a system with Ubuntu pre-installed on it?”.

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