Ghost in the Wire

Call it Dell's One-Dimensional Computer.

What follows is the transcript of an online chat with a Dell representative. Disappointing, to say the least.

08:37:53 PM System System Initial Question/Comment: Is it really the case that there's only one laptop line available with ubuntu pre-installed?

08:38:34 PM System System BE_Rep_Heritha has joined this session!

08:38:34 PM System System Connected with BE_Rep_Heritha

08:38:47 PM Customer Ken Rufo Hello :)

08:39:19 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Welcome to Dell Sales Chat. My name is Ritha. I'll be your personal sales agent today. Give me a moment to review your concern. Please don’t go away. Is Ritha.

08:39:34 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha You can also email us at us_dhs_reply@dell.com.We are available 8am-10pm We are available from 8am-11pm CST. Monday-Sunday. Rest assured that we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

08:39:39 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Hi ken.

08:41:07 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Yes that is only the 1420 system.

08:41:08 PM Customer Ken Rufo I'm looking to replace my laptop in the next month or so, and as someone who has converted to ubuntu for a year and a half now, I have no desire to go back to windows, but I want a laptop with discrete graphics memory - i was told you had a line like that, but now I only see one model for the open source laptops.

08:41:13 PM Customer Ken Rufo Why?

08:41:51 PM Customer Ken Rufo I mean I have never bought a dell before, and you're my first place to look given that I wouldn't have to deal with the EULA/refund hassle for Vista, but your options are so slight... it doesn't make sense.

08:42:21 PM Customer Ken Rufo Without more options, you lose the competitive advantage you have over HP (which is the manufacture of laptop I'm using now) - I'm totally confused.

08:42:38 PM Customer Ken Rufo Or whoever else, I suppose.

08:42:39 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha I'm sorry for that ken.

08:42:44 PM Customer Ken Rufo Is there a reason for it?

08:43:08 PM Customer Ken Rufo You have like 9 vista models, which I'm still considering, it's just a shame I then have to call and ask for a refund...

08:44:20 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha I assure you that you will have a great system with dell Ken.

08:45:05 PM Customer Ken Rufo Umm, ok. Is there a rule against answering the "why so few options" question? Like does it violate some weird licensing agreement, or publicize some weird licensing agreement to answer?

08:45:39 PM Customer Ken Rufo How about this - can I get one of the other lines with NO OS?

08:46:46 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha The operating system comes pre-installed in the system already, we don't have system that is not pre-installed with OS.

08:47:22 PM Customer Ken Rufo And again no attempted answer to the why question. Seriously, is there something weird about that question?

08:48:58 PM Customer Ken Rufo You did use to have a second linux notebook model, right?

08:49:13 PM Customer Ken Rufo A 15 incher?

08:49:26 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha No ken..What we have online is what we can offer.WEe have full line of systems,and since we would like to cater to everyone's need,we still have choices for you from the open source.

08:49:42 PM Customer Ken Rufo What are my choices?

08:49:49 PM Customer Ken Rufo The 1420n and ___?

08:50:38 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Sorry but Ubuntu is limited to one system only.We have free dos as well.for 1420n.

08:50:41 PM Customer Ken Rufo I'm not trying to be a smart ass, I'm really trying to understand my options.

08:51:06 PM Customer Ken Rufo So by choices, you mean choices of OS, not choices of notebook hardware for that particular OS.

08:51:55 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Yes ken.

08:51:55 PM Customer Ken Rufo Are there any plans to change that in the near to medium future? And is the 15 incher you used to sell still available?

08:52:18 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha We do have 15 inch systems.

08:52:36 PM Customer Ken Rufo Just not with Ubuntu, right?

08:53:05 PM Customer Ken Rufo And you won't let me customize it in a way that actually puts ubuntu on it, correct?

08:53:24 PM Customer Ken Rufo Even though you sell ubuntu on other models... Ok, so seriously, what is the reason for that?

08:53:44 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Sorry but you can only have 1420 for Ubuntu.

08:53:55 PM Customer Ken Rufo Right, I get it. Is there a reason for that?

08:54:25 PM Customer Ken Rufo Look, you can understand my position - I'm considering getting a dell notebook with ubuntu, even if it's not exactly the hardware specs I'm looking for, but I want to know if Dell is being serious about it.

08:55:08 PM Customer Ken Rufo At a support level, I mean.

08:55:16 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Yes we surely are..I assure you that:)

08:55:45 PM Customer Ken Rufo Ok, then please explain the reason for the limited options. I've asked nicely several times, and the answer does matter to my purchasing decision.

08:58:17 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha I do apologize for the inconvenience,but for now,that is the only system we can configure with Ubuntu.

08:59:43 PM Customer Ken Rufo I understand the facts of it now, I really do. But you used to offer another model, and now you don't. So you have halved your options and effectively turned it into "option," and all I'm asking is to have some idea why Dell did this, so I can know whether or not I should give Dell some sort of competitive benefit when making my purchasing decision, a benefit they would accrue if I got the sense they were really serious about supporting ubuntu.

09:00:06 PM Customer Ken Rufo The problem is when you tell me you're very serious, that seems confounded by the lack of options, so I'm asking for a bit of explanation, that's all.

09:05:08 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha Dell is in full transition with Vista now,that's why we don't offer that much though we still cater to the open-source but that is limited to one system only here in Home and Home office Site.;

09:05:28 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heritha My humblest apology in behalf of Dell.

09:06:46 PM Customer Ken Rufo Ok, I guess I can understand you have obligations to MS and Vista, it just seems a shame that the reason I was most interested in Dell doesn't bear up under scrutiny. I may still buy a Dell system, so no fault there, but now I'll have to comparison shop with all the other Vista-based models from other manufacturers.

Session ID: 13603013
Question40

The agent still never really explains why transitioning to Vista precludes more attention to Ubuntu, nor is any explanation available as to why the transition once included a second notebook model that is now no longer available. That and the massive amount of time that passes each time I ask for a "why is that" answer (2 and a half minutes one time, over 5 minutes another) makes me wonder. I'm sure the 1420n is a nice machine, but I'm just not sure I should be giving Dell the benefit of the doubt on this... Thoughts?

Looking for a way to bring out the flavor in Crimini mushrooms? Mushrooms often pose difficulties for the kitchen, and the tendency is to toss them in with some other dish, be it salad or stir-fry, which works and whatnot, but it sacrifices the earthy loving of the mushroom and sublimates it to something else. So here's a quick way to make a mouth-popping dish that avoids that problem. You will need:

6-8 oz. of Crimini mushrooms, organic and local if you can.
1 Leek.
4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce.
1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup (or honey).
1 generous teaspoon of sesame oil.
1/2 a lemon, or a whole one if on the small side.

Get a baking dish out and preheat the broiler. Put in the teriyaki sauce, the rice syrup, and the sesame oil. Then squeeze the juice out of the lemon (seed it first if you need to). Whisk the mixture together. Now wash the Crimini mushrooms and pat dry with a towel. Add them to the bowl and stir until coated. Now lay the leek out horizontally and cut it into 1 inch sections and then cut each of those length-wise twice, rotating the section 90 degrees between cuts (in effect, just cubing each 1 inch section). Add to the bowl, and stir until coated. By now, the broiler is ready, so pop them in the oven and cook for four minutes. Pull them out, given them a good stir, and then broil for another minute or two. The mushrooms will have busted out into a nutty brown and the leeks gone soft and lost some of their fibrous quality when it's all done. Serve as is with a side of brown rice. Fast, healthy, and scrumptious.

One of my all time favorite female singer-songwriters, Kate Fenner, has a relatively recent website redesign that uses a mesmerizing array of flash images on a white background. The images, which look like color sketch work, are striking and somewhat hypnotic. There are also four tracks to listen to, including a tribute to the now defunct Rheostatics. Anyway, check it out, and if you do not have her first album, go grab a copy.

Oh, and for those who think the name sounds familiar but just can't place it, Kate Fenner was formerly with the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and even more recently a duo act with her musical partner Chris Brown. The two penned and performed the widely acclaimed "resist war" track, one of the better contemporary protest songs.

Now if only we could get one or both of them to visit Seattle. Hmm.