Dell will add the latest version of the open-source OS to its current lineup of Ubuntu Linux machines.

Product Group Strategist Daniel Judd wrote in the company blog:

We believe Ubuntu 7.10 is a solid step forward for both Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market.

Daniel also listed some of his favorite features found in Ubuntu 7.10, not skipping a beat to credit Dell for contribution to some of them:

  • Cool 3-D visual effects that make your system fun to use
  • An easier desktop search engine to find documents or applications
  • Ability to quickly switch between users and easily share a system with family members
  • Pre-installation of Flash for a better Web experience (Dell added this, by the way)
  • Improved recovery options with a full factory restore from hard drive and the ability to burn the system-specific recovery image to DVD media right from the user’s desktop (Dell developed this as well)

Why did it take so much time before Ubuntu 7.10 was made available? It all boils down to the extensive testing “to make sure that customers have as few issues as possible.”