Dell Ubuntu Linux buyers were recently outraged when a price comparison between identical Inspiron 1420 laptops showed that instead of the Ubuntu system being cheaper, it actually ended up costing $225 more than the same laptop with Vista Home Basic Edition. This was after Dell had announced the week before that Ubuntu systems would be $50 cheaper than similar systems running Vista Home Basic Edition.
"Bottom line this was an oversight, pure and simple," a Dell spokesperson told DesktopLinux.com. "We will be posting a comment to IdeaStorm to that effect by tomorrow." In the meantime, Dell says that the prices have been reset to the appropriate prices.
So, as of July 12, once more you can get exactly the same laptops from Dell, except for the operating systems, and you'll pay $50 less for the Ubuntu-powered notebook.