It’s hard to believe that I have two concurrent movements under my wings, but what can I say?  I started Luxagraphia years ago and have even written a manifesto.  More recently I began advocating Linux for Anybody and encouraged others to join along.

Dell has, unbeknownst to me, joined along.  Maybe it’s just ego, but I would have liked an e-mail or a phone call, just a little “hey, we thought you should know” but oh, well.

Dell has been selling a tiny laptop among a line of small laptops (so called netbooks) all of which come with the option of being outfitted by the manufacturer with Ubuntu 8.04—a line of laptops starting at about $250.  They are branded as Inspirons carrying the model signatures Mini 9 (8.5 inch display), Mini 10 (10 inch), and Mini 12 (12 inch).  (The 10 and 12 start about $300.)

You can read an interesting article (with a great comment thread) here.  The claim by Dell is that these Ubuntu installed netbooks are accounting for fully one-third of their total netbook sales in the US.  (The Mini 10 and Mini 12 are too new to be included in these statistics, and Dell is currently only offering Ubuntu as an option to their US market.)

As they say: a walk will give us a run.  Thanks, Dell.

Happy hunting, you crazy squirrels.