Dell ships Ubuntu PCs

Dell officially launched its first three consumer PCs running the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux operating system yesterday, reports PC World.

The two new desktops and an Inspiron E1505n notebook PC give buyers a third choice when shopping for a PC at Dell. Users can choose a machine with Windows installed, a machine with no operating system, on which they can install one of their choice, and now a computer with Ubuntu Linux already installed.

Other PC makers, including HP and Lenovo, also sell PCs that run Linux, but mainly on customised machines, because retail demand for the open source operating system is tiny compared to that for Windows.

With an ambitious strategy for expansion, Facebook is getting in MySpace's face, reports the New York Times.

Facebook, the Internet's second-largest social network, was originally popular on college campuses, but over the last year it has opened its dorm-room doors to all. Its membership rolls have since exploded at triple-digit growth rates.

Now Facebook is inviting thousands of technology companies and programmers to contribute features to its service.

A new study shows more Americans are taking a carefree attitude toward the nuisance of spam clogging their e-mail in-boxes, reports Tech News World.

Better familiarity, spam filtering and a decrease in pornography-laced spam have eased users' concerns over the scourge, the study concludes.

"It's starting to become part of life online," said Susannah Fox, associate director with the Pew Internet and American Life Project. "Once something is part of life online, people feel they should just stop complaining about it and move on, even if they are still annoyed by it."

The world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia filed its first lawsuit against US chipmaker Qualcomm yesterday, claiming damages for unauthorised use of its technology, reports Market Watch.

Finland-based Nokia filed the lawsuit in the Western District of Wisconsin, in the US, claiming Qualcomm infringed six patents by using the intellectual property in their mobile phone chipsets.

Qualcomm and Nokia have been embroiled in a long-running legal spat over how much the world's largest handset maker should pay San Diego-based Qualcomm for using its CDMA and WCDMA mobile technology in phones.