One of the most popular requests Dell has received on their customer feedback site has been support for Linux. The big problem, Dell said, was choosing and sticking with a distro they could standardize on. While no official word has come from them yet, there are many rumors. So far, it seems they are hinting at Ubuntu linux being their main choice. That isn't surprising, considering the success Ubuntu has seen the past few years as a mainstream desktop OS. It seems one particular niche for it to fill on Dell machines will be "entry-level", such as their e-series.
While it's hard to be impressed by an entry level machine, should they do go forward with this it'll be a boost to linux adoption for sure. These systems are due at the end of this month, so we should find out by then.