On both my work and home Dell laptops, the computer beeps at full volume when you change the sound settings. This has come close to shattering my eardrums on several occasions these past few days.
Software as a service finally comes of age, with the web’s new-found ability to pipe the sad trombone and instant rimshot directly into your office or home (via b3ta).
In brief: the problems discussed here and here go away under the most recent Ubuntu release, Hardy Heron, which I can generally recommend.
Alsa seems stable and graphics support is present from installation onwards.