On Sep 28, 8:53 am, Happy Camper <HappyCamper_in_landf...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Rex Ballard wrote:
> > On Sep 28, 6:18 am, Roy Schestowitz <newsgro...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > wrote:
> >> LC2000 Series Ubuntu Linux Laptops
>
> >> ,----[ Quote ]
> >> | The two new laptop models are: LC2464DC, a 64 bit (based on dual-core Turion
> >> | 64X2) laptop, and LC2520DC, sporting a 17" screen with accelerated 3D
> >> | Graphics based on nVidia GeForce Go 7700.
> >> `----
>
> >>http://www.linuxcertified.com/ubuntu-laptop.html
>
> > Great, I can't wait to go to Best Buy, Circuit City, or Staples and
> > test drive one of these puppies. If I like it, I might even buy one.
>
> > What's that you say - not available in stores. - Microsoft Monopoly
> > striikes again!
> > And why NOT in stores? Do the franchises above fear that they will go
> > bankrupt if they put Linux machines on display? If they put even one
> > Linux box on display, will they lose their right to display ANY
> > Microsoft machines? Perhaps they are collaborators in a collusion
> > scheme.
>
> > <SARCASM>
> > Or Maybe they love Vista Home Premium so much that they just don't
> > want to show any other alternatives such as Mac or Linux, since nobody
> > would purchase either of those anyway.
>
> > Retail sales of Vista have been so overwhelming that they have had to
> > open new stores to keep up with the demand. They are dedicating more
> > floor space, and prices have been increasing because they can't keep
> > enough of them in stock.
>
> > Nobody really cares which operating system is installed, which is why
> > nobody goes to the web to order custom configured machines with
> > options such as Windows XP Professional instead of Vista, or Vista
> > Business instead of Home Edition.
>
> > And of course, once someone purchases a PC they would never even THINK
> > of converting that PC to Linux, or installing VMWare Player and a
> > Linux "Appliance" on their machine.
>
> > They would NEVER put OSS Software on their PC once they've purchased
> > it, and they would NEVER go to a web site powered by Linux, an e-mail
> > relay powered by UNIX or Linux, or use a router powered by Linux or
> > BSD.
> > </SARCASM>
>
> >> Yes, Linux is out in the market. H-P has recently expanded its scope as well.
>
> > When HP tells retailers that they need to put at least ONE of their
> > Linux machines on display in order to keep their HP distribution, or
> > provides the flooring for retailers to show Linux machines, Linux will
> > be out on the market.
>
> > HP, Dell, Lenovo, and IBM all sell Linux compatible desktop machines.
> > IBM ONLY sells IntelliStations, ALL of which come with the option of
> > Linux or Windows.
>
> > It seems that, for IBM, Linux desktops are the only ones that are
> > profitable.
>
> > Gateway is nearly a "Pure Microsoft" play, and their quarterly reports
> > and stock prices tell the story. Ironic that ACER, a company who has
> > made "Linux Ready" machines almost exclusively for several years now,
> > is profitable to purchase gateway, and become the 3rd largest PC maker
> > in the world.
>
> > HP had to subsidize their PC market for several years. Eventually,
> > they broke out, and offered 64 bit AMD based workstations that were
> > "Linux Ready". Even though they announced support for SUSE Linux, the
> > retail machines were still sold with Windows XP.
>
> > HP appearantly wanted to configure a machine with both Linux and Vista
> > (dual boot?), and raised Microsoft's delay or refusal to provide a
> > quick letter of written permission to do so, to the DOJ, who decided
> > that HP's complaint was "Without Merit". It seems that ONLY Microsoft
> > has the right to profit from their innovations.
>
> > When I can go to the store, and "test drive" a machine that runs Linux
> > as the primary operating system, and Windows (XP or Vista) as the
> > secondary or VM Client, I'll probably buy it. I'll probably have to
> > pay a higher price - that's OK. I'll probably have to deal with some
> > peripherals that don't work as well as they might on Linux (USB
> > Cellular Modem), that's OK too. On the other hand, If I can purchase
> > a machine that's ready to go, from a retailer, in a national franchise
> > store (Staples, Office Max, Best Buy, or even Radio Shack or WalMart),
> > I'll probably buy it.
>
> > Rex
> >http://www.open4success.org
>
> Xandros is at Office Max.
I've seen boxes containing Xandros, Linspire, and SUSE at several of
these stores, and of course Barnes and Nobel and Borders almost always
have at least a few books and magazines containing Linux on CDs or
DVDs.
I have purchased several versions of Linux through Borders or B&K as
well as CompUSA before it closed, and Office Max..
I've been to Office Max lately. I didn't see an actual COMPUTER that
was RUNNING any version of Linux, where I could take it for a test
drive.
What's remarkable about the fact that there are something like 90
million operational Linux-only desktop machines out there (still less
than 9% of the total market) is that nearly all of these machines were
configured by end-users. Almost NONE of them were sold through a
major retail franchise channel. Fry's in California had some Linux
machines on display in the Silicon Valley area. The biggest problem
there was that these were low-end machines and many retail Linux PC
purchasers have been buying high-end hardware for Linux.
When I run Linux on my Z61p, it knows about the 3gig of RAM on the PC,
and makes full use of it. It knows about the 64 bit capability, and
uses it. It knows about my OpenGL graphics card (FireGL) and makes
full use of it. It knows about my FireWire, USB-2, and WiFi cards,
and makes full use of them.
When I run Windows XP on the same machine, it only sees 2 gig (less
actually), it only sees a 32 bit processor, it keeps running the USB-2
in USB-1 speeds, and the WiFi card needs 3rd party software to be
operational.
On the other hand, the Windows version does support Verizon's USB-
Cellular modem, and I haven't figured out how to make Linux do that.
Either way, it's not that hard to run a Linux VM on Windows, or a
Windows VM on Linux, and get "the best of both worlds".
I like BOTH Linux and Windows, especially TOGETHER. I'd LOVE to see
Lenovo come out with a "dual-mode" PC, that is configured with a fully
supported version of Linux AND a fully supported version of Windows
that can be run concurrently.
With Dual-core and Quad-core 64 bit processors, it's rediculous that
Microsoft won't let the OEMs ship and advertise that configuration.
If Acer or one of the other "top 10" OEMs decides to offer Linux to
retailers, and offers them a large profit margin to go with it, and
offers OEM Windows as an "Application" running under Linux, much the
same way iMac offers Windows as an Application under OS/X, they will
be getting profit margins similar to Apple's.
Most people have heard of Linux, but without the ability to actually
SEE Linux, right next to Windows, in the retail environment, the have
only the very verbal and emotional opinions of Pengunistas and
WinTrolls on which to base their decision. Microsoft has a $4 billion
advertising budget to spread their WinTroll message. Linux has IBM,
Google, and a bunch of other Linux user companies who are talking
about Linux Servers, but not real eager to share their "little secret"
of Linux on the Desktop.
There are almost 1/2 billion Linux "appliances" and almost 1 billion
users of Linux servers (internet users who go to Google, for example),
and yet most people still think that all of the "magic" the PC
performs is being don by Windows, completely unaware that Linux, Unix,
and Open Source Software are absolutely critical parts of their daily
business activity.
Their Windows systems get infested with viruses, and Microsoft tells
them that Linux and Unix are more vulnerable. They don't seem to
understand that if someone actually successfully attacked Linux/Unix/
OSS as successfully as they attack Windows, that trains would be
crashing into each other, telephones would stop working, power grids
would shut down, e-mail would stop flowing, credit cards could not be
processed, banks would shut down, and the stock market would crash.
Yet Microsoft is allowed to publish it's claims that Windows is "more
secure than Linux" and the challenge is never answered by any of the
companies who have made Linux a key strategic element of their
business.
> linux.org has vendor listings.
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