Very Computer

The trick is to buy the machine, wipe Lindows and install some decent
distribution. There are a few of them, but Lindows certainly is not.

Andre'

.... of course, the walmart pc's can be pre-loaded with mandrake

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Michael J. Tobler: motorcyclist, surfer,  #    Black holes result
 skydiver, and author: "Inside Linux",     #   when God divides the  
 "C++ HowTo", "C++ Unleashed"              #     universe by zero

I was about to propose 2-1/2 cheers to Wal-Mart for making computers available
with no OS, or with Linux pre-installed.  Whether or not you like the company
or its offerings, it is probably one of a very few who are in a position to
play hardball with Microsoft.

Then I got to wondering how Wal-Mart decided what to offer in a Linux
machine - and here I am only 20 miles from their corporate HQ and I don't
know anybody up there.

From what's been said here, it seems that lots of people don't like
Lindows.  Buying a PC with no OS installed makes you worry whether your
favorite Linux distribution will install and run OK or whether there
will be some unsupported or incompatible hardware.  And if that makes you
worry you can buy the PC with Mandrake already installed, which is OK
even if it isn't your favorite distribution.  Still open is the question
whether Microtel PCs perform as well and are as trustworthy as the major
brands that Wal-Mart sells in their stores.  It looks like the only notebook
computer they offer comes only with Windows XP.

Here's a thought experiment.  If you had the ear of Wal-Mart's buyer for
PCs for 15 minutes, what would you say/show?  If you had the opportunity
to revise their PC buying guide, how would you change it?

Does there exist (Linux International?) or could we create some sort of
presentation that would show the average person how you can do what you
want to do in your home or small business with Linux?  (Or are we not
there yet?)