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- mcmlxxii, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5660 days support is a fair exchange for $20 - especially if you can't get wireless working and have to compile your driver like me! That'll take a bit of explaining to a new user
In many cases Ubuntu does just work though, I've been using it since Edgy and Hardy is a giant leap forward from then, in only 2 years. Wishing this scheme every success, but worth remembering that bad customer experiences travel further than good ones. - ileftfark, on 07/11/2008, -2/+49https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
For those who do not have broadband. Or any decent friends. - jimmarch1, on 07/11/2008, -0/+32The phone support is worth $20 for some people. It brings this out of the category of "automatic ripoff".
Another variant on this concept ships a CD with a big thick book...again, turning this into "non-ripoff" territory.
Both plans let you put Ubuntu on retail shelves, which is otherwise impossible or at least would stretch Canonical's resources to the breaking point. - motang, on 07/11/2008, -0/+27Good luck and it's good that they are doing something to get the general publics attention.
- stevea1210, on 07/11/2008, -4/+281 - cut a whole in the box
2 - put your OS in a box
3 - make her open the box
And that's the way you do it... - ooby, on 07/11/2008, -1/+24a whole what?
- GruntboyX, on 07/11/2008, -2/+19I am willing to pay 20 bucks not to have to tie up my slow interent connection for 2 days downloading the live dvd. Not to mention the support that comes with it could prove valuable.
Also if metered internet becomes a bigger trend. this will prove to be a very useful alternative. - Vektuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+17Its not Best Buy or Geek Squad doing the support. Its a third party that is actually pretty good (apparently) at this linux thing.
- johnomaz, on 07/11/2008, -1/+18I think this is targeted at users that just dont' know about linux. imagine if you go into bestbuy looking to buy an OS because your 5 year old, out of warranty, hard drive died in your Dell, and you don't have any restore CDs. You look on the shelf and see the trusty Microsoft logo, but then you see the price tag. Next to it, you see a friendly looking penguin with $20 under it. You ask, will that do e-mail and internet. You will get a yes answer, and then you buy it. Get home, install. If you have any issues, you call BestBuy, and they say that Ubuntu has 60 days support and the number is in the box. If anything, the person can also bring the computer to bestbuy and pay to have it installed. Either way, its a way to get ubuntu/linux to the uninformed/novice user.
Yes, I use Vista and love it. 64bit Vista now actually. And I used to use Linux, but my laptop died, and linux went with it. The day they get a linux distro for my iPhone though, it will be on there =). - sugarhigh4242, on 07/11/2008, -0/+16Since I started collecting them... (duh)
- jonathandyer, on 07/11/2008, -0/+16Maybe it was a typo and he meant to spell 'whale'... cut a whale in a box...no that does not work either.
- Vektuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+14The 19.99 is also for the neat packaging, quick start guide, presentation
And also (interestingly) a period of live on the phone support for whatever you want. Having problems getting wine working? phone them up. Want to know how to get the beta nvidia drivers installed? phone them up...
That has to be worth something. - plainOldFool, on 07/11/2008, -0/+12I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that those who know how to download the file, burn the iso CD and find all the support they need from various forums are not the target demographic for this $19.99 boxed package. Sounds like it is aimed at those who don't know much about Linux and are looking for a good place to start.
- diggydougie, on 07/11/2008, -0/+10Yes. I bought a copy of Red Had years ago. It's stupid but here's my logic. I'm not sure how this all works if I just download it with no support other than browsing message boards. If I buy the packaged thing I know that all I have to do is run the install and expect it to work. And for only 20.00 I can afford to throw away the money. And most people feel that they are somehow stealing if they just download something. Thank the RIAA for that sentiment. But if you bought it off the shelf you can be certain that it's legal.
- Szandor, on 07/11/2008, -2/+13Umm, Ubuntu forums ≠ phone support for 60 days.
For $19.99, Best Buy Ubuntu is a great deal - and a step in the right direction for Linux awareness. - BradMajors, on 07/11/2008, -0/+11For the free version: "the delivery may take up to ten weeks".
If instead you want it in two to four weeks you need to buy it from Canonical for $12.99. http://www.amazon.com/Canonical-Ubuntu-8-04-DVD/dp ...
If you want it today you need to go to Best-Buy. - zakatov, on 07/11/2008, -4/+15"Tought so"? You type with a retarded accent too?
- jcani, on 07/11/2008, -0/+10Appears to be a good move for Ubuntu Linux, even if they have to deal with the dreaded Best Buy.
- sugarhigh4242, on 07/11/2008, -1/+10If the packaging/manual is good, I will pay $20 every release just for the collectability and to support development.
- ISurfTooMuch, on 07/11/2008, -0/+8But they get 60 days of phone support, plus they don't have to download it. Sounds like a fair deal to me, especially for a novice user.
- shadowman99, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7Back when Red Hat actually packaged thier distros and sold them via retail I would buy at least one release a year. Starting from Redhat Linux 5.1 until RH9 I would pay at least 60 dollars per year to "support the cause" Most of the time I was buying a distro I had already downloaded and installed a month or two prior. But the retail distro gave me an easy way to reward Red Hat for pushing development forward.
I'm likely to do the same with Ubuntu now. Even thought I still used Fedora, I recognize Ubuntu as a "good citizen" in the Linux comunity and they should be rewarded as well. - inactive, on 07/11/2008, -0/+8Now best buy needs to actually have it installed running on some demo pcs. That would be nice
- HonoredMule, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7A few of you seem to be completely missing the point. It's a marketing ploy, putting Linux in prominent view where people actually look for "computer stuff," and putting a price tag on it for the sake of under-educated consumers who are paranoid about anything free.
To the average Joe:
free product online = socialism/communism, not worth anything, maybe not legal?
paid product in store = capitalism/consumerism and respectability "like Windows" - ISurfTooMuch, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7More importantly, they need to give their salespeople at least some basic training about what Ubuntu is. With a new (to the consumer) product like this, someone will ask, and they need to get a response a little more informative than a blank look and shrugged shoulders.
- inactive, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6in 1998 I bought a Linux for Dummies book with a Red Hat 5.0 disc included. I would've downloaded, but I had a slow internet connection and no experience with Linux at all. It was a really good deal at the time and got me on the road of OSS.
I can't believe that was 10 years ago.
And I've forgotten most of what I've learned since Linux has become so much easier.
So yes, stuff like this does have it's place. - rromansanturio, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7The support is offered by a Canonical partner, ValuSoft.
Hope you find Windows Vista help "Helpful" - Hassassin, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6Can you call someone stupid for buying Ubuntu? If you think about it, they're making a smart choice, getting away from M$... but then again they're paying for a free OS... it's a conundrum.
- snurfle, on 07/11/2008, -3/+9Oh, Christ.
Best Buy trying to comprehend what Ubuntu even *is*, when they barely grasp the concept of Windows.
Let the good times roll. - inactive, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6I might buy itt. It's cheaper than running and buying a Dell with Ubuntu already installed on it. I've used Ubuntu on some of my boxes since Breezy, they could use a few bucks. I'll probably just give it to a friend as a gift anyways.
- Ecsa0014, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6For some of us broadband is just not available. I live in the sticks and have been waiting for broadband to be offered in my area for years. Outside of high-priced, insanely limited satellite internet, dial-up is my only option.
- sk11, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6Ubuntu will ship you a free live cd: https://shipit.ubuntu.com might take a months to arrive though.
- belumaves, on 07/11/2008, -1/+7no, Ubuntu is under the GPL which says you can charge whatever you want for the software however the source code has to be freely available.
- inactive, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6We're talking about people with no real linux OS experience here...tech support is an industry mainstay, and you're not considered a real company without it.
- 4321234, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6I'm selling bootlegs for 5 bucks a pop.
- nero147, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6I actually work at Best Buy for the Geek Squad and I have to say it's about time. For the people that think that charging for Free Open Source Software is bad or immoral, let me point this out. Most end users do not know how to download and install an ISO file. Now this isn't something that's up for debate, I've worked a lot of different tech support and I'm sure anyone else who has will agree with me. Now Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics retail outlet in the world. I am giddy with the prospect of almost every person in the country having access to linux as an option on their new computer, as well as support for it. Most of the computers at Best Buy will run Ubuntu, I've checked. The main problem is that people don't know how to install Broadcom chipset drivers. Now you could look that up, but that first hurdle will be enough to kill any interest that most people have. Personally I will tell people that they can download it for free, or they can buy it at the store. I can tell you though that I guarantee that most people will buy it. Also think about this... This is a metric for linux adoption that isn't out in the clouds, there is no way that hardware developers can ignore the stats on a fortune 100 company's sales of a linux distrobution. This might be the first great leap in getting some of the manufacturers who have been lagging behind on driver support to start getting with the program.
- FairDinkumMate, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5@rizmaster
You that assumed the article was about PC's coming pre-installed with Ubuntu! FYI - It's actually about Best Buy selling boxed versions of Ubuntu for people to install on their already owned PC's.
See how stupid you look when you make comments without reading the article? - Lounger540, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5I bought my first copy of Linux in a box. Redhat, at Bestbuy, in 1996.
- avediscordia, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5Most people aren't going to want to do that, though. They just want their problem to be fixed as quickly as possible and with a minimum of effort on their part. Besides, with the forums you could be waiting for days for someone to respond to your question (if anyone responds). With phone support you get help right when you need it.
- p51d007, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4Will they be willing to pay 20 bucks for something they can get online for free? They have to ask this
question, from people willing to pay for extended warranty and the outrageous "geek squad" prices?
Plus, when joe six pack comes in, draggin' the clan, and the "sales" (for lack of a better term) guy says
this here linux works just like windows, ole joe is thinking he is getting a cheaper version of windows. He
takes it home and can't figure out why the crap he downloads from the web won't install. - unknown32, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5That is nice that they are trying to get out their to the public but will it make any dent ?
Madiva / Mandra / Xandos / Corel Linux All had boxed software and that didn't make much difference as of actual market share.
Before I get digg down about this is not a good desktop solution etc ? then why sell at a big box store to begin with ? Isn't that Shuttleworth's goal ?
I guess Ubuntu is hoping name recondition will help ? - clontzman, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6I installed Ubuntu a couple of weeks ago on a moderately beefy, but old, Insipiron 8600. The polish of the OS is decent, but I was really unimpressed by the poor support for sleep/wake (machine often wouldn't awaken) and, worst of all, the absurdly complex process for downloading wireless drivers. Once working, it's decent, but it still lacks a lot of polish. If I'd paid $20, I'd have been pretty pissed if it didn't work well on such common hardware.
- stevensj2, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4Doesn't change the fact that people use computers to use the applications it has, not the OS that powers it.
Sure, this might get Ubuntu (and linux) on a few more computers. But it's going to frustrate and disappointed just as many.
Fact is, people want to use good quality apps they are familiar with. When they are used to using iTunes, iPhoto, and Photoshop....Rythmbox, F-Stop, and GIMP are going to be very unimpressive.
*Initiating massive nerd-rage and an influx of buries in T-minus 3...2... - JonForTheWin, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4That's a really, really, ***** bad idea. It needs to be sold pre-installed in decent machines.
- Szandor, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4^
Someone who 'gets it'. - 4321234, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4I think he meant "cut a whore in the box", but that's just plain mean.
- baithe, on 07/11/2008, -6/+10Umm, Ubuntu itself comes with all the manuals you need and the Ubuntu forums are some of the best in the linux community. For free.
- Zaggynl, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Well, it _IS_ cheaper than Windows even if you pay for it :o)
- tech42er, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4Because everyone has screaming fast broadband, right?
- afallucco, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Its a way to raise awareness. People see linux in the stores and then decide they want to know a little more about it. The more awareness, the more adopters.
- HonestAbe, on 07/11/2008, -2/+6Will they get a refund if they take it back when they can't figure out what to do with it?
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