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94 Comments
- chodaboy, on 11/21/2007, -0/+29I think you're missing the point of their intended market. First of all, you know what Ubuntu is, so that already makes you different from 99.999% of the Walmart shoppers. This particular "computer" is an appliance to get to an end-result, just as a toaster is to get to crispy bread that you can put butter on. They could care less that it's running gOS or Ubuntu or whatever. If it lets them surf the internet, create rudimentary documents for the school book report, create and reply to emails, and play the occasional music or video file, then the system works as intended.
- jbrevik, on 11/21/2007, -1/+24This is a great alternative to having to buy a PC from say Best Buy or Circuit City. No ***** trial software, no Norton or McAfee chewing on system resources and best of all, no Vista.
- mckooiker, on 11/21/2007, -0/+21If a "hype" on a social/news site by itself manages to sell 10.000 computers, the site would be worth a lot of money. Got that point wrong. I do agree that this "incident won't keep Bill awake at night and maybe the sales (or lack of sales) of Vista is.
The disappearance of this hype will also not be too improbable, but the tendency is quite clear. 2 Years ago NO big vendors were selling you Computers with GNU/Linux pre-installed. Now we have HP, DELL, Wallmart. And there seems to bee a niche for cheap "internet-computers" that can not be filled by Vista, since this operating system alone already costs more than the cheapest computer available.
This might be a minor concern for Bill Gates....A tendency towards the concurrents...... - lanzemurdok, on 11/21/2007, -1/+18not really. I'm pretty rich and i still shop at walmart. Which is probably why i'm rich in the first place. Walmart rules for rich people.
- scott1329m, on 11/21/2007, -1/+18Review: http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_news.asp?sourcei ...
gOS lasted about 1 day before I wiped it and put Ubuntu on it. Why wasn't Ubuntu used?
Let's not try to guess the motives of Wal-Mart shoppers. Maybe they are "dirt poor" and got a computer so their kids could learn python and emacs. I know I got a computer in 1984 when I was dirt poor and it changed my life for the better -- I've made a career out of them. - baalzebub, on 11/21/2007, -11/+27this should give bill gates nightmares and steve ballmer diarrhea, if i owned a furniture company in Redmond Washington i would mark up the price of office chairs...
- BrandNewJesus, on 11/21/2007, -1/+14If it will let people look at porn, it will sell.
- saturn5, on 11/21/2007, -0/+10I think digg played a major role, along with other web sites. Don't underestimate the power of Internet communities. Look what happened with Ubuntu and Dell.
Dell has sold Linux before. And Wal-Mart too. Here's a story from 2002...
http://www.linux.com/articles/24002
"Internet computers" were tried unsuccessfully before. Of course, most people were still on dial-up then.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/1917 ... - sirhomer, on 11/21/2007, -2/+12Big advantage of this PC: Low power! This machine consumes on average 20 watts of power, and at most 40 watts of power under heavy load. Compare this to high end machines which can consumer 300 watts sustained. This can save hundreds of dollars per year on electric bills alone. They don't call it the Green PC for nothing.
- depro9, on 11/21/2007, -0/+10They also like the no viruses & spyware, thus saving the poor from havening to call the scammers @ geek squad.
- andrewtheart, on 11/21/2007, -1/+11Regardless, people are liking the fast boot up times, the constant updates, the ease of installing solid open source apps, and the general speediness of the machine. Read the reviews - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_ ...
- opnickc, on 11/21/2007, -0/+8I will in my power bill. Via C7 CPU uses 20W max.
- bebopredux, on 11/22/2007, -0/+8I disagree about the gOS negative comments. I've been trying it out for a few days and it does what it's supposed to do! It's a stripped down Ubuntu that requires little in the way of computer specs. It allows simple, basic stuff like web browsing, email, a few games and Open Office. Oh, and you can watch DVD's, load photos and view them, edit photos. I mean, it's not supposed to be a threat to a MacPro with dual Quad cores and 16GB of memory!
Put it this way, it's better than ANY box Wal-Mart sells with Windows ME 07....er, I mean, "Vista". I feel this gOS is a good setup especially for the elderly who often get overlooked. This is exactly what they want. Most of them go to BestBuy or CircuitCity and buy a $1500 Vista box that also requires them to buy Norton and other absolute rubbish. For $199 and another $180 (Dell 19" Widescreen LCD) they have what they need and it works. Simple? You bet. But, the key thing is "IT WORKS"! I'm all for it. I'm all for this OS that now does a great job getting Linux into homes. I say "Bravo"! Haven't we all (most of us) wanted to stick it to MS and see Linux on computers at home? I know I have.
All in all, I'd say at the least "It's a start". Once they get comfortable with gOS then they can install Ubuntu. I think it's all good. Get their feet wet with Linux....about time. - technoredneck, on 11/21/2007, -0/+8This computer's audience does not consist of people that play computer games, aside from perhaps what's already on their computer. Hell, this computer's audience does not even consist of people that install software either.
And why do people never make this argument about 'newbie' computer users and Macs? I mean, really, I don't understand why the whole "zomg wut if they buy a winders game" argument is Linux-only. If it doesn't bother Joe Sixpack Mac users, I don't see why It would bother Joe Sixpack Linux users. - technoredneck, on 11/21/2007, -0/+7Q: How many macs can you buy at Wal-Mart?
A: The same number of gaming PCs you can buy there. - Acqua206, on 11/22/2007, -0/+7Bravo, someone gets it. Sometimes we get all wrapped up in our own little worlds that we start to think that everyone else is like us. Most the people I know don't even know what Linux is, let alone the various distros.
Most people don't know what digg, reddit, engadget, and arstechnica is. They know myspace and facebook. - mckooiker, on 11/21/2007, -1/+8See you in one year.
- mooninite, on 11/21/2007, -0/+7Everyone needs to stop worrying about the *name* and more about the *version* of the software included. Check the kernel version it is using. Then if you know the wireless card you want, just Google search for the driver for it and see if it's included in that kernel version. This will take you all of 5 minutes.
- opnickc, on 11/21/2007, -0/+6How many windows games run on any low end machine? e.g. My mom bought a new, budget level computer the same day Doom 3 came out. Could Doom 3 run on her system? HECK NO!
- canthraxp, on 11/21/2007, -0/+5As long as people takes out the idea that linux is ONLY for h4x0rz/geeks/server admins/etc, I'll be happy.
- williamdyer, on 11/21/2007, -1/+6Rich people need detergent and light bulbs, too, you know.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -2/+7I would give Steve Jobs nightmares as well. Imagine Linux taking over the world and not his beloved Macs.
- inactive, on 11/21/2007, -0/+5Way to pigeon hole.
- sirhomer, on 11/21/2007, -2/+7If you think everything is black and white in this world you are an idiot good sir.
- rheaume, on 11/21/2007, -0/+4Steve Jobs is having a heart attack then as people could buy 10-20 of these for the price of a decent Mac?
- surfing, on 11/21/2007, -1/+5Still not enough reason to get me into a Walmart again.
- Drgn547, on 11/21/2007, -0/+4The whole time Walmart was out of them, Newegg had them in stock. I got it in 2 days. gOS should have been called pOS because that's exactly what it is. After about 15 minutes of playing around in gOS, I wiped it out and installed Ubuntu - runs like a champ... except I can't get the Desktop Effects working... perhaps the video isn't robust enough?
- chrispeters, on 11/21/2007, -1/+5What is the point of having a laptop you have to keep plugged in continuously. Doesn't it defeat the purpose?
- CamZak, on 11/21/2007, -1/+5If you want a PC to just surf around, it's a better deal than spending $600 on a more powerful computer. Assuming the PC dies every year, that means for around the cost of an average PC, I can get three of them. Chances are in a years time, even if the gPC idea has failed, I'll be able to pick up another (probably even more powerful PC) for $199. It's not meant to be a speed demon, think of it as a WebTV that can run openoffice.
- skyteria, on 11/21/2007, -0/+4You're seriously worried about the warranty????
- opnickc, on 11/21/2007, -0/+4I've looked at the Salvation Army. Maybe it's different at the one you go to, but the one near me charges $200 MINIMUM for their old, POS systems. Granted, that usually includes a monitor, but I'd still say this is a better deal.
- gadgetlust, on 11/22/2007, -0/+3I got a desktop a couple of weeks ago with Vista basic installed. I hadn't used Vista previously, but after less than an hour of using it I could tell it was not going to work out between uu. I partitioned and formatted the drive and installed XP only to discover that XP didn't recognize my network card, meaning that I couldn't go online to find a driver for it... Except that I had an Ubuntu gutsy CD handy, which detected my network card, (as well as my modem, sound card and video adapter) enabling me to find out that the manufacturer hadn't posted any XP drivers to their website.
The learning curve for Ubuntu is still a bit steep at the initial stages (I still don't know how to pronounce it without sounding ridiculous, for example), but otherwise it is clean, startlingly responsive compared to XP, particularly with visual effects on. Sure the jell-o window effect is a bit unnecessary, but I like it a hell of a lot better than XP's default "maximize" effect -- you know, the one where the window is drawn one element at a time over a period of about 4 seconds? --- and I'm not sure how many times have I minimized or closed a document only to watch it SLO-WW--LY erase one row a time. (yeah sure, I need more ram, I need to defragment my hard drive - if I keep running XP, that is).
I think the main impediment to Ubuntu or any other distro becoming mainstream is the incompatibility of printers, network cards, and other hardware, but that problem is likely to drop off as the user base for Linux increases due to these kinds of pre-bundled installs. I'd say the writing is on the wall for anyone who makes money solely off of an operating system. Which is nobody, of course. But linux is getting really, really good these days, and a well configured linux machine is far more idiot-resistant than the equivalent windows machine. - Malakin, on 11/22/2007, -0/+3According to someone on the SPCR forums it uses 38 watts at idle, and I'm MUCH more likely to believe this. Even a notebook computer with all its focus on saving power will still use around 20 watts at idle. The Everex uses s 3.5" 7200rpm hard drive, which alone uses about 10 watts at idle. If you factor in the low efficiency of the power supply, the hard drive, by itself, would consume about 15 watts. I can easily see everything adding up to 38 watts at idle. If they used a 2.5" hard drive and a high efficiency power supply then it might use about 20 watts at idle.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php ... - williamdyer, on 11/21/2007, -0/+3Some are power hogs with slower processors. $200 is a good price point for something that works out-of-the-box.
- objectcode, on 11/21/2007, -2/+5i guess its better than being a wintard. your windows looks a lot different than my windows
- Mageling, on 11/22/2007, -0/+3Dugg for the "Windows ME 07" comment.
- Malakin, on 11/22/2007, -0/+3I've worked in the IT business for over a decade, and I actually think there may be fewer support needs for people who buy a well setup Linux computer over a Windows equivalent. It's very unlikely that users will get any viruses or malware on their computer. And Linux systems tend to come with possibly all the software most people would need, so its less likely for people to screw up their computers. Also, since people can't go and install every stupid little windows program that they see that they think might be cool, it's another reason why they're less likely to screw up their computer.
I've never used this gOS. I hope it doesn't suck too much. The way Linux is setup on those new Asus Eee's is pretty nice; everything most people would want is there and tasks like connecting to a wireless network, connecting to windows shared folder, connecting a printer, etc are all very simple.
I really think Linux acceptance has finally hit that point of critical mass. Setup a computer so that it's easy to use and people will like it. - JustAboutReal, on 11/21/2007, -0/+3I'd start a (we keep your secrets) cleaning service
- smartssa, on 11/21/2007, -0/+3if you hate walmart, hit ZaReason: http://www.zareason.com/shop/product.php?productid ...
- zareason, on 11/21/2007, -0/+2You can order one with wifi pre-installed from ZaReason: http://www.zareason.com/shop/product.php?productid ...
- laser314, on 11/22/2007, -0/+2Were you still holding your mouse when you wokeup?
- louiedog, on 11/21/2007, -3/+5That's funny. When I'm in Wal-Mart "herd" is the first word that comes to mind.
- CoolWind, on 11/21/2007, -0/+2thrifty
- banmaster, on 11/21/2007, -2/+4Would even an external USB one kill the warranty?
- technoredneck, on 11/21/2007, -0/+2Wal-Mart does a lot of bad things, but so do most other large retail chains. It's in bad taste to single Wal-Mart out merely because they're the biggest. If what they do really bothers you, you should research its competition, see the things they do, and boycott them too.
- Atomic1fire, on 11/22/2007, -0/+2considering its about more or less a hundred bux more for windows vista basic
and with all the complaints of
VISTA SUCKS by users and microsoft haters alike
which I have even heard people who are not linux fanboys say this stuff
linux might be a good idea now - codyman, on 11/21/2007, -1/+3Walmart employs 1.9 million people, they provide low prices, and the whole argument that they are "evil" is very one-sided in that people say they put the mom n' pops out of business, yet Walmart started off being a mom and pop business itself...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Wall-Mart_T ...
Watch that south park episode, I like how in the end they destroy the "evil" walmart and start going to the mom and pop shop so they can support small businesses, but upon supporting the small business, it grows (growth is a goal in business believe it or not...) and it eventually becomes a walmart like chain as well, only to be called evil... - technoredneck, on 11/21/2007, -1/+3To all of the anti-Wal-Mart fanboys saying they're not buying one of these because they're from Wal-Mart: Tell Wal-Mart this; you ain't doing anything posting it here. Nobody on Digg cares. Hell, if you're reading Digg, this computer was not intended for you anyway.
- technoredneck, on 11/21/2007, -0/+2Sure does. Shows it has the most appropriate hardware and software to give it the right price for its userbase which shops at the store where it's being sold. Imagine that.
- Charbax, on 11/21/2007, -0/+2This is the revolution. Soon everyone will be buying these when they need a new computer. As for games and applications, those will be ported to Linux when there will be a larger Linux install base. Very quickly, most computers sold will be below $200 and will be running Linux.
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