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Micro ATX and Linux?

Posted by Cliff on from the you-can-only-be-this-tall... dept.

Chasuk asks: "I work at a large computer retailer in a college town, and I've finally convinced the powers-that-be to sell PCs with Linux pre-installed. The catch is, it will only be installed on Micro ATX machines, which require half-height everything, and we can't find a source of half-height Linux compatible PCI modems. Even those universal, generic half-height replacement hangers/brackets would be acceptable, but I can't find those, either. Can anyone on Slashdot help? "

6 of 79 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe you should rethink it then. by FesterDaFelcher · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why does it have to be installed on Micro ATX? I personally dont see you selling a lot of these, since (even if you dont want to hear this) the average Joe User is not going to be very receptive to a machine with Linux pre-installed. Make a cheap EXPANDABLE machine with Linux pre-installed, and you are going to appeal to a much larger base of users.

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  2. Re:External modems, why modems? by Bastian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    College town, not college campus. Not everyone in a college town is a student, and not all students live on campus.

  3. mod parent up! by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This will be even less expensive than getting "real" modems, and will make your boss smile... It'll make some of the purchasers curse like sailors, but hey...

  4. Re:Good luck finding cheap internal modems by Mr.+Piddle · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You get what you pay for...

    Very true. After getting burned a couple of times, especially by that Rockwell nonsense, I have absolutely no qualms about spending $80 on a new modem.

    I now have a gorgeous external Hayes modem, and it works everywhere (UNIX, Linux, Windows) and is very nicely programmable with good documentation and has an internal CPU. No winmodem bullshit, all I need is a serial port.

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  5. Re:More Important... by Micro$will · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I doubt many average computer users would know what to do with Linux if they got it. I also doubt many of those who want it want it preloaded with whatever distribution you decide to load.

    The average computer user wants an "Intarweb Appliance" they can plug in and use without having to install an OS. As long as everything works they won't know or care what goes on under the hood. Its only power users that will buy a system sans OS due to the amount of useless crap OEMs install on their retail images.

  6. Re:Good luck finding cheap internal modems by Chasuk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm not lookling for a modem which is "cheap," necessarily. But it does need to be internal, and it needs to work in Linux, and it needs to be low profile.

    I can't find a controller based PCI HALF-HEIGHT modem, which is what I was hoping Slashdot would be able to help me find.

    A Linmodem would be acceptable, but only if it is also half-height with an inexpensive/free driver.

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