Slashdot Mirror
Wal-Mart Sells PCs Preloaded With Sun's Linux
badboy3062 writes "Wal-Mart this week started selling Microtel PCs preloaded with Sun's Java Desktop System. Prices start at under $300 for a system without a floppy drive or monitor. Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's executive vice president for software, says this move is just another step in its plan to gain new audiences for its technologies."
No... must... not... shop... at... evil... Wal*Mart... must... stay... away...
It kind of pains me to see this. Why does a store that I hate have to go and do something that smacks of coolness? Why couldn't it be Target or KMart?
And isn't Microtel a motel chain?
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
Because you know that a floppy drive adds hundreds to the manufacturing cost.
Quid festinatio swallonis est aetherfuga inonusti?
Africus aut Europaeus?
And here is the link to the accessory they recommend for this item (guess who).
I don't know whether this is informative or humorous. I chuckled and shook my head at the same time.
Microsoft Trackball Optical
HAHAHAHAHAH
REM Old programmers don't die. They just GOSUB without RETURN.
Hmmm...everyone's dying to put Linux on their X-Boxen, and Windows on their Linux boxen. I guess no one is every happy with their native OS.
Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had?
Why would you buy a Walmart PC with Linux on it for $300 and then go out and buy Windows for $150+ when you could just go buy a Dell with Windows XP preloaded on it for under $400? Unless you're planning on a five-finger discount on the Windows license it'd be more to buy a Linux box and put a non-OEM copy of Windows on it.
Methinks you answered your own question...
And is it "Internet Ready?"
But does it run Windows?
*groans* Now customers are going to call me... "How do I set up my server?" - "Sir, where did you get that server? HP? IBM?" - "Wal-mart!"
I can see it now
"Hello AOL internet support, how can I help you?"
"I just bought this PC from wallmart and I can't check my mail"
This sounds great at first glance but my gut feeling is that most of these units sold will be reformatted with Windows.
Yes, it's frightening the lengths people will go to to avoid paying their $699 licensing fee.
The real Ralph Yarro posts as Anonymous Coward. Anyone else is an impostor.
Does that mean we'll see them in a bulk pack of 5 for only $1000 at Sams? Sweet! When I get my 10000 pack of Ramen Noodles, I can get a pack of Linux computers too. Yeah-Hoo!
Welcome to Soviet Russia.
Depends on the ISP. Some, in the UK at least, such as Freeserve, don't let you use anything other than Windows, and perhaps an apple OS apparantly. But not Linux.
This is true, whenever a customer signs up for a freeserve account a private detective is sent around to check out what OS they're using. If they catch someone using Linux they shoot them dead. Happened to a friend of mine.
There are going to be a lot of systems out there with root passwords of "password" soon ;^)
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Linux = Anti-Monopoly Walmart = Attempting a Monopoly Why Sun..... Wwwwwhhhhhhyyyyyy???
you might notice the following:
The PC is up on blocks.
The case has a shotgun rack
The customer wears a wife-beater shirt with a penguin on the front.
There are dipstick oil marks on the floppy drive.
The hard drive is full of Johnny Cash MP3s.
The case is modded with a transparent confederate flag window.
The mousepad is red and black plaid.
Traces of pig feces on the keyboard.
The open source internet browser default page is www.y'all.com.
The USB port cover panel is welded shut.
The wallpaper on the desktop is of a scanned black velvet Elvis painting.
The case has a side-mounted spitoon.
The customer added an 8-track tape player in one of the drive bays.
There are John Deer stickers on the case.
-
"boxen" should have made the list of the "most hated buzzwords" poll.
only metrosexuals call their machines boxen.
I should then also mention that I wrote my post this morning inspired by the next equinoxen while being pulled by muskoxen avoiding toxins and checking my stoxen (stocks-en?) while eating bagles and loxen while speaking with religious orthodoxen about paradoxen.
Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had?
Metrosexual male looking to remove Virii from his Boxen that has all the latest BlingBling attached. I've Google'ed for Open Solutions but the Vortal interface conflicted with the Teledildonics.
"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson
when did they offer FreeDOS boxes?
A while back Microsoft decided to forbid the sale of boxes without an OS. Walmart in turn decided the best way to get around this was to sell boxes with a copy of FreeDOS on a floppy. Microsoft relented.
It's nice when an evil monopolistic 900 lb gorilla gets beaten down by another evil monopolistic 900 lb gorilla. It's like that Godzilla vs Gamara movie, except that we like Godzilla and Gamara.
The ______ Agenda
Of course, they're grossly understating things. These machines can run literally an infinite number of java applications.
Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
"How do you equate Wal-Mart haggling for better prices with Marxism!?"
Wal-Mart would only become like Marxism if they shot half their workers and forced the customers to wait in 3 hour lines to buy anything.
Instead of 3 out of 1,000 stores having workers locked in, you'd have 997 out of 1,000 stores with workers chained to the floor.
You can't serve customers when a Wal-Mart comes to town. Not unless you offer things that Wal-Mart dosen't.
Such as service. They aren't too lazy to open a few hours later or stay open a few hours later in order to offer me goods. At the same time, the downtown store's door is locked.
replacing smart people with mullet-worshiping rednecks
I do know what you mean there, bro. My local Wal-Mart has an altar with a giant mullet on it at the center. It is pretty hard to move around that part of the store due to all the rednecks genuflecting there.
I hope you get keyed.
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
I think they'll buy whatever runs Cabellas Big Game Hunter.
Linux needs an open source hunting game FAST!!! "Sales" will be through the roof.