Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

More on Toronto's Linux-only Computer Store

Posted by michael on from the deluxe-wash-with-hot-penguin-wax dept.

bluethundr writes "The Register today is running a story about what we first thought (but thought incorrectly as it turns out) to be the world's first Linux-only computer store. Who knew that they were also running a Linux-powered car wash in the back? Heh."

8 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Dare it be possible... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I had several seizures during the slashdot blackout.... I actually went outside....there was all of this green stuff on the ground, first I thought they were sprites, but they were to photorealistic....It was scary......I am NEVER going back to that tepid land again!

  2. Free carwash? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't they have to give everyone free car washes under the terms of GPL?

  3. perfect, just what I needed by agwis · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't believe how many times I've been getting my car washed and thought "boy, I sure wish I could buy a computer while I wait"!

    If this business model becomes successful, I'm going to start my own. Look for a 'Pats Donuts and Computer Repair Shop' coming soon :P

    -Pat

  4. Some thoughts..... by thewldisntenuff · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wonder why the cost is higher....Can't be too hard to load up Linspire. Even states in TFA that it loads in only 10 mins. If anything, the costs should slightly lower (although TFA does not take into account for rebates, discounts, etc, so we can't be sure, eh?)

    The store remains focused on the Linspire (formerly Lindows) OS and office suite, says Silverman, with no immediate plans to start selling other distros from the store.
    For the regular user, Linspire is the most simple to work with," says Silverman. "It installs in less than ten minutes."

    I've been to their site before...They state on both Canadian and American sites the following -

    "Do you prefer a different Linux distro? We can accommodate most requests."

    Which does seem contradictory to TFA...Linspire seems hokey to me to be the primary distro. One would think that they would use a popular distro (ie-Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, etc) While Linspire is easy to use, I threw my younger sister into SuSE and Yast and she had a decent handle on things (Mind you, she's no geek but quite trendy, so a shock indeed :) ) I think they might be better off offering better/more distro options...

    Ditto on the hard disks preloaded with Linspire. A neat idea, although I bet it takes a bit for the distro to auto-detect the hardware, etc. For the non-Linux, this might troublesome.But a good idea nonetheless...Like Knoppix on steriods or something....

    Gotta love the rotating pengiun though....

    -thewldisntenough

    --
    My MythTV HowTo
  5. Linux and Booze by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Those MegaTouch games in many bars run Linux. Check out the credits, they thank the Linux community, and say sources available on request. Toggle the power to see lilo on boot.

    http://www.moneymachines.com/touch.html

    1. Re:Linux and Booze by sydsavage · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Those MegaTouch games in many bars run Linux.

      I was quite amazed to learn this fact while sipping suds at my local watering hole. There was a technician working on the machine, and had it open. Seeing the guts, it was pretty obviously just a pc inside. It even had a cd-rom drive, mounted sideways. When he was finished, and started it up, it looked (from across the room) to be Linux starting up.

      I asked the (extremely grumpy) repairman what OS was running on the box, and he grumped, "ly-nucks", with a frown. I asked him how he liked it, and he gave me a thumbs down.

      Then I quipped, "So you're more of a BSD guy, then?" He gave me a long stare, turned his back, and walked out. My drinking buddy thought it was pretty funny.

      Five minutes later, it was into it's endless reboot cycle that he'd been called in to fix. Freakin' genius.

      Seeing linux, as well as the technician's incompetence and rude manner, made me consider applying for a job with the vending company. I may yet, but I doubt my credentials would impress them.

  6. A job half done by Coupons · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...also running a Linux-powered car wash..."

    Fine, but they don't do windows.

    --
    If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it? ~ Albert Einstein
  7. Carwash caveats by gad_zuki! · · Score: 5, Funny

    The upside is that its free, but takes 18 hours of tweaking to actually clean your specific model the first time. If you have an import or a rare car, it might not clean it at all.

    There's a slim chance your car wont start after the wash, leaving all your gauges at 16, 16, 16, 16, 16...

    Your "Save the Whales" bumper sticker might be replaced with a "Save the Pengiuns" sticker or a photo of a fat guy in front of a computer will be appended to your original bumper sticker.

    Pasty employees will snort at your aftermarket body effects and graphics, unless they are glowing then they will tell you how 'l33T they are.

    Conversely, the very same pasty employees will give you the weakest high-five you have ever experienced if you have made any modifications to your onboard computer or stereo system.

    After the wash your car will not be able to share a lane with any car registered in Washington state.

    Your mileage will increase but for some inexplicable reason you'll have to learn how to drive stick as your automatic will cease to exist.