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Big Retailers Timid About Selling Linux Boxen
RollWaves75 writes "Jay Lyman reports in IT Manager's Journal that major Linux retailers like Wal-Mart, CompUSA, Fry's and Best Buy are being timid and waiting to see how a small, Midwest-based chain called Micro Center fares in selling Linux software. Turns out that Micro Center not only is out-selling Wal-Mart in Linux systems, it is taking the bold step to have Linux-knowledgeable clerks and trained sales support for customers like you and me." From the article: "[Kevin Carmony] described three levels of mainstream retail Linux: Wal-Mart, which provides no sales support, only offering its Linux machines online; Fry's, where Linux is viewed as a loss leader on the ultra low end; and Micro Center, which is only carrying Linspire Linux at this point, but is behind Linspire's in-store training for reps, Micro Center Marketing Communications Manager Ed Lukens told ITMJ in an email. He said the chain, which is selling boxed and pre-installed Linspire 5.0 desktops and notebooks, will promote the Linux systems with offers through its direct mail pieces."
I used to live in Houston, TX (back when the world was young), and Micro Center was easily the best computer store in the city. They supported Windows and Mac equally, both with hardware, software, and classes. I am not surprised that they are doing so for Linux as well. In my opinion, this is exactly what Linux needs: Public exposure through a local store that can provide technical support to your average home user when it is needed.
I think it's time to give my local Micro Center store a visit.
The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
This usage stems from the 70s and 80s era usage of the plural "Vaxen" to refer to a class of computers which were based on Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX processor
I worked with Vaxen in the '80s. We also used terms like "time to rebootski," "cay-byools" for "cables," and "pooter" for "computer." We also quoted Monty Python, named our Vaxen after computers in William Gibson novels, argued over why Chekov never got his own ship, and giggled a lot. We were Geeks.
But we never presumed that if we were somehow persistent in our dweebishness that some of our geek-isms would be adopted in the English language proper. What is it with you 'virii' and 'cracker' and 'boxen' bozos that you seek such vindication from the mundanes? What, did the tech boom of the '90s so over-inflate your feelings of self-worth that you think you can wave some magic screwdriver and move language in any direction other than that which majority of people, the media, and academe doesn't want it to move?
English is a living language. Cope.
Right, And the Oxford English Dictionary (not... not... 'jargonfile' or 'wikipedia' or some other self-serving "hey, kids, let's put on a reference work! Gosh, I know, we can use the Web!!" recent invention) has its finger on the pulse of that living language. When the OED recognizes 'boxen' as meaning 'more than one box,' I'll deal with it, but in the long, long meantime, I'm suggesting it's you be the one doing the 'coping.'