Mirus to Ship Desktop Computers with Linspire

segphault writes "Ars Technica reports that Mirus has teamed up with Linspire and plan to ship budget desktop PCs with Linspire preinstalled. From the article: 'Designed specifically for optimal Linux compatibility, the Mirus Koobox line computers feature AMD processors and Linspire preinstallation. The Koobox systems, which start at US$299, will come with a variety of open source applications, including Firefox and OpenOffice. [...] At this point it is hard to assess the potential of the Koobox systems. If it succeeds, the product could help legitimize desktop Linux and bring it further into the mainstream. Regardless of how many get sold, the availability of yet another budget Linux PC illuminates the growing popularity of the Linux platform, and contributes to the perception that Linux is applicable to desktop computing. With Dell selling low-cost computers sans OS, and Apple selling the popular Mac Mini at a price that doesn't look as much like typical Apple extortion, Mirus is going to have to fight an uphill battle to pick up a worthwhile chunk of the desktop PC market.'"

Comments

Hmm, not exactly pretty systems

[hattig]

But the price is compelling, and the hardware specifications don't seem that bad.

The $299 system is pretty good - Sempron 2800+ (S754 variety I suspect), only 256MB RAM, only a CDRW, only a 40GB hard drive. It's the cheap system that few people buy, but gets the eyes onto the site.

The $399 system is much more sensible. Sempron 3000+, 512MB RAM, DVD-RW, 160GB hard drive. That's not a lot of money more, but it gets you essential memory, and decent storage options.

Issues are: 90 day warranty. That's piss poor for an item of consumer electronics.

However it'll outperform today's Mac Mini that costs $499. Will it out-perform the Mac Mini that'll be announced on Tuesday (allegedly)? That might have a dual-core Yonah, and it'll certainly have Apple's industrial design.

As for the OS, I'm sure it works. Hopefully it isn't a cluttered desktop though. That'd scare away users.

Re:Hmm, not exactly pretty systems

[lisaparratt]

However it'll outperform today's Mac Mini that costs $499.

I think that all depends on whether you measure performance in MHz, or in the amount of productive work a machine allows you to do. Macs might not do too well in the first category, but they're devastatingly powerful in the second.

Re:Hmm, not exactly pretty systems

[hattig]

I have an iBook, so I agree with you totally.

However a decently configured Linux PC (i.e., not this one as it runs Linspire, the screenshots didn't look like an easy-to-use desktop OS) would come with all the software you'd need, without limitations. How many users would know to find Adium X for chatting on their Mac Mini? At least until iChat does MSN anyway... On the other hand iPod owners would prefer the Mac Mini because of iTunes and support.

At least a Mac comes with far more software by default than a Windows PC, and the software is arguably easier to use - iTunes, Safari, Mail ...

But if you can only afford $400 then your options are going to be restricted. Arguably you shouldn't be buying a PC if you can't afford more than $400, but say you're a student or something... Hell, then I'd get either a laptop or a Mac Mini because they're easy to transport.

Oh, a new record for me:

Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment.

It's been 51 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment

Doesn't work...

[Chaffar]

Any PC that comes pre-installed with a Linux distro should come with a label that says WARNING: YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PUT IN SOME EFFORT ... people expect their PCs to have the usability of their washing machines, i.e, you press this-then-this to send an email/write an essay/download pr0n...

Besides no tech support team would be allowed to tell you HOW to install XMMS/Azureus/DVD ripper, and these user will HAVE to *gasp* search for sites such as the unofficial Ubuntu Guide to get things done...

Elitist talk? Maybe... I just don't see the point in selling a PC pre-installed with a specific *nix distro when in the end it would require the EXACT same effort from the buyer to buy a virgin PC and install the distro of his choice (or the one recommended by his friend(s)).

Cheap PCs?

[vettemph]

Why must everyone push "cheap PCs" via linux. Any vendor that offers a cheap linux PC should also offer an expensive linux PC. Linux isn't about cheap, It's about power and freedom.
  Of course, Windows is also about power, but the power is not yours.

Re:Hmm...

[BaltikaTroika]

It IS ready for grandma to use. She wants to go onto the internet? She clicks on Firefox - same in Windows as in Linux. Email? She clicks on Thunderbird - same, again, under both OSes. Word processing? Open Office is the same again - and a newbie can't tell the difference between it and Office, which might come installed on a Windows system.

Newbies want ease of use. My father, after running into some viruses, asked me to "do whatever you want, as long as I can go onto the internet, do my email and not worry about viruses." One install of SuSE later (about three months ago), he's happy. NOTE: I *did* have a bit of a time getting his Canon scanner and printer running smoothly, though!

Of course, newbies also see all kinds of software on the net - screensavers, Bonzo Buddy, you name it - that they fell somehow fills a void in their lives. Having Linux on their system might not be a bad idea in this case. :)

That said, I'm not a big Linspire fan and agree that some other distribution could have been used instead.

Baltika