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Best Buy Is Selling Ubuntu
SirLurksAlot writes "It appears that Best Buy is now selling Ubuntu, both through its Web site and in its brick-and-mortar locations. Going by the release on the product page, Ubuntu has actually been available for the low, low price of $19.99 since May 6th of this year. It is being packaged as the 'Complete Edition.' While they don't specify on the site what version is being offered, a quick call to a local store revealed it to be Hardy Heron, the latest Long Term Support version. How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?"
because verily nobody is stupid enough to buy something they can download legally! Right? Right!? I mean come on, people don't even buy stuff they can download illegally anymore ...
Because no one is stupid enough to even look to pay for something that is free.
Because, frankly, no one cares?
Lies about crimes
'Cons: Doesn't come in Ultimate and Premier editions'
Ha ha.
Nobody who knows anything about computers shops at Best Buy.
I used to buy Linux... specifically SuSE 5.x an 6.x editions. I didn't have high speed internet at the time, so it was cheaper to buy the CDs and download any new patches/software via dialup. At the time Linux was both a hobby diversion and the only alternative I could see to putting an OS on my computer since Windows 95/98 was rather expensive to buy.
While I think BestBuy should be congratulated for putting Ubuntu in stores, even if they are charging $20 for it (wayyyy cheap compared to Windows Vista or XP). I predict it will not go well for them, however, mostly because high speed internet is so widespread and as usual people will buy it and bring it back when they can't run The Sims or whatever Windows game they run.
This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
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Why not have them get Ubuntu for $20 at Best Buy? The fact that you can buy it at a brick and mortar store increases it's apparent validity as an operating system, and it has open office and firefox right out of the box, so the functionality they're used to is still there.
Another point: Why not buy a copy of Ubuntu yourself to drive up support for Linux? If sales analysts see that X number of Ubuntu boxes were sold from Best Buys than it's likely we'll see more and more vendor support for linux coming out.
You thought wrong.
they show you the other Best Buy web site where the list price of Ubuntu is $49.99, including two years of online community support.
It's been unnoticed probably because it was displayed in those unbranded cheapo kiosks selling Phantasmagoria for 9.99$ and Outpost for 4.99$
Customer Rating: 5.0
Worth every penny and then some 07/08/2008
By StarReviewer from Moronville, KY Read all my reviews
Pros: Cheap, includes office software, robust
Cons: Doesn't come in Ultimate and Premier editions
"I could go on and on, but Ubuntu Linux is the way to go. I have been using Windows XP for at least 3 years and when Vista was released, I went and upgraded to Vista Ultimate.
Even though Vista Ultimate has some really good features, I had to purchase Office software separately. Total cost of software: ~$1000.00!
That is when I said enough is enough I need to look for a new Operating System. A friend of mine pointed me to Best Buy's site and send me a link to Ubuntu. I purchased the OS and also Installation by Geek Squad for only $150.00. Even though I paid $170, I can tell you the included software was worth it. It includes office productivity software similar to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Not only that, updates are free. Which means when they come out with a new version of Ubuntu, I don't have to pay more money - which I gladly will if I had to!
I would highly recommend this product. My only question is why doesn't it come in different flavors? I would be willing to pay for features like Media Center and stuff like that.
--Grateful computer user."
GPL says they can do anything with the code as long as it remains GPL. That includes selling it.
Or am I missing something?
I would assume that, since the blurb says it's "the latest Long Term Support version," it includes some form of long term support.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
wtf? I thought you weren't allowed to actually "sell" Ubuntu for money? (Besides, of course, ordering the cd from Ubuntu for like $1)
Break out the beer folks, this one's gotta be good.
Absolutely nothing in the GPL states that you couldn't sell it (as long as you include the source code). So keep your beer and actually read the terms you are talking about next time.
Yes, No , Yes, Yes (from Ubuntu wiki/forums)
Comcast blocked my BitTorrent, what choice do I have?
as predicted the break down of posts so far is
- idiot! why would I buy anything I can download for free
- doh! they'll return it when they realise that Windows SW does not work
- how can you sell something when it is given away freely?
They can sell it for as much as they want as long as they preserve the license - they are only selling the CD manufacturing and packaging as a service.
Ans I think this has all been a little unsupportive.
Frankly I support any and all efforts to make Linux more widespread, and a great many people will feel happier with a pressed CD instead of a cheapo burnt one. Yes we can download it, but we are NOT the target audience here.
And, to be honest, I'm just happy enough that it is now considered possible to sell it in best buy - that would of been unthinkable a few years ago.
If this caters for a new audience, or gets even a few thousand more people using it - then fair play to them.
The're is nothing wrong with selling it. It can even be useful for people who don't have a fast internet connection.
What I don't understand is that they label the publisher to be ValuSoft
WTF is ValuSoft ??!??
What I think would be smart is if they added a really good printed manual and/or Ubuntu book with it. I read through the description and couldn't find anything about extra material, but again, I think what they are doing is ok, but for a non-expert, a really nice install guide / intro to Ubuntu would make it look more tempting than say, just downloading an .iso file and burning your own disks.
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
Seeing as how we have been purchasing bottled water (free almost everywhere you go...) for the last decade or so, it shouldn't come as too big a shock......
Apparently, this is for U.S. customers only. bestbuy.ca doesn't sell Ubuntu.
All in all, this is great news though. The fact that they charge $20 has some zealots complaining, but I think that any exposure for non-Windows OS's is great. The fact that Best Buy will install it for customers is better news still.
Hopefully they follow up by selling PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed.
This space left intentionally blank.
But are Best Buy offering to supply the source code? They have to do that if they distribute GPL software.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?
;)
The answer is obvious - real geeks don't shop at Best Buy. We shop at Future Shop.
The publisher of this boxed release of Ubuntu Linux is ValuSoft according to Best Buy website. Going on the ValuSoft website, I found they're a *cheap stuff* publishing company, and even worse, I couldn't find Ubuntu on their own web site...
This makes me ask the question: Why don't they sell it on their website too if it's such a good idea to sell it?
Now if they can start selling computers without the Windows tax, we'd be all set.
ValuSoft is a division of THQ. They publish and distribute (usually inexpensive and crappy) games and software. I would imagine they are the ones that produce the disc, box, and booklets that come with this Ubuntu package and they handle distributing it to stores. I'd be interested to see if the box has anything on it about the sort of tech support you can get. I kind of doubt ValuSoft is handling tech support for Ubuntu. That seems beyond their scope.
1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
Valusoft is a division of THQ (game publisher) that sells cheap software which includes both games and productivity software. I'm assuming they've arranged some sort of deal to be able to distribute Ubuntu to retailers.
AFAIK, it's not only being sold at best buy but at Amazon and other places.
wtf? I thought you weren't allowed to actually "sell" Ubuntu for money? (Besides, of course, ordering the cd from Ubuntu for like $1)
Break out the beer folks, this one's gotta be good.
Absolutely nothing in the GPL states that you couldn't sell it (as long as you include the source code).
But are they?
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Seriously. In the mind of Joe Sixpack (who shops at Best Buy for his computer gear), software that costs more than Vista should be better than Vista. I'm sure there would be people who would buy it, and it might even raise more awareness with the higher price. There are plenty of examples of when higher prices drove demand up. In the absence of other knowledge, consumers will assume something that costs more is worth more.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Why wouldn't they? If someone actually buys it from them and demands the source, they can just download from Ubuntu and burn it on the spot, and they'll still be very much ahead.
This past weekend, I decided to try to rehabilitate an old (1996 BIOS) laptop into an externally facing home web server. Hey, guess what? My hardware doesn't support home-burned CDs! I was just starting to look for a distro available in a pressed CD format. I'm glad to find out I can run down to Best Buy on my way home from work and just pick one up.
Nothing for 6-digit uids?
I would assume that, since the blurb says it's "the latest Long Term Support version," it includes some form of long term support.
No, Long Term Support (LTS) refers to Canonical's commitment to supporting a major release (which are only released biannually) for 5 years, mostly, AFAIK, through patches. It does not refer to Canonical or Best Buy's commitment to offering other kinds of tech support.
A linux distro I can pirate.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
Free as in Freedom, that is. Like it or not, Free means being able to charge for it if you want to. If someone wants to take Ubuntu's gift to the world and sell it, that's their right under the GPL. And someone will buy it. Distasteful? Sure. But you can't have this "Freedom" thing both ways.
I would assume that, since the blurb says it's "the latest Long Term Support version," it includes some form of long term support.
Bzzz, sorry, thanks for playing.
Re-read what you just said: "the latest Long Term Support version"
This just means that you're getting the same version you'd get *if* you paid for support, it doesn't mean that you yourself are getting support.
Nothing for 6-digit uids?
I would assume that, since the blurb says it's "the latest Long Term Support version," it includes some form of long term support.
Despite what one may infer from the somewhat misleading https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS , the "support" in Long Term Support (LTS) means that they will provide bug fixes and software updates for 3/5 years. It does not mean that you'll get direct professional support (e.g. actual tickets with an SLA, toll-free live-person support, etc).
Since they practically try to get you to sign up for some protection plan or another for just about everything you buy at Best Buy (except candy and soda right before you check out I believe).
If I were to hear this I don't know if I would cringe or just uncontrollably laugh.
All kidding aside, yeah $20 for Ubuntu is a little funny to US, but at least its exposing it to the general populace, who honestly, aren't going to hunt it down, or look into it, but may, stumble across it, online. It brings it more up front which is a good thing.
Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!
If you have a slow connection or you don't have a burner, you can get a pretty looking CD from Canonical by mail. They don't even charge for shipping. https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
Its a good move by bestbuy to sell ubuntu... Yea I see that ubuntu is being sold while you can get it all for free but how many people do you really see around that have any idea about linux and how it works... Once they get used to it, it'll just as simple as using windows although we all know linux is a little more complicated sometimes... Everything works but sometimes you need work around stuff... Eventhough they are selling it, they are increasing the popularity and support is what a lot of people look for even on windows and now when they can just drive to next block and figure things out it just gives people a little more courage to put it to use.
They don't need to include the source (Ubuntu doesn't on their CDs either). They just need to offer the option. If someone asks, they can always download the source and burn it on the spot.
You kommie hating swine pig bear man you !!
Let's assume most people in BestBuy that have computers already have Windows. How are they going to use Ubuntu exactly? Last time I checked, most Linux distros can use free space to sit alongside Windows or blitz it completely and sit on top. Most machines don't have any free space....
This isn't a troll, I'll be real interested how many people accidentally pick the latter option without realising the consequences.
This should fly with geeks, but if too many joe sixpacks end up bombing their partitions accidentally, it could backfire?
throw new NoSignatureException();
I remember seeing RedHat sold at "Software, Etc" when I was about 13 years old. Curious about this alternative operating system, I went to the Waldenbooks next door and looked for books about RedHat in the "computer" section. A lot of the books about RedHat, or Linux in general, came with CDs filled with different distributions. If it wasn't for those books and stuff, I don't think I would have ever used or really known that much about Linux. People spend a lot of time in stores...you never know what might peak their interest ;)
I'm pretty sure you can just download it for free.
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu
Let's face it -- if it isn't something that comes in a colorful box with a nice shiny-paged booklet and screenprinted CD, some folks won't touch it. Case in point is my uncle. He's somewhat computer savvy but doesn't trust anything that you can "just download off the intarnets" -- to his way of thinking it's not legitimate software unless it comes in a professionally produced package.
:) ), but that mythical "average computer user" we keep hearing about will probably find it comforting to get their dose of Ubuntu through a "legitimate" source, like Best Buy (meh).
I "get it" of course (and have since 1998...
Frankly, anything that will show the suits that Linux (pick your flavor) has sufficient market-share and penetration on the desktop is a Good Thing -- sales equals maturity/legitimacy.
Cheers,
BeerGeek
-- If it won't move, get a hammer. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
EULAs are not enforceable in court. The terms don't matter either way.
Last time i read the GPL ( i admit its been a while, version 1 i think.. ) you don't even have to include the source. You only have to make it available "at cost" for people that request it.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Q: How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?
A: Because it's BEST BUY!
Cheapbytes has survived selling distros for several years now. Purchased from them myself to have a complete set rather than downloading a couple DVDs. Generally speaking, they're a lot cheaper than $20 but, then, not so much on the pretty retail box and store distribution.
In 1999 I purchased TurboLinux (of all things) at a brick-and-mortar CompUSA store -- which was next door to a Best Buy even. It sat on the shelf next to boxed versions of Red Hat and a couple of others. Yes, Linux has been on mainstream retail shelves for years, and you might have noticed this by now if you ventured outside your basement at least once a decade.
But are Best Buy offering to supply the source code?
How do you know that the relevant source isn't included in the box?
Amen!
I don't think buying Ubuntu is supporting Linux at all. It's supporting Best Buy if anything. If I want to support linux by paying I'll just donate on their website.
That's actually a very good point. Do you think the maturity of the product is what is holding Linux back from being installed on every PC in retail stores? I don't think so.
I think what is holding Linux back is the fact that Photoshop and some of my other favorite programs won't run on it without Wine or some other method, and many of my favorite games won't run on it either, and that it doesn't come pre-installed on the vast majority of PCs sold.
If donating to a Linux community would help all of those factors than that would be the first thing I'd suggest to help Linux, but right now I think it's the vendors that are holding it back, not the quality of Linux itself.
Even so, you're correct in stating that buying it from Best Buy has a dubious benefit to getting support out there, but in my opinion it's one of the first time we've been given then chance to vote with our wallets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Cola It tastes quite nice, and it isn't made with HFCS like most soft drinks are now. It is a little more expensive though, but its worth it to have my drink match my OS :)
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Are you happy that best buy is sanitizing the customer reviews to prevent anyone mentioning that it's freely available elsewhere?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&tab=7&id=1211587312374&skuId=8888563&childSku=null&count=null#headerCustomerReviews
I'm not.
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god." - Thomas Jefferson
I would bet that it's on the install disk...
Right. There isn't even anything that says you have to host the source yourself on your own server AFAIK. So it's not clear to me that Best Buy can't just point people to the Ubuntu website and say, "There, you can get the source code on this site."
I should become a reseller of best buy to ubuntu. I have 50 copys right now on my desk that I got for free. I'd sell em to best buy to sell for 1.00 each + shipping.
I think it is funny that someone would spend 20.00 for something ubuntu.com will mail you for free.
It's been known as Pidgin for over a year now, Best Buy. Get with the program...no pun intended.
I'm going to use this opportunity to rant about the minimum system requirements for modern Linux distros. Linux used to have the reputation of being able to run on older under-powered machines. Not true anymore. I loaded Ubuntu on my old Fujitsu tablet PC. It has a Pentium 233 with 96 megs of RAM. It starts using swap as soon as gdm loads. Useless. I have an AVR32 NGW100 board with 64megs of RAM on it and I can build the entire operating system with buildroot and it runs X with blackbox and still has plenty of RAM to spare to run a web browser or even the VICE emulator :-)
Look at the system requirements for XP Home compared to Ubuntu. The modern Linux distros are just as guilty of bloat as Windows is.
Death is life's great reward. R. Hoek
Frankly I support any and all efforts to make Linux more widespread, and a great many people will feel happier with a pressed CD instead of a cheapo burnt one. Yes we can download it, but we are NOT the target audience here.
You can also request a free CD from Canonical.
I guess I should point out that my first copy of linux, Redhat 4.2, was purchased at Best Buy in 1997. I later bought 5.2. Back then you got a set of CDs, including source, a thick paper manual, and a Redhat sticker. Well worth the $30 or so I paid both times.
So.... how is this news?
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
Would you like a Service plan with that? It protects you for defects!
How about some ink? Paper? Printer Cable.. its gold you know!
How about a UPS Backup to protect you Linux from Lighting.
Maybe reward zone so you can get other Linux Products at a discount?
Ok how about a subscription to Sport Illustrated? So you have something to read as Linux installs.
Would you like to put that on you Best Buy Card and get it financed for 3 months no interest?
OR I could you know download it for free and skip all this bullshit! Yeah I think I know what to do.
And, to be honest, I'm just happy enough that it is now considered possible to sell it in best buy - that would of been unthinkable a few years ago.
Linux comes and goes in retail stores. Redhat was like that.
http://www.redhat.com/about/presscenter/2001/press_7-2.html
Thats some lame press release that mentions RH was at Best Buy in 01.
Linux gets a try by the public for a bit, then something goes wrong, and they revert back. Its like that every few years. Redhat, then Dell's w/ linux, then Walmart Linux box and now Ubuntu at Best Buy.
Its all a big cycle, that really leads to more money in MS pocket (for the vast majority of non-techie users).
They don't even have to include the source code in the box as long as they provide a way to download it from somewhere.
[alk]
Hooray! This finally puts Linux right up there with "Deer Hunter 7"!
'This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it' - Eeyore
So when are they going to sell linux?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
When you can get it sent to your home for free.
https://shipit.ubuntu.com/
In this case, I have to say that this may be the best advertising Linux ever had.
(as long as they ignore the "advice" from Best Buy's sales staff) More people are going to discover that Linux is a decent OS for their older desktops that are running (or not) virus-laden, crapware-encrusted versions of Windows for which they no longer have re-install media.
How long until people get sued for pirating Ubuntu?
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
On the one hand, it is great for Linux that any version is being sold by a mainstream retailer. It is one thing for some local computer store to sell it but a chain like Best Buy has to make a decision like this pretty high up. Simply seeing on the shelf at a big box retailer gives it legitimacy in many people's eyes.
.config files. Given that I still have people who are impressed that I diagnose things in Windows with a command prompt, the idea of navigating a hard drive, via a keyboard no less, with a character based interface is as foreign a concept as speaking Farsi. I wonder how many people will give it a try and throw up their hands in frustration and give up. The next time that person hears Linux mentioned they'll be quick to inject a comment about having tried it and how complicated it was. At that point, the Linux community best pray that the listener isn't like a number of people in this community and makes the original speaker feel stupid because they couldn't get it to work and Heaven forbid they have any piece of hardware not supported by Linux or the fact that "it wouldn't even work on my machine" will be added when the person *knows* that Windows worked.
On the other hand, I wonder about the downsides of this. Linux is still a pain the butt for the newbie to use. While a great number of the things the average person wants to do are automatically configured, should a user want to do something a little different they descend quickly in xterm and hand editing
I hope Best Buy has a good support line set up to help people or this could get ugly quickly.
SO, I have a copy of Windows that came with my computer, but I keep getting emails for V14GRA. That must be because of Windows. Why don't I pay $20 for Ubuntu, and get rid of Windows? Time Lapse - Hey! Why do my programs not work anymore? How do I check my email? Why do my Word Documents open with OpenOffice? I had better call support!
Jeeze - That's going to be the hardest earned $20 any company has ever earned. They would be better off selling the computers with Ubuntu pre-installed at a discounted rate! I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I would bet that this offering won't last long. But hey, I could be wrong...
"Does this wine taste funny to you?" -- Socrates
And, to be honest, I'm just happy enough that it is now considered possible to sell it in best buy - that would of been unthinkable a few years ago.
Honestly, I don't get what the big deal is. It's a big step for Ubuntu, but I think some people here are misinterpretting this as a big step for Linux.
Maybe they haven't been to a software store in a while (lol @ linux and piracy), but I bought Red Hat from Best Buy around 10 years ago.
Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
Linux has been sold in stores for years and years and years.
There is more than just the code in a free software distribution:
http://www.ubuntu.com/aboutus/trademarkpolicy
Ubuntu is a mark owned by canonical, if you don't abide by their policy, especially with commercial products, you must remove every mention of anything that is trademarked in order to distribute the rest of the GPL'ed code.
1) Request free CD from Canonical
2) Sell for $19.99
3) ???
4) Profit!
Actually, step 3 can be left out...
But are Best Buy offering to supply the source code? They have to do that if they distribute GPL software.
No, Ubuntu is required to offer the source, and they more than willingly do that. If Best Buy created their own GeekSquad Linux then they'd have to offer the source for that.
This guy's the limit!
You don't have to supply source code if you made no modifications to the already-available source code, IIRC.
One of the biggest frustrations I have with Ubuntu and linux in general is its lack of support certain features because they are "owned" or proprietary in some way. My biggest beef is with media codecs, and more specifically, the ability to play any DVD, CD, or video stream. Now I know people have cracked these things and you can get them to work, but they never seem to work just right.
My point being that if this off-the-shelf version of Ubuntu came with those feature, and part of the costs was to pay for your version of the proprietary things that can't usually be included, then I'm all for it. Sadly I doubt this is the case for this version, but I think it is a good idea for the near future. At least until a better option is reached.
I don't think Best Buy has to.
Canonical does. CompUSA used to sell Mandrake, RedHat, and Suse and they didn't include the source in the retail package. Well at least not for Suse which is the one I bought. It was available for download from Suse's website.
I don't think Best Buy has to provide the source on request, Canonical does if Best Buy is just acting as a reseller for Canonical.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
You don't actually have to have the source code on the CD with the software. All you need to do is provide a way for the user to acquire the source code for free. So they could just include a slip of paper and say "Just go to ubuntu.com and look for it".
It's actually legal to have it only available by request.
Ubuntu will ship the cool looking pressed cd for free, last I checked so you are paying for the support. So order some and hand them out.
Someone already bought it and took pics: http://princessleia.com/journal/?p=1262
It looks like Valusoft contacted Canonical to do the 2 month support or something like that. At any rate, this is a pretty good thing. Lets hope it takes off so it ah gets better shelf placement :)
Waaay back in prehistoric times (mid to late 90s), Comp USA sold Linux in its stores. It had all the main distros (RH, SuSe, Mandrake), and some of the lesser ones (Slackware). After awhile they cut it to the Big 2 (RH, SuSe), and then dropped it completely.
Frankly, I'm glad to see a B&M store carrying Linux again. It won't make any difference to the /. crowd, but it gives it some extra exposure.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Your average Joe already paid for Windows. So now for $19.99 he can have the pleasure of doing an OS install?
The last time I checked, Ubuntu is a live CD, thus an OS installation is not necessary to try it out.
So I can spend $20 or spend 4 hours waiting on the download.
I think I will get a copy on my way home since I have to stop there anyhoo
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
GPL is not an end user license agreement though. It doesn't grant you permission to use the software, it spells out the terms under which you may distribute the software. You can ignore the terms and distribute copies or derivative works, but if you do, you're violating copyright, because following the GPL was the only method that gave you permission to do so.
How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?
Because nobody I know with any common sense doesn't shop at Best Buy?
-spag
WWJD -- What Would Jimi Do?
(Smash amp, burn guitar, take home the groupies)
They have to be prepared to send you a digital copy of the source code, on some obvious physical medium like cd-rom.
And of course, the caveat is that though they can charge you for it, you are perfectly free to charge for it once you have it in your possession (just as if you had downloaded it.)
Best Buy has been selling Linux distros for close to 10 years. They had SuSE on the shelfs for years and even had DebIan and slackware box/book combos for awhile. Every article talking about this is making it sound like linux is finally making a toehold on the shelf. Maybe this is Ubuntus shelf debut? It is definitely nothing new for linux.
*DrugCheese rants*
Best Buy will install it for you--and they'll charge you $150.
"Mommeeeeee! Please buy me Ubuntu! Please, please please?"
This reminds me of something that happened this very week at work. Local Windows Admin came by my desk and asked me for a copy of Linux, he's never tried it, wants to start learning it and playing around. I give him a copy of my Ubuntu CD and he's off an running.
He comes to me the next day disappointed. He continues to explain, "This sucks... I installed on my laptop with zero problems. First thing to tackle was an AIM client.. but it was already installed. So then I decided I need VNC for work, but it was already installed to, along with a terminal services client. Finally, I realized I needed a VPN client.. DAMMIT! It was there too! I heard all these stories about tinkering around and getting stuff to work.. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT! "
He then asks me if I have another version of "Unix" that is more difficult.
Linux has come a loooooong way since I was playing with 1.0.xx kernels on Slackware.
Awesome!
so that MS is not buying BestBuy to stop it!
They only need to provide a written offer to get the source code.
I think this is great exposure for Linux. I have Ubuntu running on a spare laptop, and it's perfect for getting online, checking email, blogging, etc... With so many online apps these days, it's getting less important what operating system you use. Obviously us "power users" have our outrageous requirements, but the average user just wants to get online and play some games. Also, I don't want to downplay Linux by saying it's only for average users. It CAN compete with Windows, but it needs this kind of widespread recognition before the mainstream users will give it a chance. I just hope BestBuy makes it very apparent that this is an OS. I read on a forum somewhere (maybe /.?) that someone was upset that their Ubuntu game didn't work, and it changed their desktop. I can totally see this happening to many an average user.
You are missing something: Ubuntu trademark
To use the trademark in a sales environment, one must get a license to said trademark from the trademark owner. Yes, you can sell it, but you cannot use the trademark without permission from the trademark owner.
What does Canonical say about this?
Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
The source code only has to be available, not included as part of the package, and Best Buy does not have to supply the source code but the manufacturer/distributor must either provide the source code or a link to where the source cod can be downloaded or otherwise obtained.
For example, lots of companies that sell low-end audio recording equipment include a copy of Audacity. The companies that put audacity in a box and send it to Best Buy are bound by the GPL - that doesn't fall on Best Buy's shoulders.
..we'll still end up giving them free support.
Show a man some news, distract him for an hour. Show a man some mod points, distract him for the rest of his life.
Nice that Linux is now on their radar screen. I hope they include several CD's to avoid the need for broadband downloads, including Universe and Multiverse.
However, it would be much better if they offered the choice of Ubuntu LTS pre-installed on PC's and laptops. Especially since all they offer now is Vista and it is such a disaster.
I could buy a system pre-loaded with XP and repartition to squash the XP down to less than a quarter of the drive (for the rare occasions when I need to use Windows). I could then load Linux on the freed-up space. Vista limits the reduction to 50%, which is not enough. I don't want to waste that much of my drive. Pre-loaded Ubuntu would solve the problem of making my primary OS Linux.
I hope they sell a gazillion copies of Ubuntu and decide to go a step further and offer it pre-loaded.
I don't think Canonical is seeing any money from this. The packaging, etc is completly different than the one they link to from their site at Amazon, and nowhere does it look like it comes from ValuSoft. With GPL software you are allowed to modify the software and sell it forward or not even change anything and sell it. Plus what the .. is Ubuntu Complete Edition? If you want to support them by buying it I would go with Amazon for now until we know what's up.
Sounds like ValuSoft trying to make some money off free software they didn't put any work into.
(They should sell it with 1yr support though for a higher price and a nice manual or something.)
One of the reviews reveals the *real* reason they're selling it:
This is the same gang that wants to charge you $150 to "set up" your brand new Vista laptop - when all that means is booting it, burning the 2 backup dvds, and rebooting.
The newbie gets a new hard disk, all their old data and os remains intact, it's easier to install on a secondary drive anyway, and you make a few bucks.
You're paying $20 for a pretty box, pressed CD, shelf space, and maybe some printed docs. ;)
The OS is still free
I hope they give some back to some of the OSS projects that make Ubuntu (and Linux as a whole) great
Shameless plug alert: Game server control panel
They didn't have to arrange a deal. It's free software.
I predict it will not go well for them, however, mostly because high speed internet is so widespread and as usual people will buy it and bring it back when they can't run The Sims or whatever Windows game they run.
I just don't think you're in the target market for this product.
The target market is really techies who've heard about this Linux thing, but don't really trust a product you can get for free. They want to exchange some money and expect a modest level of support. (I'd hope this comes with a little support for your $20, but I don't know that it does). This isn't Joe Sixpack, though it might be his kid. They don't expect to be able to run a Windows game on it, though they do expect they'll be SOME games available for the thing.
The other target market might just be bargain hunters. They've got an old PC in the back room that's running slow after years of installing garbage on it, and couldn't even run Vista if they tried. They understand that it's not going to do everything Windows did for only $20. They only expect it'll make their computer run again (which it likely will). These bargain hunters aren't tech-savy enough to download a CD and burn it, but they're tech savy enough to put a CD in a drive and click through some screens. If it breaks, $20 isn't a lot of money, and the PC never worked right in the first place.
AccountKiller
The post by 'Windowsisoldnews' quite clearly lists 'can download for free' in the 'pros' section right at the top of his review. What makes you think they are sanitizing these?
"Looking good Vern."
Now if they can start selling computers without the Windows tax, we'd be all set.
Many national-brand home PCs come with what amounts to unregistered shareware already installed on the HDD. For example, there might be a Paint Shop Pro trial instead of GIMP, a Norton Antivirus trial instead of ClamWin, etc. There is evidence that such "trialware" subsidizes most if not all of the price of a Windows Home Basic OEM license: see Sony's attempt to charge for "Fresh Start" on its PCs.
$20 bucks is not a lot of money and what it buys represents a vote for Linux and against the Microsoft monopoly.
If Ubuntu in Best Buy is a success, it can create incentive for other companies to test the waters and release software for Linux. It may even allow hardware OEMs to be open to selling Linux pre-installed. It may even generate more hardware support for Linux.
I'm heading that way tonight.
those inexpensive mowers last a long time with a few simple non tricks, just common sense, the main thing is people will not follow the maintenance advice that comes with the mower in the operators pamphlet
They aren't industrial bush hogs, you can't mow baby trees and rocks with them
Change the dang oil often, and use synthetic oil, it withstands the higher temps the little air cooled engines get to better than regular oil. The little mowers are built cheap, they don't have oil pumps just slingers so dirt can accumulate, so just change the oil at around 20 hours. The little ones take less than a quart so it isn't expensive to do this.
change / clean the air filter a lot-this is vital, air filter starts to get dirty, engine will start to run rich, fouls the plug and carbonizes inside the cylinder head. Leads to the endless yanking trying to start it.. Personally I don't even use the factory air cleaners any more, just got a sheet of thick foam rubber and cut out my own with scissors, toss them when they get dirty.
Use your air compressor and blow off nozzle and keep all the fins, etc clean of dried grass and dirt, every single time you use it, just clean it off before you put it away. They are air cooled, dirty engine=hot engine, and they sit right down next to the ground where you are kicking out clumps of cut grass and blowing up dirt and dust clouds sometimes, so they get dirty and the air cleaner gets dirty.
Keep blade sharp, if you notice a weird vibration sometimes that means you hit something nasty and the blade is bent and not balanced anymore, change the blade then. That is sort of a wild card though, not usually necessary but I have seen it. If vibration persists, ya, time to look for another yard sale project mower then. Hang on to the junkers and old parts eventually you have some nice scrap to take to the recycling and make a few bucks, a lot of aluminum there if you knock them down.
Change the plug whenever it looks carboned out or if you start to hear a misfire, again, cheap, keep some spares handy. You can clean them a few times if you want to with some emery paper. The new solid state ignition modules are binary, work/no work. Easy enough to check for spark and I've only ever see a couple that really went bad. They are actually a big improvement over the old points deals they used to have in the saber toothed badger days, IMO.
And that's about it, I get those mowers all the time for free usually or like 5 dollars at yard sales and fix them up and get them running easy. The biggest problem I see from people's broken mowers is the air cleaner leading to the carbonization and dirty spark plug, I kid thee not. That and sometimes they have hit something hard and the flywheel key shears, it is designed to do that, which saves the engine from destruction but makes it impossible to start, because that key sets the timing. New keys are a buck. Heh, I have a small fleet of those things. Some of them are pretty old now. Once in awhile maybe use some carb cleaner around and inside the carb. Oh ya and run them completely dry before storing in the winter! Get every drop of the old gas out. Don't even bother with that stabil stuff, not worth it for that last quarter pint of gas. Gas just turns to nasty glue when it sits around, plugs everything up, nasty, just use it up.
Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 5.0 5 Worth every penny and then some 07/08/2008 By StarReviewer from Moronville, KY Pros: Cheap, includes office software, robust Cons: Doesn't come in Ultimate and Premier editions "I could go on and on, but Ubuntu Linux is the way to go. I have been using Windows XP for at least 3 years and when Vista was released, I went and upgraded to Vista Ultimate. Even though Vista Ultimate has some really good features, I had to purchase Office software separately. Total cost of software: ~$1000.00! That is when I said enough is enough I need to look for a new Operating System. A friend of mine pointed me to Best Buy's site and send me a link to Ubuntu. I purchased the OS and also Installation by Geek Squad for only $150.00. Even though I paid $170, I can tell you the included software was worth it. It includes office productivity software similar to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Not only that, updates are free. Which means when they come out with a new version of Ubuntu, I don't have to pay more money - which I gladly will if I had to! I would highly recommend this product. My only question is why doesn't it come in different flavors? I would be willing to pay for features like Media Center and stuff like that. --Grateful computer user." Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes
Does that mean, I can no longer do this? http://www.xkcd.com/272/
In 2000, I walked into a Best Buy, and bought a copy of "The Complete FreeBSD" (great book, btw), bundled with around 10 FreeBSD installation and package CDs. I also remember seeing an offering from RedHat on that trip.
What if everyone who reads Slashdot bought this, if to do nothing else except to make a point. The point that good software does not need to cost a lot of money. Smart people do not have to work at large corporations.
Seriously, If any of us are true Ubuntu users we should support the company that is turning out our quality products and support.
holy crap, I'm a bonehead. I did a search through both pages for the word 'free' and nothing came up. I must have mis-typed. I hereby take back what I said.
Attention mods! please mod GP into oblivion :)
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god." - Thomas Jefferson
I suspect that whoever makes the copies is required to comply with the license and make source available. That could include pointing to somebody else who provides them free of charge, but if for whatever reason ubuntu.com closed shop I'd think that whoever packages the Best Buy boxes would need to mirror it.
Now, if Best Buy just buys boxes of ubuntu for $5 and sells it for $20 then they're free of any obligation. You don't need a license to sell software - just to copy it.
I was just in there LAST SATURDAY in the PC section and specifically asked if they sell Ubuntu on any of their machines or if they had a copy in the store. They said no.
I asked the HP representative there what I should buy if I don't want Vista, because its a DRM-infested piece of garbage that runs super slow. She said, "Buy a Mac." I kid you not.
Maybe HP needs to tell her that I need to buy one of their PCs and a copy of Ubuntu for $20.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
from section 6 of GPL v3:
You may convey a covered work in object code form under the terms of sections 4 and 5, provided that you also convey the machine-readable Corresponding Source under the terms of this License, in one of these ways:
(a)...
(b)Convey the object code in, or embodied in, a physical product (including a physical distribution medium), accompanied by a written offer, valid for at least three years and valid for as long as you offer spare parts or customer support for that product model, to give anyone who possesses the object code either (1) a copy of the Corresponding Source for all the software in the product that is covered by this License, on a durable physical medium customarily used for software interchange, for a price no more than your reasonable cost of physically performing this conveying of source, or (2) access to copy the Corresponding Source from a network server at no charge.
has anyone even looked at this in the store? I'm wondering if paying for it gets you codecs that you can't get in the download version. That'd be worth $20 for a lot of folks.
On the other hand, if it doesn't have the codecs and Joe User buys it, then tries to play an MP3 or watch a DVD and it doesn't work then Ubuntu's credibility starts going downhill (whether Canonical is actually behind this version or not).
-- "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" -Optimus Prime
How did slashdot miss them before it started out. Shame on you Slashdot.
Shouldn't it be "mouth-to-ear"?
Guess it's time for you to learn to read (TFA).
Best Buy *does* install it for you. Admittedly, they charge an additional $150, but hey, we're still less than The Microsoft OS price (sans installation!) here. No muss, no fuss, no Microsoft.
It's amazing to me how often you anti-Microsoft fanbois will flip-flop as soon as something comes along that looks like it might actually do what you've been bitching about needing done for years. "Giant Electronic Bra", you're now in the same category with the jerkwad from a few months back who was bitching about Windows users coming over to Linux and "fucking up the gene pool" of users.
For a decade and a half, you've been screaming each year about how this might be the year of Linux on the desktop. Now that it's actually upon us, you're whining about the distribution channels? What is wrong with you?!?
You make me want to pick you up and shake you.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
too lazy to make an account but.... i pulled this off that link at 9:44am cst :
Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 5.0 5
Best Purchase Ever for Computers 07/08/2008
By Windowsisoldnews from Bel Air, MD Read all my reviews Read all my reviews
Pros: Meant for the average person. Low maintenance, low virus susceptibility, easy to use, can download for free
Cons: VZ broadband card setup was a pain, Some games dont work (Check out winehq.org to see what games work),
Says right in the "Pros" area can download for free i wouldn't blame them from taking a link down since they want to make money but if they did alter the post they left the free download bit in there. I would imagine that they know most of the people buying it are the ones still on dial up and people that aren't experts at downloading and burning cds.
Best case scenario will be January, 2009 for the end of Ubuntu on the shelf.
The title alone will probably get modded down, but please read before modding.
Best Buy's retailing model is high/low. Name branded stuff is high-priced with no-name brands with similar features lower-priced. Ubuntu fills that niche versus Microsoft's product.
*If* he expects this strategy to be an income stream that he can use to grow his business, then he's in for a rude awakening. I've worked in small companies who landed big accounts and the routine is the same. The sales figures look good for about a month and then the hidden costs of mega-retailing gut the big sales numbers.
If he defies the odds that all small companies face in mega-retailers, he's got the rest of the year at Best Buy to see if customers buy it and his costs of being in Best Buy don't overwhelm the company.
Does anyone else remember seeing suSe on the shelf at Worst Buy for about $50?
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
All the info you want: http://princessleia.com/journal/?p=1262
No, LTS means patch and update support for 5 years from the release date. And the bit about "paid support" is rubbish:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Please note that both LTS versions are freely available for download.
-- Humans, because the hardware IS the software.
Because it isn't in any of the three Best Buys closest to my home. I have learned from my experiences trying to find an eeepc that Best Buy cannot be relied to carry items in their stores, even when they are advertised in the local paper.
If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?
I see a review that clearly states it is available free. Where is the sanitation?
Remember buying it in the store has additional costs to Ubuntu...burning a DVD, creating a box, writing / printing the manual, actually physical production costs....downloading just cost them bandwidth...
With the volume of downloads ubuntu gets (NOTE mostly from mirrors, i.e. not out of their pockets) each downloaded version costs the company almost nothing in delivery costs. But building a pckaged version for the store, in what i assume is relatively low volume has to be costing them a fair bit, i would guess that most of the $20 is best buy profit and ubuntu isn't making much on the deal.
-x
Ubuntu:
Vista Home Premium SP1:
Faith is a willingness to accept something w/o complete proof and to act on it. Reason allows you to correct that faith.
Yes, i know a lot of fairly competent people that have been effected by the marketing strategy of the BSA and RIAA.They now think that anything free is somehow illegal or filled with viruses. For many the entire concept of giving away ones work is completely foreign to them.
I believe one of the failures of opensource or free software in general is the fact that programmer nerds completely ignore the fact that marketing is necessary. You can still pull off a successful marketing campaign with effectively zero dollars. This is what non-profits that operate on donations do to stay in operation. Similar concepts can be applied to free software, but everyone likes to think of marketing as an evil corporate-only tool. It is a tool available to everyone and even an individual with zero budget can still have an effective marketing strategy.
For the people that still don't get it that means if you want this year to be the year of the linux desktop, you need to understand a few things. One of those things is that the target market for the "linux desktop" are computer users of all ages who don't care about free software principles or even much about software cost. In fact there are tons of ways in which this target market differs. They may not even use 99% of the internet except email, yahoo, and youtube. They may be slow learners. But as you zero on in a more specific target market that is smaller, you will find more effective strategies at marketing towards that group. If you go broad and target everyone, you may have very few effective strategies because a larger group has fewer common traits to zero in on.
I honestly think linux is a better alternative for businesses rather than a home desktop user. Think about it: if a business switches to a linux desktop the business will finance the training involved in getting users trained as well as distributing (installing) the system for each employee. With a home user you have to do both of those things for them. Therefore an easier way to get awareness is to slip in from the business-use side (don't forget businesses like to pay $ for support) and once a significant number of fortune 500 companies are using linux as a desktop and successfully showing some benefits, you will get your tipping point. Other businesses will likely copy the successful linux deployment. More workers will get trained. More people will get hands on experience with a "linux desktop". That translates into more people ripe and ready to use linux at home.
Finally free software nerds and companies that want to sell support contracts but keep the software free are doing an amazingly bad job of it. Here's what they do: "we give you the free software and we'll charge you support annually!" So in the consumer's mind they are paying for support for a product that they are getting for free. Meanwhile look at cell phone service providers: "we give you this phone worth $300 for free if you sign a 2 year contract!" In the consumer's mind now they're getting a discount on a product up front and all they have to do is stick with the plan for 2 years. They're still giving the product for free but they're selling millions of service contracts! Markup or put a (fake) value on the software in terms of dollars and rephrase the "selling" line. In fact stop calling your software "free" software because most people don't understand what your definition of "free" means (nor do they care). Call it "open" software but don't define open. Come up with a fancy chart and pricing scheme comparing the up-front cost of vista to the annual support cost of "open software". So for example if you want to charge $20 annually per an individual home user, and vista premium costs $120 retail. You say "If you switch today, for $120, you can buy 6 years of support with open software and at the end of that we'll give you the next version of the OS (worth $100) for free!"
While this post if far too far down for anyone to notice, I'd like to say that this is a great thing, Ubuntu being sold in a brick and mortar store.
One of the paradoxes about things being free is that people are far less likely to stick with something that does not instantly work for them when it is free than if they pay even a nominal amount for it. Magazines which are free cannot charge as much as those that are not free because people are less inclined to read the ads in a free publication than one that costs money.
Linux is different from Windows. There will be new things to learn. The rather nominal cost of $20 now (with free upgrades forever) may get some people to stick with it long enough to get over that initial hurdle. If someone just gave them a CD, they may or may not try it out and will most likely give up rather quickly.
No one has pointed out that one of the people who installed Ubuntu switched from Mac OS X, reputedly the friendlies OS ever, and he likes Ubuntu.
My laptop's harddrived died last year, and so I had geek squad replace it. My 80 gig turned into a 60 gig. I tried to explain how partioning works but to no avail.
How could geek squad possibly be on any assistance if they don't understand partioning???
The funny thing is that i threw out the recoverery cd along time ago so they offer my a copy of vista. I said that i was going to through on a copy of a new linux distro called ubuntu.
So you are going to "tryout" linux?
I thought to my self, "I'm at least 10 years younger than you and I've hacking away on linux box for about 10 years. I'm not trying it anymore"
Whenever I visit a PC store, I ask when they are going to get Linux PCs, pointing out the advantages, and suggesting Ubuntu as the easiest to use.
Pretty often, the computer sales clerks and managers have had experience with Linux and we have a good chat, and they wish the store did sell Linux PCs.
More often, its an enlightenment to them and I get a thanks for informing them about it.
Some thing to point out:
* Software is easy got get and pretty much configures itself by just choosing what to install. Comes pre-installed with software for what most people want to do.
* Easy to learn - things like sensible menus let you find things pretty quickly.
* Stability - software just works, and upgrades don't break things, (as much.)
* Keeps getting better steadily.
* Better performance Linux on the same box compared to Windows.
* No DRM to slow the machine down, cause instabilities, and keep you from fair use of the media you own.
* Easy to move back and forth to Windows. What you create with the main user applications like Open Office, and how applications work are the same in Windows and Linux.
* Access to a large community of users and even the software developers that created the operating system and applications to help with problems, and even get a fix if you have a bug.
* Gets you off the "upgrade escalator" with all the disruptions like needing a new machine or radical upgrades to your current machine to be able to work with a new version of your operating system, and having to upgrade software to work with the new operating system version.
If there is demand for Linux PCs in stores, they will be stocked.
Knowledgeable people just need to keep asking for Linux PCs to build the demand.
A few months ago, my local Best Buy set up an ad in hte miiidle of the store, conviently facing the MP3 devices. The display had 2 flashing strobe lights (one of those police light things), and a poster that, when I read it, appeared to be... PROPAGANDA FOR THE RIAA! It implied that downloading music illegally was a CRIMINAL OFFENSE and that you can go to jail for it. I asked to speak to the manager of the store in question, and when I asked him whose idea it was to put that flyer up, he saud "upper management"... so I told him that if he doesn't take that lying an misleading propaganda down right now, I'll take pictures of it, post it as a story on Digg, Slashdot, and all the other sites a major part of your store's demographic visit, and have their store's phones ringing off the hook because I'd post the phone numbers of the stores in my area that had that poster
The next day, the poster was gone.
I'm not sure if this was just a moron manager at that one store or every store nationwide that put these posters up, but it's just plain stupid...
As I mentioned to the first commenter who pointed out that I was mistaken, I made a bonehead mistake. Please mod parent down.
"Question with boldness even the existence of a god." - Thomas Jefferson
WOW! There's a device driver for sharpies.
How good is the handwriting recognition?
Does it monitor the ink level?
This, of course being the early stages, is like when Dell started offering Ubuntu on a few of their computers. One had to find the link WAAAYYY down on the left side that said something or other about open-source and buy that way... God forbid you mention in the hardware setup (when you're buying) that you have an OS option other than Windows.
Of course, Dell is still doing this today even though they have sold a decent number of Ubuntu computers.
Point to be made here: The only people who are going to end up buying this online are people who know what they're looking for specifically and the only people that are going to buy this in the store will be the same - plus a few who make a mistake.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Courage is endurance for one moment more... Unknown Marine Second Lieutenant in Vietnam
Telling people to "Go download and install Ubuntu" is like telling someone to go dig a well: Its not hard where more or less the explanation is no more complex than "just do it" but it is still dirty and may be dangerous. Although easy for some to figure out how to download and burn the latest and greatest Ubuntu, it isn't so trivial for others. And for neophytes, some of the steps seem "dangerous" because they are fairly unfamiliar to someone who spends most of their time surfing the web.
Or to think about it another way: Trying to explain to someone the steps on how to download and burn and reboot and all of the pre-install stuff they need to know is a bit much when they can get all of that if I buy them a disk with a manual in a box instead. There is also the odd quirk that people will believe "dead tree print" more than a "web page" even if it is the exact same text.
They don't even have to include the source code in the box as long as they provide a way to download it from somewhere.
That's true of GPLv3 software, but not GPLv2. The GPLv2 requires that a written offer be made to supply the source on physical media for a reasonable cost. And most of the software in Ubuntu is currently GPLv2 (and the Linux kernel will likely remain GPLv2 for a very long time).
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
Absolutely. About a week after my son's second birthday, I formatted his hard drive and gave him an Ubuntu disk. He installed it with no problem. He had just turned two. That means he couldn't even read. I'll give you that he is extremely smart, but really, he had just turned two. I have no doubt that anyone who can figure out how to put a CD in the drive and reboot their computer can install Ubuntu.
If you want linux on the desktop, idiots are actually an asset.
What linux needs is a whole lot of clueless users like this guy and his ilk who would shell out $20 for a free operating system. They are the same types that will blindly install anything and everything, move, modify and delete things arbitrarily and make a fuss when their actions cause things to break. Linux needs this, because it's the only way to make linux better on the desktop.
As a server, linux is great and has been for years. As a desktop, it's almost great in some parts and approaching adequate in others.
I remember walking into a BestBuy circa 1999 and there being a fully stocked quarter isle with Linux distributions. Checking back a little later, it was all gone.
Now they sell boxed Ubuntu sets instead of Redhat and Mandrake; it seems like they are simply returning from whence they came.
Also, Amazon is selling this same "complete edition" of ubuntu. There's a article on it on DesktopLinux.com: http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS5306637369.html
'Cause there ain't no radar. Say it with me: Linux has no radar.
the reason why it was out of radar for 2 months because it only became available this week according to canonical's press release: http://blog.canonical.com/?p=18
This is a waste. Only thing that would be helpful is if they actually sold computers preinstalled with Ubuntu. Went to BestBuy a few months ago to look at computers and they didnt even know what Ubuntu was.
"How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?"
Because this is not anything new. SuSE has been sold at Best Buy over the years. Boxed version of Linux have been sold for at least 14 Years, as I purchased a boxed copy of Mandrake back in 1994.
What is surprising, however, seems to be the lack of support included with this. Every other boxed version of Linux I have come across has been packaged with a couple of thick user manuals and support of some kind.
When I first saw this yesterday, I immediately went to BB's site to write a review of Ubuntu. I mentioned that it was available for free and included the URL to the download page. I mentioned how easy it was to test on your system without installing, and how GeekSquad was not needed to do the installaton. For some odd reason, my review has still not been approved to show up on their site. Imagine that.
Would you like a $500 network cable with that?
I wish it were included in the "Operating Systems" section of their catalog.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=abcat0508001
Odd, the breadcrumps on the link say it's in that category, but it doesn't come up..
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
Novel bought them out and last time i had the pleasure of buying SuSe at a retail store clerks were actively trying to get me not to buy it. Novel as usual stopped trying to sell their products to brick and mortar stores and more than likely never will sell their products at brick and mortar stores. Novel seems to think it wasn't a top seller. i Admit it sat there for months years because people are afraid to change. That is truly why Linux is stuck in a niche market. And for the idiots who say Why bujy when you can download it Ok I'll give you my dial up connection that disconnects me every 8 hours with no automatic restarts for the distro downloads and see how many months your online trying to get it. ~TSS~
I doubt Best Buy has an obligation to distribute the source, unless they've remixed and created their own version of Ubuntu. If they're just selling a readily available version of Ubuntu, I think the distribution obligations lie with Canonical.
You'd be wrong.
If Canonical is distributing it through Best Buy by selling it to their suppliers, then Canonical is responsible.
If Best Buy is putting it on the shelf without the consent of Canonical, then Best Buy is responsible for distributing source, and their SOLE REMEDY if they do not want to provide source is to cease distribution of the software.
Note that it is well within Best Buy's rights to put it on the shelf without Ubuntu's permission, due to licensing. But if it's not an official physical distribution, then yes, Best Buy is indeed responsible for distributing source.
If they're smart, they just included the source packages. CDs are cheap. We'll see, I guess. No one commenting here seems to have bought it to find out.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?"
Because no self respecting geek shops at best buy. (except for black friday)
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive
The interesting part is that one of the following is likely true: either they expect these users to come back with a problem, most likely "put windows back on here because my programs don't run" or they expect Linux to demolish their geek squad, and want to get a piece of the action while the getting is good.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Somehow, I'm seeing a Borg Maturation Chamber and a Borg Vinculum ahead....
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
CompUSA used to sell Mandrake, RedHat, and Suse
They also used to sell slackware. Those products were official distributions and so the distribution was actually made by the packager (Mandrake, RedHat &c) and if in this case some other company besides CompUSA is doing the packaging (like, say, Canonical) then it's their responsibility. If it's instead got a CompUSA logo on the box, then they're responsible. And since no one has been able to tell us yet who the actual distributor is (as opposed to the retail outlet) we do not yet know who to hassle for source. Presumably, if we bought it, we would know. If it's not an official Canonical release, and CompUSA doesn't want to admit who made it, then it should be possible to file a copyright violation suit against an unknown party and get a subpoena against CompUSA to find out who that party is.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Isn't it a requirement of the GPL to at least mention you can get the source code for free? Their product description seems to neglect that...
there is no god but truth, and reality is its prophet
Can I get the "Incomplete Edition" for less?
Seriously, I got a free Hardy Heron LTS distro CD, but it lacks all the header files and other development stuff. It works nice, but I can't build any source-only apps on it.
Have gnu, will travel.
For myself I don't even WANT pre-installed anything. I'm just saying that for the average user it really is just about a must.
Actually there's nothing even slightly wrong with me, lol. I know it feels good to rant, but I'm not a 'fanboi' of anything in particular. I just made an observation. There's nothing WRONG with BB selling Linux Distros. It isn't going to hurt anything, though I will remain skeptical that it will somehow initiate, or even portends, a mass adoption of Linux on consumer desktops/laptops.
I figure if people want Linux and it is a 'no more cost than windows' option, then they'll pick it up. The most likely scenario IMHO is that it will seem mighty convenient to people at the point where it is already on their other home appliance and mobile devices. Especially if we start to see a lot of desktops with a zero boot time ROMed OS.
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem." -- Jefferson
GPL does not forbid selling a product. You can't license the product differently than the original software. GPL software requires making the source code available (without having to pay extra for the source code, but doesn't have to be on the original media) and stating original license with all copies of the distributed (sold or given for free) software. The "free" software refers to freedom as you can read at [ http://www.fsf.org/ ]. Free software tends to be cheap or free. If you made some novel change to the software, you could charge a huge amount (say $10,000) for selling it. Anyone who buys it (or otherwise acquires it without stealing it from you), is allowed to give the product and copies away for free (or other amount) with the source code, make changes to the code and redistribute it for any amount, etc. If you got some free software for free, you are allowed to charge any amount (say $10,000 or $20 like Best Buy) for it, but you have to make the source code available and can't limit the freedom of the software (so others can distribute it for free if they want to). To the extent people comparison shop, the amount will tend to drop down to an acceptable nominal amount for the distribution of the free software.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
There are lots of other companies which sell the CD including Canonical itself:
http://www.amazon.com/Canonical-Ubuntu-8-04-DVD/dp/B0019KKM4O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1215628185&sr=8-1
OK, so I pay my $95 or whatever that is 'windows tax' and then $20 for Ubuntu and $150 to have it installed (maybe that includes the $20, not sure).
So I can have windows for $95, or Ubuntu for $265. Now, if I can loose the windows tax, that helps, but the windows tax is 'invisible' to the consumer, so even then they'll be contrasting $150-$170 vs 'free' in their minds.
That windows tax is what needs to go. As long as that stands Linux is gimped.
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem." -- Jefferson
its legal, i'll allow it. you can get the cd's fro free and resell them if you so wish.
Except I am pretty sure that when you install it you now have access to the source. I am pretty sure that Ubuntu takes you right to the Canonical website which gives you the source.
All the hub bub seems like people getting bent just so they can get bent.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Rary and Lord Frederick, maybe you'll want to notice that his hometown is "Moronville, KY"...
In this day in age when we know about all their slimy business practices and the kind of people they hire people still go there? Why?! And don't tell me because they have holographic gift cards in neat shaped because I'll smack that smirk right off your silly looking face.
In the past I have purchased Red Hat (4.0), Mandrake Gaming Edition (8.0, with "The Sims"), Caldera (with StarOffice), and StarOffice from Best Buy (off-the-shelf).
I liked the manuals that came with the discs and felt that this was one way I could show commercial support for the Open Source community.
The Open Source offerings have been missing from Best Buy shelves for quite a while now. Glad to see some are back.
The details are discussed on Canonical's blog:
http://blog.canonical.com/?p=18
We've been working with ValuSoft who are a distribution company that specialise in the US retail channel. The boxed set comes with an Ubuntu 8.04 CD, a Quick Start Guide and 60 days of support from the ValuSoft team, trained and backed by the Canonical support guys. The support covers installation and getting started using Ubuntu and is priced at $19.99.
Amazon.com is selling it as well:
http://www.amazon.com/ValuSoft-71685-Ubuntu-Linux/dp/B0018KAN9E/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1215634100&sr=8-16
because verily nobody is stupid enough to buy something they can download legally! Right? Right!? I mean come on, people don't even buy stuff they can download illegally anymore ...
My office is in a business incubator that charges $35/GB of transfer.
Yeah, I know...
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
I bought a copy of Suse at Best Buy in 1999. They also had Red Hat, and Mandrake on the shelf. Actually it could have been in 2000. I don't remember, but the point is apparently it was thinkable more than a few years ago.
I bought SUSE 9.0 from the a few years back. Very professional boxed set, including both a comprehensive users guide and admin manual.
Prior to that (2003, my "Year of the Desktop Linux"), I bought Red Hat 8 from a Microcenter store. Had Microcenter not offered it, I probably would not have switched to Linux.
"Be grateful for what you have. You may never know when you may lose it."
asking Geeksquad obscure sed/awk questions like I do at the Macstore "Genius" bar.
Have a squat over at the hobo house.
So please Ubuntu give us a media centre!
like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song
Did anyone else notice that "Complete Edition" is listed under the "Operating Systems" category, but if you go up into that category it disappears?
In the left hand helper column it even lists BOTH OSes: Mac and Windows
The only ways I could get to that item was:
a) the direct link
b) searching for linux on the site
Invisible = under the radar. Just saying...
1 Dachshund + 1 Dachshunds = A Paradox.
was my local (san bernardino) bestbuy unique in having offered at least 2 or 3 boxed distros as early as the late 90s/early 2000s?
i don't recall specifically the year, but plain old redhat was still the prime newb offering of the time, before anybody even heard of fedora or ubuntu. i think quake3 was still on the shelves, and they might've even carried the linux ver? course, i think they may have dropped them in the intervening time (haven't really looked, though).
so is this story about a new cycle of "this is linuxs year" popularity spike? or is there something special about the fact its ubunto? or maybe just an oversight of prior on-the-shelf linux availability?
if they did drop their prior offering , then of course its nice and interesting that they've decided to pick it back up, but why now exactly?
"How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?"
How has information, that other distributions has be sold longer than ubuntu, fly under the radar among Ubuntu fanboys without slashdot posters understanding that ubuntu isn't anykind special distribution?
And he paid geeksquad $150 to install.
Hilarious!
How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing
Because nobody uses it.
You have to be prepared to provide a copy of the source code on demand, if anyone asks for it.
QUOTE:
"Synopsis
You're right in the middle of an important procedure when your computer freezes and crashes, erasing your data and costing you hours of extra work. For the thousandth time, you wish you had an easy-to-use alternative to your current operating system."
Sweet I was waiting for the Amiga 68k port of Ubuntu to be released!
Seriously, this is really going for the jugular of the juggernaut here, it's pretty obvious what that they are referring to and implying. Does it not seem somewhat immature to imply that a program on Ubuntu (despite the relative stability of a Debian-based, GNU/Linux) won't crash?
If I could get the company I work for (Staples- a temp job for me) as a PC Tech to offer Ubuntu it would be allot easier to sell. As it is I feel the need to hide every install I do of it for customers as it isn't clear if I am allowed to do it. Installing outside software is prohibited-except that it isn't clear that they understand an operating system to be software due to them considering operating systems to be a separate thing from software installs. In any case people are paying for Linux installs. The store makes $70 for each install. That is the same price we charge for MS Windows. A GNU/Linux upgrade actually makes more money for Staples than what we make from the computer sale itself too. It isn't just Ubuntu I've been installing. Depending on the circumstances I've also done debian installs when CD-ROM drives don't work and other hardware is really screwy (debian has the net install option). I'm not the only Staples PC Tech doing this either. I know of at least one other person who has been actively doing the same thing. If we could only get corporate blessing for increasing our employers profits. By the way- Staples like BestBuy does everything ass-backwards. Hands down any good service you get is pure good fortune. The pay sucks (I get more than most too) and every task has prescribed to be done the hard bad way. For instance we probably infect more systems than we cure due to the writable USB flash drives we carry from one system to another. After all it only takes one infection that the program doesn't pick up to spread to other systems.
I have been known to buy boxed software just so I have something to hit Windows users over the head with. Surely I am not alone in this.
Somehow this message made me sad - the guy paid a lot of money without actually understanding what he pays for (if he did, he wouldn't pay [that much]).
I don't understand the people who keep selling the most expensive stuff in the pricelist to customers without a clue. What kind of a person would charge $150 to install Ubuntu today, when everything is so "click'n'go"?
The money could have gone elsewhere. But then, it belongs to "Grateful computer user" - so he can do whatever he wants with it.
The saddest poem
"brick-and-mortar locations" ...which are called "shops" in English.
While I suspect that review was a spoof, this is the closest I see to an existing thread discussing pricing of installation service... If I understand correctly, the $150 is $20 for the pretty shiny packaging and $130 for installation service. Quite interesting to me that their installation pricing is right in line with our pricing of $125 for the installation service that we have offered for the last almost 5 years.
Randall
How did this development fly under the radar for over two months without anybody noticing?"
Lessee... could it be that Best Buy is a lousy place to shop with over-bloated prices, yesterday's hardware, smug little geek-lets you'd pay real money for to punch in the face, customer service that leaves you slack-jawed with outrage, and generally lacking attention to detail that ends up costing you money... so nobody with a clue really shops there?
Or maybe its something else.
You can get free CDs of Ubuntu 8.04 for free. Of course they take a while but thats better than having to pay $20 bucks for it. And you get free Ubuntu stickers if you get the Cds from Ubuntu.
I'd be interested to see if the box has anything on it about the sort of tech support you can get. I kind of doubt ValuSoft is handling tech support for Ubuntu. That seems beyond their scope.
They (ValuSoft) are handling support and they are "trained and backed by the Canonical support guys" according to Canonical's Director of Corporate Services in Canonical's blog. It's only 60 days worth of installation and "getting started" support, but what should we expect for just $20?
From the blog: "The boxed set comes with an Ubuntu 8.04 CD, a Quick Start Guide and 60 days of support from the ValuSoft team, trained and backed by the Canonical support guys. The support covers installation and getting started using Ubuntu and is priced at $19.99."
TO START
PRESS ANY KEY
Where's the 'ANY' key? I see Esk, Kitarl, and Pig-Up...
Here in CA, just checked the local best buy stores. Was told they pulled this product off the shelves when VISTA came out. What do you think about that ?
Actually, you can't just point upstream if you're distributing it, *you* must offer the source. You can snail mail it, or whatever, but you can't, according to the license, just refer to something upstream.
Then you've got to pay the floor staff, the cashier, the janitor, the coffee in the employee lounge, if it's a store in the north country someone's gonna have to plow the parking lot when it snows, et cetera, et cetera. And BB's still gotta make money. Have you no idea how this whole "stores selling things" concept works?
Hey, I finally got my first freak! Took you long enough!
OK, so it's only 350%...in an industry where 2-5% is considered a banner year (I used to work for Unilever).
...And specifically the Ubuntu project. If I'm paying for something that I can get for free then the money better go to something good (a modest percentage to BB for putting it on their shelves of course).