Wal-Mart sells out of the $200 Linux gPC
By Nilay Patel 
posted Nov 13th 2007 3:57PM
posted Nov 13th 2007 3:57PM
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I foresee a lot these PCs getting returned (or at least some will try to return them). I'm sure that 90% of the folks who bought these PCs think that you can install Windows programs on them. Good luck to them; I'm fairly computer saavy, and I have had difficulties the few of times I've tried different Linux distibutions over the years.
I can see it now.
"I tried to install... anything... and it wouldn't work"
Definitely going to be a bunch of returns. Unless they were all snatched up by some company trying to build a cluster.
what I see is people returning it saying "It wouldn't Play Doom!!!"
Actually I sort of got the feeling that most users who bought a $200 computer as their main computer (as in they don't have another windows computer to use), aren't really going to want (or in many cases be able) to install programs, be it on linux or windows. What comes with the OS is what they're going to use.
I know it's hard to believe, especially for the type that would frequent a site like Engadget, but I personally know people at that skill level.
You're exactly right. Those pc's are going to get booted up, and the first thing people will say is "where's windows?" Maybe all those getting returned will get marked down..
I used to work in computer sales and service, and this is what is going to happen, most the people who buy these cheap pcs dont kno anything about them, they just grab it cos its a bargain. we sold a £200 laptop once, and really all it could do was word process and the interenet i personally spoke to one person who wanted the unit for gaming, and one who wanted to run graphics applications!
Comments disabled on the Zune Review?
WTF?
Any explanations forthcoming?
Then stay over there and STFU.
Well now my comment looks stupid out there all by itself.
Yes sir it does... so here's a reply to your first comment to reduce the silly-ness of it all!
It's things like this where I can see the Linux push succeeding more than the Mac at taking a bite out of the Windows market share. If this were a Mac with the same specs, it would cost $500 (granted the case would look better too). As far as people returning it because installing programs is too hard, from my experience with Ubuntu, it couldn't be much easier. Go to Add/Remove and search for your program. Put a check in the checkbox and install. Granted some smaller programs don't install this easy but the majority of what people will use installs easy and is free.
the above comments were reffering to stupid users trying to install Word 97 on their linux box.
You're talking about the mac mini...
It comes with Open Office which arguably is more than enough of a Word Processor for those interested in a $200 PC.
I agree with the first comment, and I think Brian is missing the point. How many of the buyers either a) have no idea they are buying a computer that doesn't run Windows or Windows software (please don't bring up WINE) or b) are tech-savvy and bought it as an additional Linux box or to run pirated Windows on?
I really don't see this as any real indication of the mainstream acceptance of Linux.
simply, walmart will have made a killing with this machine - putting linux on it is a way of getting it cheaper, just the same as using cheap components, or old technology. People see cheap and they buy, and walmart can basically wipe there hands of it now.
anything to displace redmond, even it does have to happen through the evil of wally world.
this is great news.
and why wouldn't it be? the average user browses the web and reads/writes email. and in just a few years, they'll use SaaS providers for all their application needs.
so why wouldn't ubuntu and firefox be all you could ever need?
think about what your parents really use their computers for. why should we have to subject them to microsoft pain, and why should we have to be their tech support when they can get something like this (for $200!) and have fewer issues than a windows based machine?
mom and dad, you're getting ubuntu for christmas!
The average user just clicks 'the e' to get online too... and when that 'e' is gone and there's little/nothing to explain that the 'e' and firefox serve the same purpose Jo Blo is gonna be irritated and want his money back.
The average user just clicks 'the e' to get online too... and when that 'e' is gone and there's little/nothing to explain that the 'e' and firefox serve the same purpose Jo Blo is gonna be irritated and want his money back.
DAMN YOU ENGADGET AND YOUR INSISTENCE ON DOUBLE POSTING!
The average joe blo I know click on the icon labeled internet if this is what they want to do...
@Rususeruru
You do know how to confirm only one comment do you not?
Definitely give mon and dad ubuntu for christmas
Has anyone else seen the photos of the gigantic box this thing comes in? It's like a OLPC green color kinda with huge text saying "gPC" did they play the GooglePC card on that one :)
Does this thing play nice with the Ubuntu LiveCD?!?!
How many gPC's have been sold so far?!?!
Silence, you!! A P.O.S. Lindows box at Wal-mart should suffice your tech news appetite!
This is the one they made intentionally large, didn't they? Unglad it worked.
Happy to see Ubuntu, though.
You are all missing the point. If you don't know that you are buying a windows or a linux computer, chances are that you will also
not use the computer for anything more complicated than some
webbrowsing or emailing. For these people this is a perfect computer,
and by the time they will start doing more complicated things, they
will have figured out how to download open office instead of word 97.
for 100$ more you could get Vista home Basic, a 17" CRT ,speakers, kayboard, Mouse, and a dvdrw
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5673669
or you can just get the MB, CPU, and a 1GB stick of ram for 60$
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4842001
Those 100$ can be used elsewhere like to buy food... And not everybody has the knowledge on how to build a pc or doesn't have the time for that.
I am not saying that, Walmart have that same pc (the Linux box) with all I mentioned for 299 or 100 dollars more
Just wait until "Black Friday" ..... Best Buy will have their eMachine with Vista for $200 INCL. 17" monitor.
For Linux to be considered and everyday system it must first give the user support to a decent Vdieo editing software like Pinnacle Studio or Ulead, it must have an answer to MS Outlook and its UI needs to change, don't ask the ppl to switch to a UI that too alien and not as user frendly.
Vixta Linux (http://vixta.sourceforge.net/) with support for those two things mention above can work.
if only linux would get there act together
Nice to see the gang all here and clueless as ever..I am not even going to try to start any firefights, because most of the comments here are extremely biased, unfounded, and just plain silly. If you look hard enough, its easy to find fault in anything, but this whole conversation is a pretty amazing display.
Pinnacle and ulead can barely support their own stuff, let alone be considered a standard upon which something else is based. How many "everyday" users even know what either of those are? Joe user arguments are so 1999. Joe user will have an equally hard time with linux/osx/vista when placed in front of it for the first time.
Video editing? Video editing is not a mainstream "everyday" application.
Guys, I have Fedora Linux on two of my boxes, and its try booted on my ThinkPad T42.
I tried getting my sister on a Linux box but it was a no go, she uses her handy can to video tape her two kids soccer games, her kids water skiing, on the quads and everything her kids does, she then goes to her PC and place all her videos on DVD disk for her and her friends, and her friends do the very same. There are what you call a soccer mom. Those are the ppl whom you want to use Linux because they spend money, and there not loyal to any OS but want they can do on the OS.
Video editing is something everyone I know who had kids does, you must accept it and cater to them.
MS has created a nice UI for their OS look at win 3.11, Win98 and now Vista (it’s the UI! And functionality) and honestly it’s not the best but it works and everyone has their head around it, they also created complementary software not the very best but it works and most ppl are using it.
Linux will win the future if it not only creates an OS but a better UI and software to compliant it. Open office and Star office are a good start. You must compete with MS to get ppl to your system and you must offer them something they use.
P.S. Most ppl who run a small business depend on Outlook, I’ve tried weaning many off but they need outlook, they have a mobile phone that needs it too, because they depend on their mobiles
Just so you know, I'm reporting your comment here for removal. If you have an issue with Engadget on a particular thread, please take it up with them personally.
And this isn't the Zune thread.
all i have to say is that i predicted its success.
Why is this news? A few years ago walmart was selling cheap lindows computers. How did that turn out?
LOL, iEngadget can't take the heat.
I bought one, but to use as a cheap Windows Home Server box. I guess someone will count me as Linux used now ;-)
ROCK..... ON!!!!!!!!!!!
This is Awesome news! Im not a huge linux user myself, but if I didn't have Mac OS X, I'd be using Linux instead. I really really hope that this is the start of the infiltration of Linux into the mainstream. Also, if people are happy with it, what do you think will happen when the "word of mouth" recommendations start?
Watch out Microsoft... Now you have 2 competing OS's gaining on ya!
Unfortunately,comments were disabled on that post and we gotta post somewhere!
Gizmodo had a real review.
Just zipped trough the comment section of "that" article... You don't often see flamefest on Engadget but there... Ryan sure got roasted on that one....
read the first post of the last comment page...
I think it's great that more and more people are being exposed to a linux distro as easy to use as Ubuntu. The average person buying this computer is most likely buying it for a son or daughter in school to do their homework on. I've been using ubuntu for the last 7 months now, and have rarely come across anything too complicated to figure out. It is by far one of the most complete distributions put together for the entry level linux user, and for those that want to take it a step further, there are tons of open forums and blogs to pick information off of. Lets face it, for the average student, when it comes down to it a printed term paper is gonna look the same whether its printed off a Windows, Mac, or Linux machine.
the more the merrier
we need more of these
this type of computer should be everywhere
the family terminal that everyone can use everyday
I really want to how many have been sold so far :]
What will happen when they try to download photos from their HP, Kodak, or Canon digital cameras?
Perhaps they will discover that Picasa has a Linux client?
At a rough guess.. they will either plug the cable into the USB port, or if the camera has some weird format, they will get a cheap card reader that will connect with no need for drivers. Just like I did with my Fuji.
Like a good majority of you, I'm a certified geek power user. These $200 gOS computers are NOT intended for us. They're for people that want to do basic tasks painlessly - and they work well at their intended function.
I received a call last week from a client that I'd previously worked with (removing viruses/malware from her old XP machine.) She asked me to pop by and teach her and her computer-phobic husband to use the new system they planned on buying.
She called back today to cancel her appointment. She told me she bought one of these new systems and that "so far, no problems." She promised she'd call if she couldn't figure something out and needed help.
She's quite happy to have her email/IM/web browsing working. The husband just discovered Facebook and Wikipedia (hard to miss with those huge buttons). I think it's a killer idea. Bonus: When I do go over to teach them how to get more out of their new system, I won't be wasting my time (and their money) teaching them about viruses, scanning for malware, defragging and all the other nonsense they previously assumed was a necessity.
The downside to being a power user is that we lose touch with what non-geeks want from a computer.
You won't mention defraging....why?
Long boring, technical conversation aside, Common Linux Filesystems are less prone to fragmentation and, when fragmented, less prone to suffer from degraded performance as a result. The bottom line is that fragmentation under Linux is something for the computer to worry about, not the user.
I see a lot of people criticizing the "Linux UI," whatever that is (for the sake of the discussion I'll assume that you all mean GNU/Linux and are not referring to the command line). There is no single "Linux UI." If you are referring to the default UI of GNOME or KDE (or any other one such as the default UI of gOS), what is wrong with them? I personally think that Linux generally looks a lot better than Windows XP (to me, the titlebars look too big and a little weird, and the whole OS feels like... hard to explain, but it's the same thing about the Gamecube looking like a cheap toy). And besides, the default configurations of GNOME and KDE (moreso KDE) are very similar to Windows, and I don't think any competent computer would be confused by a K or an iguana or whatever in the same place as the Start menu or a symbol in the top-left that says "Applications." Just my take on this whole "Linux UI needs to change" discussion. By the way, Evolution, the default email client in Ubuntu, is supposedly just as good as if not better than Outlook (I haven't used it), and Vixta is basically just of Fedora themed to look similar to Vista, but dissimilar enough that they won't get sued (hopefully). That said, I think Vixta looks really nice, but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to try it (or Fedora) out yet.
Oops... meant to reply to TheCow5
I won’t disagree with anything you’ve said, but simply state that I like Linux and believe it will be the future but at the same time must give MS respect for each time they created an OS they were criticize they answered with another better OS and was criticize again and created another better OS, and so on.
Linux is not ready for end users but for ppl like you and I it’s just want the doctor ordered.
I like GNOME over KDE and WinXP but that’s me, most ppl have XP, Vixta is a nice fry by fedora and I’ve gotten someone on it for over a month now, but that’s simply someone who had XP and use their PC for all things internet and Printing only.
The sad part about this $200 computer is that the case looks better than most of the cases you can get for less than $80 out there. The great part is that you can get a whole computer for $200 with OS and "it just works".
I'm really excited that Walmart has done this for the Linux desktop, and with the Asus EEE, we can only expect to be paying $200 for a "decent computer" in the near future (desktop or portable).
I predict the power supply is the first thing to fail within 3-6 months. That or the optical drive.
I guess it must be due to the price only since claiming to be green is not supported by anyother proof.
Are there any specs around about the real power consumption? Everex names 2 Watts - which is the standby power of the cpu only. The board should be around 20 Watts during operation. However, their other models have power supplies rated at about 250 or 300 Watts - I see nothing green about that.
Concerning gOS - that's a very strange licencing model which I do not understand yet. While it's based on GPL, itself it was licenced as a Creative Commons. Licence statements are gone by now on thinkgos.com, while there's no info at all at walmart or everex.
From what I hear about Ubuntu, if anything, the installing process should be easier for noobs - go to add programs and look for what you need - no need to google and download stuff, no need to deal with rar'd files (noobs don't know it's better than zip) and no worrying about malware and spyware as well. As for installing some windows apps they already have - well as somebody pointed out, most of those folks probably not gonna be doing that, they just want to boot and surf the web for their youtube/porn fix, and maybe make the occasional doc.