[quotef37b2="The Register"][bf37b2]Wal-Mart shipping PCs with Lindows preinstalled[/bf37b2] [/sizef37b2]
By Tina Gasperson, Newsforge.com
Posted: 14/06/2002 at 16:39 GMT
In a move that appears to be a coup for Michael Robertson et al, Wal-Mart's online store is offering eight different Microtel PCs with LindowsOS included. The computers sell for USD$299 to $599 and ship in one to seven days.
NewsForge originally reviewed Wal-Mart's OS-less PCs, a dramatic move away from the standard Windows-based home computer. Now the retailer is advertising systems with the LindowsOS distribution pre-installed, no longer just moving away from Windows, but now directly competing with it:
"These computers do not ship with Microsoft Windows. They ship with an exciting new UNIX based Operating System (OS) named Lindows. This exciting new OS delivers the stability of UNIX with the ease of Windows and the ability to run most Microsoft programs. These computer systems are a perfect low cost alternative to computers preloaded with Microsoft Windows."
To say that Lindows runs most Microsoft programs is a bit of a stretch. Wal-Mart says the PCs come with "mail, word processor, web browser, address book, calculator, cd player, MP3 player, Microsoft PowerPoint viewer, Word viewer, and Excel viewer," and buyers get to select three "free" Click-N-Run applications from the Lindows.com warehouse (of GPLed KDE-based software, we might add.)
No need to be concerned about the PCI 56k modems that come with the Microtel systems -- according to this NewsForge report, Microtel is shipping Linux-compatible modems in these systems.
For a really cheap setup, get the $299 system, add a USD$49 HP printer (most of HPs printers work with Linux) and a 15" Microtel monitor for USD$119. And if you're especially Wal-Mart loyal, you can even add a subscription to the company's ISP service, called Wal-Mart Connect, for USD$9.94 a month. [/quotef37b2]
incredible. freakin' incredible. i mean, i love the fact that right next to XP at my local Wal-Mart is not only Red Hat, but Mandrake, but this is insane! how great, i'm laughing....
and now, from the "holy crap" department...
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TC
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and now, from the "holy crap" department...
2 8 : 0 6 : 4 2 : 1 2
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TC
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[quotef136f="SamG"]I don't see how this is going to end up a good idea. Wal-Mart must be trying to flex it's considerable muscle in the consumer market for whatever reason, but this just seems like it could end up in Wal-Mart's face.[/quotef136f]
"could" being the operative word. what if Lindows actually takes off? either way, the point is that there's valid quantitative competition.
but in reality, how many people buy freakin' PCs from Wal-Mart? i wonder if that means Sams as well, though... hm. whatever.
it's all utopia.
"could" being the operative word. what if Lindows actually takes off? either way, the point is that there's valid quantitative competition.
but in reality, how many people buy freakin' PCs from Wal-Mart? i wonder if that means Sams as well, though... hm. whatever.
it's all utopia.
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Sam's will get 'em if they need to clear them out. 
But see, they're doing this the smart Wal-Mart way to start off at least. Keep the costs down -- no inventory to have to need to clear out.
I'm jaded, frankly. I fought against the MS/Intel/IBM juggernaut in the early days. I bought OS/2. More than once. I bet on this or that and lost so many times I've lost count. Wal-Mart is big, and smart. They have tremendous market influence. But this is outside the normal expertise of Wal-Mart, at least when compared to Microsoft, which is run no less shrewdly, and a little more ruthlessly.
So, I dunno ...
But see, they're doing this the smart Wal-Mart way to start off at least. Keep the costs down -- no inventory to have to need to clear out.I'm jaded, frankly. I fought against the MS/Intel/IBM juggernaut in the early days. I bought OS/2. More than once. I bet on this or that and lost so many times I've lost count. Wal-Mart is big, and smart. They have tremendous market influence. But this is outside the normal expertise of Wal-Mart, at least when compared to Microsoft, which is run no less shrewdly, and a little more ruthlessly.
So, I dunno ...
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TC
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just recieved the official announcement from Lindows newsletter:
[quotec790b]Today, we announced the first place in the world where you can buy a computer running LindowsOS - Walmart.com (lindows.com/walmart). The complete line-up of computers running LindowsOS ranges in price from $299- $599. Some in the press may write about this development because it's not every day a new operating system becomes available on computers. They may write that it's a major milestone for nine-month-old Lindows.com to partner with the world's largest retailer. Perhaps they'll mention how it's a sign that Linux® technology will play a larger roll on consumer desktops in the future. Or maybe they'll commend Wal-Mart and Microtel for giving consumers choice in spite of pressure from a monopolist not to do so. All of which is true.
However, there's actually two more significant developments from today’s announcement that likely won't get coverage. The combination of lower cost PCs and affordable software will reinvigorate the technology market by spurring new uses and new demand for personal computers. At the same time, complete digital delivery of software will permanently change the software industry as we know it.
First computers pre-installed with LindowsOS
For about the cost of a game console with a couple controllers, a shopper can now buy a sufficiently powered computer for most tasks in a business, school or home. This means a lot more people will buy them for a lot more uses. Schools can now afford a row of computers in each classroom. Every household can afford the benefit of computing to better their lives. No longer will computers be a planned family purchase costing thousands, but rather they'll be more like TVs where every household has at least one and many have multiple units. And no business - no matter what the size - will be disadvantaged by their inability to afford computers. The combination of an efficient computer manufacturer and the removal of a $100 per-machine Microsoft tax have made it possible to rollout a line of computers affordable for any budget.
But an even more significant dimension of today's announcement is the Click-N-Run Warehouse, which radically changes the software business. Previously outfitting a computer could cost over a thousand dollars, requiring a considerable amount of technical experience and time. The software industry has not changed the ways it does business since pre-Internet days. In spite of a radically different computing landscape (Internet, low-cost PCs, etc.), the lack of competition has kept consumers from experiencing the full benefit of innovation and the economic benefit that comes from it.
Click-N-Run Warehouse stocked with over 1,000 programs
Click-N-Run is a novel delivery system and pricing model for software where a consumer can pay a single payment of just $99 for a membership to a warehouse of over 1,000 products - which they can own permanently. All the LindowsOS computers from Walmart.com can be plugged into a DSL, cable modem or modem line and get instant access to a library which normally could cost thousands of dollars. Each computer comes with a trial account which allows for any 3 programs to be loaded from the Click-N-Run Warehouse to experience the technology. From there, unlimited access for a year is available for $99.
LindowsOS is delivering on the much heralded promise of complete digital delivery of software and making it point-and-shoot easy with Click-N-Run. All of the programs in the Click-N-Run Warehouse can be downloaded, installed and ready to use with a single mouse click.
No registration process. No serial numbers or activation codes. No configuration hassles -- just 24/7-access to a library of software titles from a wide-range of categories. In this area, LindowsOS users are experiencing powerful technology, not available to Microsoft or Apple customers.
We're excited about this major step for Lindows.com to partner with Wal-Mart and Microtel to bring affordable computing to middle America. Users purchasing these computers will be experiencing the future of software delivery today as they browse and deploy hundreds of programs via the Click-N-Run Warehouse.
Michael Robertson[/quotec790b]
[quotec790b]Today, we announced the first place in the world where you can buy a computer running LindowsOS - Walmart.com (lindows.com/walmart). The complete line-up of computers running LindowsOS ranges in price from $299- $599. Some in the press may write about this development because it's not every day a new operating system becomes available on computers. They may write that it's a major milestone for nine-month-old Lindows.com to partner with the world's largest retailer. Perhaps they'll mention how it's a sign that Linux® technology will play a larger roll on consumer desktops in the future. Or maybe they'll commend Wal-Mart and Microtel for giving consumers choice in spite of pressure from a monopolist not to do so. All of which is true.
However, there's actually two more significant developments from today’s announcement that likely won't get coverage. The combination of lower cost PCs and affordable software will reinvigorate the technology market by spurring new uses and new demand for personal computers. At the same time, complete digital delivery of software will permanently change the software industry as we know it.
First computers pre-installed with LindowsOS
For about the cost of a game console with a couple controllers, a shopper can now buy a sufficiently powered computer for most tasks in a business, school or home. This means a lot more people will buy them for a lot more uses. Schools can now afford a row of computers in each classroom. Every household can afford the benefit of computing to better their lives. No longer will computers be a planned family purchase costing thousands, but rather they'll be more like TVs where every household has at least one and many have multiple units. And no business - no matter what the size - will be disadvantaged by their inability to afford computers. The combination of an efficient computer manufacturer and the removal of a $100 per-machine Microsoft tax have made it possible to rollout a line of computers affordable for any budget.
But an even more significant dimension of today's announcement is the Click-N-Run Warehouse, which radically changes the software business. Previously outfitting a computer could cost over a thousand dollars, requiring a considerable amount of technical experience and time. The software industry has not changed the ways it does business since pre-Internet days. In spite of a radically different computing landscape (Internet, low-cost PCs, etc.), the lack of competition has kept consumers from experiencing the full benefit of innovation and the economic benefit that comes from it.
Click-N-Run Warehouse stocked with over 1,000 programs
Click-N-Run is a novel delivery system and pricing model for software where a consumer can pay a single payment of just $99 for a membership to a warehouse of over 1,000 products - which they can own permanently. All the LindowsOS computers from Walmart.com can be plugged into a DSL, cable modem or modem line and get instant access to a library which normally could cost thousands of dollars. Each computer comes with a trial account which allows for any 3 programs to be loaded from the Click-N-Run Warehouse to experience the technology. From there, unlimited access for a year is available for $99.
LindowsOS is delivering on the much heralded promise of complete digital delivery of software and making it point-and-shoot easy with Click-N-Run. All of the programs in the Click-N-Run Warehouse can be downloaded, installed and ready to use with a single mouse click.
No registration process. No serial numbers or activation codes. No configuration hassles -- just 24/7-access to a library of software titles from a wide-range of categories. In this area, LindowsOS users are experiencing powerful technology, not available to Microsoft or Apple customers.
We're excited about this major step for Lindows.com to partner with Wal-Mart and Microtel to bring affordable computing to middle America. Users purchasing these computers will be experiencing the future of software delivery today as they browse and deploy hundreds of programs via the Click-N-Run Warehouse.
Michael Robertson[/quotec790b]
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well it's targeting walmart because most people who know much about computers would buy a bare or windows PC and just put Linux on there themselves. Teaming with Walmart allows the average idiot [the same one who ruined the internet in the past 2 - 3 years because now they can connect without knowing anything] allows them to gain a new demographic - the average idiot, who in most cases couldnt install Linux on their own , Lindows is basically Linux/Unix with KDE support [should have been Gnome but i'm not bitter! 
]
From walmarts perspective what do they care ? I mean their business model isnt all that wrapped up into computers, point in fact most retail stores dont make much on selling computers, the overhead and middlemen involved makes profits like 1 - 2 % on computers sales after all is said and done. the reason is to generate walk through traffic and still garner some sales, or get the avg idiot who is buying their tires or whatever to come buy a computer. so when Ms fires back and screws walmart somehow it prolly wont matter much to them. all my personal opinion though
]From walmarts perspective what do they care ? I mean their business model isnt all that wrapped up into computers, point in fact most retail stores dont make much on selling computers, the overhead and middlemen involved makes profits like 1 - 2 % on computers sales after all is said and done. the reason is to generate walk through traffic and still garner some sales, or get the avg idiot who is buying their tires or whatever to come buy a computer. so when Ms fires back and screws walmart somehow it prolly wont matter much to them. all my personal opinion though
[imgc6cb2]http://www.bbspot.com/Images/News_Featu ... thstar.gif[/imgc6cb2]
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Coasters2k
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I totally bet Windows is shaking in their boots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LINDOWS!!!!! Wait, how long til Microsoft sues them over their name?
Brandon Rodriguez
http://www.coasters2k.com
http://www.coasters2k.com