The popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu, appears to be on sale at the large retail chain Best Buy.The "Complete Edition" is on sale for only US$19.99 and has been since May 6, 2008. It's strange that no one has noticed. It was only brought to mainstream attention by a Slashdot user when he posted in their Linux Firehose.
Best Buy doesn't specify with version they carry, but after the user was informed by Best Buy that it was, in fact, Hardy Heron, which is the latest Long Term Support version of Ubuntu.
View: Slashdot Firehose post
A further problem this poses (as discussed in the Slashdot comments by others) is that people will think that Ubuntu is crappy software because it's so cheap!
People will see "OS for $200" and "OS for $20" and think "Only $20? I'll take the 'high quality' $200 OS because for that price it's got to be fantastic".
If they really want to get the masses onto Linux, they have to sell it in the same sort of price range as Windows, just less than Windows.
I know what you're saying about the "cheap price = cheap product" idea, but making it $200 is extremely silly and unrealistic. Nobody would buy it at that price, unless they didn't know it was free.
installing stuff like file sharing so you can share with windows pc's etc just aint easy.
overall though i dont see linux related stuff beating out windows anytime soon cause of the massive support windows has and windows (in general) just works and EASY to.... so even though overall ubuntu is a pretty large step forward for linux in general i still think it has a ways to go (like make file sharing etc etc easier, basically make it as easy as windows to use) before it can compete with windows.
but considering it's free.. it's pretty solid.
terminal > shares-admin, you can set up your SMB share via GUI there.. pretty easy
terminal > shares-admin, you can set up your SMB share via GUI there.. pretty easy
even on NTFS partition (main partition of about 6GB is ubuntu and the other 70GB ish is NTFS) on the ubuntu system?
And for corporations, Total cost of Ownership is what its all about.
Any half-assed monkey can fix Windows and wont cost you much.
Ubuntu is total bloat. Many, many other distros out there that are much lighter, faster, as well supported and just as user friendly.
Ubuntu is total bloat. Many, many other distros out there that are much lighter, faster, as well supported and just as user friendly.
care to mention which ones?
Ubuntu won't install on my 200MB hard drive but both windows 95 and 98se do fine, oh and wait the 95 and 98 installers work whereas ubuntu moans about not enough RAM?
Ubuntu won't install on my 200MB hard drive but both windows 95 and 98se do fine, oh and wait the 95 and 98 installers work whereas ubuntu moans about not enough RAM?
You can't compare Win95/98 with CURRENT versions of Ubuntu, that's just silly. Compare XP or Vista with Ubuntu, not 95. Try installing Vista, or even XP on a 200mb hard drive and see what happens.
i really want to like linux but overall every time i try it out i end up going back to windows not long after.... i guess it's re learning the basic's on how stuff work etc is the hardest part and where stuff is located and some of the fancier commands etc.
alot of automation could "pull" users away from windows and mac. installers like install shield, i know bums out alot of folks but something tangible like that could win over alot of hold outs.
being a photographer like I am, Canon could develop drivers for linux and adobe PS could come in a linux flavor for us shutterbugs.
Linux is missing a serious point with this IMHO.
Linux (in general, as a group) probably won't enjoy a very large userbase without game development and software built in Linux flavors (like Canon drivers and Adobe Photoshop).
However, nobody will expend time and money to develop for a system with such a small userbase. It's a vicious circle.
IMHO, the serious point is for Linux to offer compelling alternatives from the community, like they already do.
In addition, if large OEMs like Dell, HP and others began to sell systems (*on a large scale*) with Linux preinstalled, Linux would be adopted by many mainstream users. The key point is that the mainstream user doesn't like the hassle. Take my parents for example - they would be perfectly happy if I handed them a computer with Ubuntu preinstalled and set up for them. They would not be so happy if I handed them an install disc and told them to configure it, or if I had to sit there and help them configure and set it up. Am I making sense here, or am I rambling?
It's late. I'm off to bed.
Basically, getting everything into GUI would go a long way in grabbing market share.
This installer technology exists. Buy a UT2004 CD, which has a Linux installer right on the same CD as the Windows installer. Same installer works on SUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc.
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