US PC retailer devotes floor space to Linux

Computers running the Linux OS are continuing to advance into the consumer retail market, with the announcement this week that Micro Center will sell desktops and laptops running Linspire Inc.'s Linux OS. "This is very big for Linux," Linspire Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kevin Carmony said in an interview. "People want the value and the security. It is a viable alternative. For half the people out there, Linux would work for them." Micro Center, which is owned by Micro Electronics Inc. of Hilliard, Ohio, began considering selling hardware systems with Linux preinstalled after competitor Fry's Electronics offered Linux computer systems, Carmony said. A poll conducted by Micro Center showed that more than 75 percent of its customers are interested in Linux as an OS option, he said.

While other retailers sell computers with San Diego-based Linspire's software, Micro Center is the only vendor that is devoting space in each of its 19 stores to Linux and has staff members trained by Linspire, according to Carmony. Micro Center is selling two Linspire desktops, according to its Web site. The PowerSpec 1405 retails for US$250 and features a Sempron processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., 128M bytes of RAM, a 40G-byte hard drive and a CD-ROM drive. The PowerSpec 1415 costs $300 and comes with a Sempron processor, 256M bytes of RAM, a 40G-byte hard drive and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. Neither system includes a monitor.

View: The full story