I was at OpenTech yesterday and there was a massive computer fair going
on at ULU at the same time.
There were many people selling ex corporate PCs (mostly Dells and HPs)
for prices that looked better value than the Race Online Scheme!
A typical example was a dual core desktop with 1G ram and 80G hard disk
for 79 quid with flat screen monitors going for 30-40 quid on top of this.
Yes no delivery, no after sales support but a lot more computer for the
money!
All these machines came with a basic install of XP only. I asked one of
the vendors why they did not offer Linux as well. He was interested in
the prospect of appealing to a wider audience with his reconed PCs. I
found out that the image the fresh XP install onto PCs over the gigabit
network that is standard in ex business PCs of the age that are
available at the moment.
He said that getting a fresh XP image onto a pepurposed machine this way
takes just 4 minutes!
As the minimum hard disk in the reconditioning marketplace is 40G with
80G and above more common I suggested to him that if 20% of that disk
was given over to letting people try Linux there would be no real
downside, Linux can access the XP partition so if people have music etc
on it it can be played. If people really truly did not want Linux they
have an extra drive letter they can use (when they get around to needing
that last 20% of the disk). On the other side of the coin it would be no
real hassle to axe the XP either.
Microsoft is clearly going to want to put a lid on free thinking like
this so we need to start a public clamour for it so they can't stop
their 'Authorized Refurbishers' form giving into public demand.
The hard disks in the Race Online PCs are all 80G at least so why is
dual booting not an option there as standard. Why are people being
forced to choose before they know anything?
One good reason for dual booting is that if they manage to scramble one
of the OSes beyond use (no prizes guessing which one that is likley to
be) they still have the other one to be able to go online and seek help.
I know we have the Boot the Ubuntu CD option but that is that little bit
more complex and hard to explain to people they have to be patient
because the CD is slow.
I am going to try to get the Guardian involved in running this as a
campaign. Why should anyone buying a reconditioned PC be denied the
chance to try Linux?- If it is only a matter of the right disk image
getting put on in minutes?
--
*Deluxe Technology Ltd*
/Linux Consultant/
mhous...@deluxe-tech.co.uk <mailto:mhous...@deluxe-tech.co.uk>
http://www.deluxe-tech.co.uk
Mob: 07970 850961
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