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Linux Business

Big Retailers Timid About Selling Linux Boxen 412

Posted by Zonk from the linspiring dept.
RollWaves75 writes "Jay Lyman reports in IT Manager's Journal that major Linux retailers like Wal-Mart, CompUSA, Fry's and Best Buy are being timid and waiting to see how a small, Midwest-based chain called Micro Center fares in selling Linux software. Turns out that Micro Center not only is out-selling Wal-Mart in Linux systems, it is taking the bold step to have Linux-knowledgeable clerks and trained sales support for customers like you and me." From the article: "[Kevin Carmony] described three levels of mainstream retail Linux: Wal-Mart, which provides no sales support, only offering its Linux machines online; Fry's, where Linux is viewed as a loss leader on the ultra low end; and Micro Center, which is only carrying Linspire Linux at this point, but is behind Linspire's in-store training for reps, Micro Center Marketing Communications Manager Ed Lukens told ITMJ in an email. He said the chain, which is selling boxed and pre-installed Linspire 5.0 desktops and notebooks, will promote the Linux systems with offers through its direct mail pieces."
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Big Retailers Timid About Selling Linux Boxen More

Big Retailers Timid About Selling Linux Boxen

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  • Excellent news (Score:5, Interesting)

    by It doesn't come easy ( 695416 ) * on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:30AM (#12842024) Journal
    I used to live in Houston, TX (back when the world was young), and Micro Center was easily the best computer store in the city. They supported Windows and Mac equally, both with hardware, software, and classes. I am not surprised that they are doing so for Linux as well. In my opinion, this is exactly what Linux needs: Public exposure through a local store that can provide technical support to your average home user when it is needed.

    I think it's time to give my local Micro Center store a visit.

    • Re:Excellent news (Score:4, Informative)

      by Erbo ( 384 ) <amygalert@nOsPaM.gmail.com> on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:35AM (#12842112) Homepage Journal
      The Micro Center in Denver, on Quincy just north of the Tech Center, is probably the best computer store in the metro area. Whenever I need some piece of hardware, that's generally the first place I look.

      I'll have to take a peek at those Linspire notebooks...though, if I got one, I'd probably rather install Debian on it.

    • Re:Excellent news (Score:5, Funny)

      by ImaLamer ( 260199 ) <john@lamar.gmail@com> on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:37AM (#12842140) Homepage Journal
      I'm not suprised either, because it is what people want. In fact, I never saw Apple computers in a retail store until I walked into my local MicroCenter.

      But then again, the people in the Apple section were always a little snobbier than the rest. I can't wait to see their Linux associates...

      • Re:Excellent news (Score:4, Funny)

        by databyss ( 586137 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @01:14PM (#12843420) Homepage Journal
        All linux associates will be required to yell "RTFM n00b!" before answering any questions.

        I only speak from experience, cause that's the response I get when I need linux help.
    • Christ, I hope it's different where you are than where I am. Here near Atlanta, Georgia Micro Center is nothing more than a Best Buy wannabe. Employees wander around desperately trying to get you to buy anything (since they're on commission) and generally give people lots of misinformation because none of them are techncial. The prices for hardware are absurd (I told you they were trying to become Best Buy, didn't I) and every time I have to go into the store I feel like I've sacrificed a small but vital pa

    • It might be relevant to note that at one time the Houston Linux User Group [hlug.org] held their meetings at Microcenter. I think they are currently at the nearby HAL-PC building. I wonder if they had anything to do with this..

      -metric
    • I'm glad they're a good store SOMEWHERE. The only one I've ever gone to is on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, MA, and it has to be my absolute least favorite computer store. Prices on non-sale items are unreasonably high, the staff know nothing about their products, and the people at the checkouts are about as friendly as a brick wall. I go there once in a while because they actually have a fair selection of non-normal stuff (like SCSI converters and RJ-45 plugs), but I cringe every time I have to do it.
      • I live fairly close to the Comp USA store in Woburn, so that's usually my first stop. Only if I can't find what I'm looking for there (or Staples next door) then I'll head down to the Micro Center on Mem Drive... The only time I may head there first is if, like you, I need a cable, adapter, etc. that I'm 90% certian Comp USA won't have.
        • I work a short drive from the Woburn CompUSA. I go there to look at stuff, but usually order online from NewEgg because it is cheaper even factoring in shipping.

    • But what are they really exposing? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by paranode ( 671698 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @12:09PM (#12842538)
      Seriously, when people look at one of these things in a store what are they going to think? "Hey here are these cheaper ones with the cheap Windows knock-off". I think Linux is great but Linspire is really just Linux contorted to be as much like Windows as possible. So to the public who doesn't know what Linux is, it becomes "that cheap Windows knock-off".

      Linux power users probably won't be interested unless they only want the hardware. So that just leaves the in-the-middle folks looking for a cheap computer. Heck I'll bet half of them will just install a pirated Windows copy on it.

    • One can only hope... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by rbochan ( 827946 )
      ...that the machines in question will be, how should I say it... 'more robust' than offerings in the past. The walmart laptops and desktops they've hawked have been cheap-ass pieces of shit, for the most part. Inexpensive doesn't have to mean cheap. Inexpensive and cheap are 2 different things entirely.
      What's need is an HP/Dell (sic) quality _consumer_ machine with a top of the line distro, including support, pre-installed on it, at a decent price. I don't mean to sound condescending, but I'm not talking ab

  • He he ..... (Score:5, Funny)

    by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:30AM (#12842027) Homepage
    Mostly I'm going to watch this thread to see how lively the 'boxen' discussion gets. :-P

    • Re:He he ..... (Score:5, Funny)

      by ivan256 ( 17499 ) * on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:36AM (#12842128)
      What discussion? Boxen is a word... Just ask Webster:

      Boxen \Box"en\ (b[o^]ks"'n), a.
      Made of boxwood; pertaining to, or resembling, the box
      ({Buxus}). [R.]
      [1913 Webster]

      Clearly the big name stores aren't eager to offer an OS with low market share on luxury wooden computers that already have such a tiny market appeal.

  • You mean (Score:5, Funny)

    by Enigma_Man ( 756516 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:31AM (#12842042) Homepage
    Merchants are wary of selling a computing product that is all-but-unknown to the public at large? You don't say!

    -Jesse

  • Windows (Score:2, Informative)

    by dawnread ( 851254 )
    or even life-knowledgeable clerks would be a start!

    Wal-mart has been selling Linux boxes for years though, so why is this news? [theregister.co.uk]

    • Did you even read the summary, let alone TFA? It says that WalMart sells linux PC's online only and without any support, and this place is the first to offer face-to-face sales with knowledgable sales people and support. That's the news.

      • Re:Windows (Score:3, Informative)

        by advocate_one ( 662832 )
        yes, Walmart's Linux section is in the cupboard down in the basement behind the door marked "beware of the Tiger".

        They hide it well... so no wonder sales are low... the cheapest one on the front page of their computers section has XP Home Edition on it...

        the boxes with Linux are to be found as a sub page of the "Specialised PCs" page.

        As they also have bare boxes available in the specialised section, I'd get one of them... as I wouldn't want to waste the extra $40 for the Xandros version or the extra $5

  • Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Doc Squidly ( 720087 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:32AM (#12842055)
    Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks

    When is the last time you met a Knowledgeable Clerk in any retail store?

    • That would be a Knowledgeable Klerk.

      /shop/klerk: not found.
    • You know, it happens. Often there's a young person(sometimes older too) that is into a specific hobby. Maybe they like photography. Maybe they're into computers. Maybe they get a job at a best buy or a microcenter to steal^H^H^H^H^H^H get and employee discount on items that go well with their hobby.

    • Re:Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Martin Blank ( 154261 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:43AM (#12842217) Homepage Journal
      "Oh, sure, this thing is the latest technology. It has a Viamamia Serious chip in it that does over 600 million Bogoblips running the latest Microsoft. It also comes with 200 megs of memory, and more than 100 megs of ROM! And look at this new two-button moose -- better than anything that Applesauce place can do. It can play all the latest games just as good as those big name-brand units, and for only half the cost at $1500 (monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer extra)."
      -- Random Fry's floor sales rep

      • Re:Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks? (Score:5, Funny)

        by DrAegoon ( 738446 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @01:37PM (#12843704)
        Fry's clerk: "Don't forget your special USB 2.0 cable for your new $40 printer" Me: "Why does it cost four times as much as this USB 1.1 cable?" Clerk: "It'll make your printer go faster." Me: "The printer doesn't say it supports USB 2.0" Clerk: "Don't worry it's still better" Me: "It's not going to magically increase the speed of the printer, the computer it's going on doesn't support USB 2.0 anyway, and I'm not adding 50% to the price of a printer for a cable that doesn't do anything the $5 cable doesn't do." The saddest part is that he'd probably gotten people with that line before.

      • Re:Linux-Knowledgeable Clerks? (Score:4, Funny)

        by ThousandStars ( 556222 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @02:05PM (#12844056) Homepage
        Me: I'm only interested in laptops with Pentium-M chips.

        Fry's guy: We have a lot of Centrino.

        Me: I don't care about the wireless chipset, I just care about the processor.

        (So we look at the laptop selection. Some are Centrino bundles. I find a machine that uses a P-M w/o "Centrino".)

        Me: This one.

        Fry's: It doesn't have Centrino.

        Me: I only care about the chip.

        Fry's: I think you want this one. (It's $500 more).

        Me: What's the difference between a P-M and Centrino?

        Fry's: They're the same.

        Me: Slams head into table.

        This is in working on finding a laptop suitable for my sister. Eventually I retreat.

    • You know, this is a real problem. I've been trying to help a family member of my girlfriend buy a computer (after their hard drive melted and 2000 BSoD'd in/on their PIII) and it seems that the only thing they "know" is that you need the extended service plan and that you need at least 512 MB of RAM.

      The second point I agree with. In fact, I asked her to *only* look at computers with more than 512 MB. But aside from that it's hard to not grab these idiots and punch them in the face when they ignore other fa
    • PC Club, Goleta CA. Also, they offer good prices, and are near my work and home. Oh, and they offer Linux as a preloaded option.
    • When I last visited an Apple retail store. There's genuine substance behind the gloss.

      I've actually met a few knowledgeable salespeople at Fry's, although they vary wildly. I understand pay is horrible.

      When at Fry's, it's a good bet that your fellow customers will be knowledgeable. Feel free to ask stray customers questions if your salesperson doesn't know. And that's why the Fry's formula works, even for Linux - people who want Linux buy it.

      I wanted a cheap Linux box in the middle of last year, and
    • I agree to some extent with what you're saying but as an articulate, intelligent, knowledgeable individual I would like to point out that there are *some* of us who do work in retail for many reasons.

      I worked in PC Sales for a year to help fund my degree. I've also been a butcher, a fishmonger, a carpenter and many other jobs where the general public has taken the attitude that because I work in a shop/building site I must be stupid.

      If everyone was a little more open minded and a little less prejudiced th

  • How do they make money on free software? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:33AM (#12842075)
    Volume!
    • Volume!

      In the case of Microtel, they make money off of the machine they sell you. They probably still have to pay to load Xandros or Linspire on it, but nowhere near as much as Windows. And Linspire makes additional money through software purchases made on their online software store.
  • We've got one here in the DC area, and it's a pretty great store. Not as impressive a selection as Fry's, but competitive in terms of price. And they tend to have a pretty good selection of really great blowout deals on a month to month basis on routers, last-gen videocards and miscellaneous geek paraphenalia like rechargeable batteries and memory card readers.

  • Boxen???!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Dot.Com.CEO ( 624226 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:35AM (#12842110)
    I mean I know slashdot has been getting worse but can we please maintain a basic level in the editorialising of the articles posting? This is becoming amazingly annoying.

    I miss Michael...

  • and waiting to see how a small, Midwest-based chain called Micro Center fares in selling Linux software

    There is one of these in Fairfax, VA. How are they midwest?

    That said, I'm gonna have to stop by my local one and check out the linux boxes. Been a while since I have been in there. Oh, and link to locations. [microcenter.com]

  • Well Obviously... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Momoru ( 837801 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:36AM (#12842117) Homepage Journal
    ...I would be timid to sell an OS for Losers [slashdot.org] too.
  • Our motto, "Not as cheap as Fry's but better lit and cleaner!"

    Seriously though, I really like shopping there. Stuff that should be cheap (cables for instance) is, and their sales people have half a clue.

    • Re:Micro Center (Score:5, Informative)

      by RocketScientist ( 15198 ) * on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:41AM (#12842188)
      Agreed.

      Microcenter also has about the best return policy in the business. On most things they don't charge a restock fee. If you give them enough personal info (address + phone) they can re-create your reciept if you lose it. They have good prices on parts. They always have the cable I'm looking for, usually in the length I need, including weirdo SCSI and fibre cables.

      Their Apple people generally have more product knowledge than the Apple employees at CompUSA, and just slightly less than the ones at the Apple store.

      No commercial interest in them, just want to give a good company a little rep bonus.
      • And the salespeople at Microcenter offer to help if its obvious I look lost and aren't overbearing like the vultures down the street at Best Buy or CompUSA. I don't get the idea they are trying to sell me a car when I step my foot in the door.
  • Yes, but how much support will they provide if I want to install an alternative, non-mainstream operating system such as the almost ready for prime time Microsoft Windows XP [slashdot.org]?

    Seriously, though, this will certainly be a test of Linspire's slogan of being "the world's easiest desktop Linux."

  • Test Market (Score:5, Informative)

    by 0kComputer ( 872064 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:39AM (#12842163)
    I live in Columbus, Ohio and it is essentially used as a test market for a lot of different products. Many times when companies want to test out new products, well see it here first. New Soda's, resturaunts, fast foods, etc... I think it has to do with the demographic running parellel with the rest of the country. Anyways, theres a micro center here, and its pretty good. The staff is usually pretty intelliget. Most employees are typically comp sci students or generally tech smart people wanting to get into the industry. Sounds like a good idea, if it can succeed in Columbus, its got a pretty good shot nationally.

    • Re:Test Market (Score:3, Informative)

      by ogre57 ( 632144 )
      Actually there are two in the area; the 'monster' one on Bethel, and a smaller one in Westerville.

    • Re:Test Market (Score:2, Interesting)

      by swiggidy ( 311202 )
      First off, I live in Columbus too. I think Ohio is used as a test bed because it's the most average place in the country. (Look at the presidential election).

      As for tests, how many people have had McDonald's pizza?

  • That's a change for the better (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Black Parrot ( 19622 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:39AM (#12842171)


    > it is taking the bold step to have Linux-knowledgeable clerks

    I can't remember the last time I was in a store where the clerks were knowlegeable about anything. In Best Buy stores the clerks have to go consult their supervisor on the simplest questions (assuming they don't just make up an answer).

    • If you stumble upon the supervisors first, they're actually quite knowledgable. I managed to get half of a discount back on a product after it expired (I was going to buy this GPS last Saturday for $80, but by the time I got there on Monday it was $100... the guy sold it to me for $90). The guy was quite nice and reasonable, in contrast with the numerous zombies of which you speak. It's nice to know that there are still some decent, smart, helpful people left in the retail world.

    • True, but I have found that the vast majority of Micro Center employees genuinely care about the products they are selling. I once talked with a guy in the computer components section for 30 minutes about the various differences between 3 motherboards I was considering. Not only did he know them in detail, he took one look at an open-box item I was considering and recommended I not buy it. Why you ask? One of the capacitors was loose. How many Best Buy employees have you seen that could pick out a loos

  • From TFA:

    Fry's, where Linux is viewed as a "loss leader" on the ultra low end;

    This is a huge mistake. Fry's seems to be equating "free software" with "cheap bastards". They should be focusing on giving their customers freedom of choice in their software selections.

    But then again, this is Fry's...

    • As long as its free, people are going to equate it with cheap quality. Much like people bring bottled water(aquafina) to my office yet we have a chilled filter water tap.
  • /. discussions are usually conducted in English, and boxes is a perfectly reasonable word. Boxen is an attempt to use German pluralization on the English word Box. Box is not a word in German, so it is not like boxen is a fun foriegn word to use to mix things up, it is just stupid, and not any shorter or clearer than boxes. If you are feeling 1337 than you could say 80x35.

  • Linux---great! But 'Linspire'? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by TripMaster Monkey ( 862126 ) * on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:42AM (#12842214)


    Now, before I get slammed by Linspire zealots, just let me say one thing:

    I'm betting that, among Linux enthusiasts, that Linspire users are in the minority. How do I know? Because among Linux users, $DISTRO users are in the minority. And why is that? Because there are about six jillion distros out there.

    Another poster in a previous article referred to this trend as 'the balkanization of Linux', and I believe that that is a very apt description. If Linux really wants to become a player in the regular user market, one distro (or a few, at the most) must claim ascendancy.

    Just one question...which one will it be?

    • Linux doesn't want to do anything. It just is. How zen is that?

      The very nature of the market means that Linux will replace nearly all of the commercial operating systems, including the desktop. What you see as the balkanisation of Linux is simply the natural evolution into niches, a bit like the evolution of small furry rodents into every mammalian life form we see today.

    • Most linux zealots are just happy it's running linux at all. After all, they can replace the distro any time they want. The main thing is it shows the hardware will work with linux.
    • And Henry Ford said you could have any color car you want as long as it is black. The last time I looked, there were several different models of cars in different colors. All of them basically do the same thing, operate in a similar manner, and obey the same basic rules but nobody says we should use the same model & make of car.

      I've tried several different distributions (RedHat, Fedora, SuSE, TurboLinux, Debian and several other minor distros). The biggest difference I've ever seen is in the install

    • Re:Linux---great! But 'Linspire'? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Jah-Wren Ryel ( 80510 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @12:50PM (#12843097)
      If Linux really wants to become a player

      Linux doesn't want anything. It isn't a person, it isn't a corporate person, it isn't a country.

      If you want linux to become a player, go ahead and do whatever you feel is necessary.

    • Why 'Linspire' - simple (Score:3, Interesting)

      by acomj ( 20611 )
      Linspire seems pretty solid, although I haven't played with it that much. It is definetely one of the most "out of the box" friendly system for non linux familiar people to use. So you can sell it to anyone not just those familiar with linux. I think thats the point of it.

      Also, and importantly they also offer support http://support.linspire.com/ [linspire.com] , which has bulliten boards and phone numbers. The phone is slow. But when you want to retail a linux box, that support becomes critical to your sales, so linspire
  • That about says it all. I'm pretty interested in them for their software and peripherals, but the lack of Linux notebooks is still quite disheartening.
  • Just interested to know.

  • From the article: 'It's terrible...Everyone is using it, and they don't realize how bad it is. And the Linux people will just stick with it and add to it rather than stepping back and saying, "This is garbage and we should fix it."
  • When the market is saturated with wintel boxen, it takes very sly foxen with big coxen to prove them wrong.
  • I'll be spending more time and money at Micro Center from now on. They've always been good about providing shelf space for OSS.

  • Uh, no (Score:2)

    by Otter ( 3800 )
    Turns out that Micro Center not only is out-selling Wal-Mart in Linux systems...

    Never having seen a Linux system there, this surprised me. R'ingTFA shows that the real quote was "the small chain sells more of its Linux software than Wal-Mart."

    1) That doesn't exactly shock me.

    2) We're talking 500-1000 Linspire daily sales worldwide, so these aren't exactly huge numbers, anyway. (What the hell kind of ERP software do they have at Linspire? How can they not have more accurate sales figures than that?)

    3) Mi

    • Re:Uh, no (Score:3, Insightful)

      by fr0dicus ( 641320 )
      And how many of those are simply ways to dodge paying for Windows? I think people who believe Linux is getting anywhere at all in retail need to pull their head out of the sand.

  • I'm going to start building and selling computers with Linux preinstalled.

  • FTFA: Kay added while Linux users -- who as a whole are becoming less sophisticated, according to other industry observers -- might be more likely to shop at Fry's, the bulk of Linux systems sold end up with other operating systems, particularly pirated Windows, likening the situation to PCs that ship to China.

    "I think they may end up with Windows," he said. "The stores just say, 'Look, it had an operating system on it when it went out the door. That's all we know. Hear no evil, see no evil."

    That may

  • It's marketing. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by fsck! ( 98098 ) <jacob.elder@gmCHEETAHail.com minus cat> on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:52AM (#12842330) Homepage
    Maybe they think "boxen" is a stupid, stupid word.

  • Interesting (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Fished ( 574624 ) <amphigory@gmail . c om> on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:53AM (#12842343)
    Back in 1999, I actually bought a boxed set of Wordperfect for Linux at MicroCenter--they've been selling at least some Linux software in-store for years.
  • http://microcenter.com/images/specials/0605a_page0 1_full.jpg [microcenter.com] Look at the lower left corner. Not a great machine, but I've been debating getting one for my mom to replace the 486. $99 if you apply for the credit card.
    • Hmm. Looks like your usual rebate crapola and other shit. I'd never shop based on that ad. Then again I guess 99% of your stores over in the US are like that. I feel sorry for you. I really do.

      Here in Europe we belive in listing real prices without ten sentences with asterisks describing how the real price is over 50% more, but how you can sell your soul to ten different marketers, and pray some craptastic rebate actually materializes, and THEN get it for the listed big-print price.

  • Big Retailers Timid About Not Turning Profit (Score:3, Insightful)

    by gatkinso ( 15975 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @11:55AM (#12842366)
    Revised title.
  • It's good to see Linux making a comeback at uCenter. I remember seeing Linux CDs there back in the day (when "Linux CDs" were snapshots of tsx-11.mit.edu or other FTP sites). For a while, they were a lot less clueful about Linux, though, so I haven't actually gone there for anything higher-level than keyboards and cables in ages.
  • There is one near Cleveland, OH (near Mayfield Rd. and Rte. 91) When I absolutely have to go to a brick and mortar store for components, I go there (>30 miles) instead of the local Comp-USA. It's not an orgasmic experience or anything, I don't go there often, it is just that C-USA sucks so badly.

    At Microcenter, the employees are actually helpful and accessible. They seem to know what they are talking about, which is a big plus. Compared to C-USA employees who hide in the back and don't know jack an
  • Their stuff is always more expensive than competing stores. (around here that's CompUSA, with a little Officemax and Staples) Their house-brand systems are unreliable crap. Their few good prices always depend on multiple obnoxious rebates.

    On the bright side, their service center guys are at least nice, though not particularly capable. This is important, since you'll be getting to know them if you buy a computer there.

  • Nope, still not cool (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Thaelon ( 250687 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @12:21PM (#12842685)
    Ok guys I realize the /. audience is not a part of the "cool" crowd, but using asinine words like "boxen" or "virii" does not make you part of the cool subset of the /. crowd, it makes you part of the script kiddie subset of the general populace. Knock it off please.

    To me, "boxen" - phonetically pronounced - is how rednecks pronounce boxing.

    P.S. Mark me flamebait if you want, I consider the use of "boxen" and "virii" to be flamebait and moderate accordingly.

  • Fry's and MicroCenter in Atlanta (Score:3, Insightful)

    by buckhead_buddy ( 186384 ) on Friday June 17, 2005 @12:49PM (#12843088)
    Recently I had to buy a new x86 compatible machine to help out a friend who was doing some Visual Basic work. He said he'd load up the OS and software I needed on the coattails of his developer subscription, but I neeeded to buy the hardware.

    I went to the Frys and Microcenter in Atlanta to buy the cheapest/fastest thing they had. For around $600 Microcenter had an Athlon 64 3ghz with XP Home but I'd fallen through the cracks and couldn't find anyone to help me buy it. I went to Frys and they had a refurbished 3ghz Intel PC with Linspire on it, but unlike Microcenter the woman sales rep was actively trying to talk me out of the purchase. She was telling me why Linspire was a bad choice and that it was much cheaper to buy Windows when I bought the PC than later. So while Fry's had Linspire PC's for sale, I'd be very suprised if they actually sold any of them. They seemed very hostile to actually allowing one of them actually go out the door. In the end I went back to MicroCenter and got the Manager himself to help me get the PowerSpec.

    That's the first time I had a salesrep actually try to talk me out of a purchase I'd decided on, and use the lack of Windows as the justification. Oh well, I've learned my lesson there.

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