Ubuntu at Best Buy!

[67GTA]

Ubuntu is being sold at Best Buy. It is being packaged and redistributed by Valuesoft. Ubuntu forums thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=853139

[Husse]

Well - the last idiot has not been born yet

[Nomad]

Hey if your going to go to best buy have fun with them. Use big words and confuse them. My personal experience soon after vista came out was something like this. I went in to look at a cheap laptop and one of the sales people comes over and starts explaining vista and how great it is. I then told him I used linux and would remove vista...his comment to this was. "Vista is much more stable than XP and even Linux, its also much faster." At which point I "accidentally" caused a blue screen. Gotta love seeing that glow and the words Driver State Error. Though the sales person's face was also quite good. Needless to say I didn't buy a computer there.

Anyway Husse a good quote that references your comment:
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

[Mike A]

Yes they have started selling a boxed set. It comes with a written user's guide,install CD full featured with Open Office etc,,and I believe 60 day's of unlimited technical support. I think that is a great deal for folks that are not experienced in setting up a new operating system and even after that there are many people that are not comfortable learning a new system with no professional support. All that for 20 bucks seems cheap to me.In fact I am thinking of getting a couple of copys and giving them as gifts.If they get used it will be a couple of new Linux users. If you can get someone to try Linux they will find it is not just for power use's but a very good system for the average user also.

[Thomas]

Hey if your going to go to best buy have fun with them. Use big words and confuse them. My personal experience soon after vista came out was something like this. I went in to look at a cheap laptop and one of the sales people comes over and starts explaining vista and how great it is. I then told him I used linux and would remove vista...his comment to this was. "Vista is much more stable than XP and even Linux, its also much faster." At which point I "accidentally" caused a blue screen. Gotta love seeing that glow and the words Driver State Error. Though the sales person's face was also quite good. Needless to say I didn't buy a computer there.

Anyway Husse a good quote that references your comment:
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

hehe, I do that a lot
Damn n00bs interfering with my laptop testing...

[donec]

At which point I "accidentally" caused a blue screen. Gotta love seeing that glow and the words Driver State Error.

How did you do that?

[exploder]

I think the box set is good for people that have no idea of what an iso is but want something rather than Vista. The price is less than most video games. It would be interesting to see the sales figures! I wonder what the boys in Redmond think about this.

[Husse]

I have to apologize a bit.
As I am not living in the US I thought this was something like ebay
So I modify my statement to
How nice for the computer idiots
and I really should not use the word idiot but as it was used in the beginning....
illiterate would be better
Actually it would be interesting to see how many buys it...

[deadguy]

How nice for the computer idiots

I think that is a great deal for folks that are not experienced in setting up a new operating system and even after that there are many people that are not comfortable learning a new system with no professional support.

I agree here.

however, there is always the Ubuntu forums....

[Husse]

I should say that I run into very few idiots in this forum (apart from myself at times )

[Gunmetal_Ghoul]

Don't knock Best Buy for selling a boxed Ubuntu set. That's EXACTLY how I got into Linux in the first place! I didn't have it in me to burn a live CD myself and thought I would be better off shelling out the $20. I enjoyed using Ubuntu on my old hand-me-down laptop--It runs like new. Later on I decided to go for Mint, Ubuntu's cute sister, for about another $3, and here I am today. Good stuff....

[FedoraRefugee]

That is great hearing a story like yours G_G. I was wondering why you dug up a thread this old just to yell at Husse, but it is awesome you did. I wonder how many others got their start like you? There used to be many boxed sets of distros back before CD burners really came into being, back in the late 90's. I believe that with all the interesting distro names and colorful mascots that a lot could be done to spark interest this way. I guess cost is a major factor though...

[Husse]

And I still for my mistake to think BestBuy was an Ebay variation

[phil]

I also got started with Linux by buying a boxed disk at a Wal-Mart Store in Colorado. It was published by QUE in 1998 called the Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux. It was a copy of Open Linux by Caldera. I still have it and it works, but not like Mint 6 XFCe.

[slider]

Dont feel too bad Husse. Those of us from the USA would make the same misconception about a business based in Sweden!

[willxtreme]

I then told him I used linux and would remove vista...his comment to this was. "Vista is much more stable than XP and even Linux, its also much faster." At which point I "accidentally" caused a blue screen.

LMAO what a "good seller"

[sarahmarienc]

I too saw Ubuntu in best buy about a year ago but I thought-- wait, it's supposed to be free.

So I went home and made an iso cd. Now that was fun. And ubuntu has this request a cd thingy so I did that too. So I do have an official cd here from ubuntu but the boxed set at best buy has manuals and such.

Anyway, a few weeks later and I was on to Mint. I love it here.

But let me tell you about Best Buy and Ubuntu- the techie guy there asked me why I am running Linux on my HP Media Center. Said that was a waste of my money. I laughed and said, well HP told me my computer was shot and to buy a new one. I knew better. Windows won't run but Ubuntu will and just saved me the $1,000 it would have cost to replace my current system. He didn't stick around for the rest of the story...

I have bad luck with best buy reps always trying to talk me out of Linux. Bring it in, I'll get WIndows back on it for you. I want to show them a picture of someone hanging by a noose and say.. "and if you do...." LOL! Because I have Linux, IF something were to go wrong with my computer, I would have to take it to an independent computer repair guy and hope he knew what he was doing. But I'm sure he's much better than the best buy geeks who just don't get that some people actually LOVE LINUX!

Next time i'm there I should "accidentally" leave some LINUX MINT iso cds near a computer and write FREE on them. LOL!

-Sarah

[Zwopper]

I have no problem with the fact that stores sell systems with preconfigured Linux on them, it just helps to spread the word.
What does happen is that you will get a lot of support calls, because that's what the ordinary M$ user is used to...
"This and that won't work, what do I do?!?"
If you really want to show people the possibilities with Linux, you have to be ready to support it,
hence, there is no wrong in charging for it on a preconfigured system.

I know this for a fact, because at the store I worked at a couple of years ago we offered Ubuntu and/or Mint preinstalled, as well as Windows.
Some people did raise the question why the Linux machines was the same cost as much as the Windows ones.
Well the answer is pretty simple; you get a complete system with an office suite, a VERY capable graphics editor, and whole slew of other useful applications.
The same support(or better) as if you would have bought a machine with windows on it.
What you DON'T get is virus, instability, malware and a load of other crap.

We did sell 10% of our machines with Linux on it, and after a period of 3 to 6 months 25% of those came back
and wanted us to install Windows for them, because "their friend" or "their computer-wiz-kid-son"
or whoever couldn't figure out how to install winamp or winzip or whatever windows app on it,
they also couldn't figure out how to break their system which kind of pissed them off I guess!

Anyway enough with the rantings.
I really think that Linux users must get used to the idea that buying a computer necessarily won't be cheaper
because Linux is installed on it instead of Windows, it will simply be better and more hassle free.

//Z

[FedoraRefugee]

It would be nice to get back to selling hardware only. It would solve so many issues...But yeah, I realize that it will never happen. People want to go home and plug it in and start working...Still, ditch the software and computers would come down in price all round.

[sarahmarienc]

I have no problem with the fact that stores sell systems with preconfigured Linux on them, it just helps to spread the word.
What does happen is that you will get a lot of support calls, because that's what the ordinary M$ user is used to...
"This and that won't work, what do I do?!?"
If you really want to show people the possibilities with Linux, you have to be ready to support it,
hence, there is no wrong in charging for it on a preconfigured system.

I know this for a fact, because at the store I worked at a couple of years ago we offered Ubuntu and/or Mint preinstalled, as well as Windows.
Some people did raise the question why the Linux machines was the same cost as much as the Windows ones.
Well the answer is pretty simple; you get a complete system with an office suite, a VERY capable graphics editor, and whole slew of other useful applications.
The same support(or better) as if you would have bought a machine with windows on it.
What you DON'T get is virus, instability, malware and a load of other crap.

We did sell 10% of our machines with Linux on it, and after a period of 3 to 6 months 25% of those came back
and wanted us to install Windows for them, because "their friend" or "their computer-wiz-kid-son"
or whoever couldn't figure out how to install winamp or winzip or whatever windows app on it,
they also couldn't figure out how to break their system which kind of pissed them off I guess!

Anyway enough with the rantings.
I really think that Linux users must get used to the idea that buying a computer necessarily won't be cheaper
because Linux is installed on it instead of Windows, it will simply be better and more hassle free.

//Z

I agree with this and I have no problem with valusoft/ubuntu selling the cds. As I said the boxed set comes with a manual, 60 days of free professional support, etc. That same professional support you would have to pay for through ubuntu if you were to burn a free iso and couldn't get free support through the forums. SO I think it's a great deal for someone wanting a windows alternative. I also would spend the same amount, possibly more buying a pre-installed Linux system IF I could choose which linux distro went on it. I'm thinking about getting a laptop and don't want to spend much because I'm likely going to wipe windows off anyway. But that's another story for another thread. My point is that I think it's great that Ubuntu is in stores.

I think it's awful that for the majority those same stores know NOTHING about Linux. Even down to simple things like-will my linksys wireless card work with Linux. Answer I received: NO the box says WINDOWS. Fact: it works great out of the box with no problems and no driver enabling needed. If they would just learn the little things, I'd be much more happy about the whole thing. IT would benefit them and their customers which would increase the overall impression of the company and probably boost their bottom line in the long run. But again, a rant for another thread.