I just saw on Wal-Mart's web site where they're selling a Linux Lappy. It's a "Balance." They're gonna have Linspire on it. I would post the URL but i'm a total n00b and cant put a link until 5 posts...

Firstly, welcome to LQ

I'm moving this to General as it fits better there.

Here's the link:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3504708

Dave

i think walmart is evil, and i refuse to go there.

course they also do something very bold things in the retail world, like telling the riaa how much cds cost and now selling linux computers. while this is could be a great thing, i think we must also realize walmart's goal is to have the lowest possible prices to maximize their profit.

only question is, do they support these or does linspire? could be interesting in the tech support world, where in america none of the major isps support anything but windows 98/me/2000nt/xp and mac os9/x.

i wouldnt buy it. there are much better dells out there.

Interesting. I may have to agree with nuka_t though on this one, while the OS may be solid what about the computer itself?

Mike

I think that's mainly because they need support. A lot of the people using windows can't do it on their own.

I think ISP's (and I work for one) should support the top 3 or 4 flavors of Linux as far as seeing if they can get an IP address and browse the internet and thats about it. Or better yet have a department that specializes in that area.

who would WANT the crap the isp's put on computers installed for them? all a person needs is a phone number a nick and a password. anything that requires more than that is a piece of crap anyway.

well, so i go buy one of these and the nic goes bad. my isp isnt going to help me figure it out. or say i cant setup evolution or whatever comes on it. isp wont help. or say i cant get flash install, or java, or i cant view my bank, or i cant use secure connections, or i cant get my wireless network to work, uhh this list probably goes on.

if you are buying one of these from walmart, (i agree with nuka, this deal looks jank), you probably have some issues with the above.

dell / hp etc have support, im going to assume they do also..

Woah, only $500? Wasn't HP's SuSE laptop something like $1,500??? I really want to get a linux-enabled laptop, but I don't have a lot of money to spend. On the other hand I don't want a piece of crap laptop either. Are there any reviews of this laptop around, or anyone here who bought it and care to share their personal experience?

My neighbor purchased this notebook and I've had the chance to play with it. I'm not a big Linspire fan, so I'll just stick to the basics... The laptop is subpar in comparison with most notebooks out there now. I just picked up a brand new Toshiba mobile with better specs than this for only $75 more after rebate. Personally, wouldn't buy it, but she loves it and also loves Linspire..which in its own way is pretty cool.

The screen is smaller than average these days, but crisp and clean.

Memory is very low! It's enough to run Linspire, but not quickly.

There's no CDR drive or DVD, which is pretty standard these days.


The last two are the pitfalls in my opinion. I think there are better deals out there now, but for someone who wants a cheap notebook with no refunds to hassle with and very little experience, it's probably a great deal. For my neighbor, she's in heaven. As far as I'm concerned, if someone buys it and is turned on to Linux, very cool!

looking at the specs, I don't think it's the memory that's slow, it just needs more. This looks like a good lappy for anyone (especially linux fans) with an uberlight budget. Also if you add more memory you should be able to run Unreal Tournament 2004 in software mode. (minimum sys requirements 900mhz processor, 4 gig of space, 128Mb RAM). Now what else could you possibly do that would require more power.

Yes, that's what I wrote: "Memory is low."

doom 3

halflife 2 on cadega

...

but after hearing the UT 2k4 requirements, im going to play the demo. hopefully i can get the thign installed.

im so sad taht unreal 3 will be directx. no more UT on linux.