John noted this in yesterday’s Tech5 Podshow. Here’s the details.
PC maker Everex rolls out a budget desktop PC today that costs $200 and combines the Ubuntu Linux kernel with Google applications and open source software.
The machine uses a 1.5GHz Via C7-D processor, Via UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core, and comes equipped with 512MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, and has built-in Ethernet.
But the real secret sauce is a software suite that begins with what the company calls its “gOS,” which turns out to be a customized Ubuntu Linux kernel. The software bundle includes open source desktop applications highlighted by OpenOffice, GIMP photo software, the Xing DVD and video player, and Rhythmbox music management software.
Additionally, the PC’s user interface includes icons pointing to popular Google applications such as Documents and Spreadsheets, Calendar, News, and Maps. Also pre-installed is the Firefox web browser, Meebo IM, and Skype.
Special note of the inclusion of Skype. Should piss off Telcos.
I like the Zonbu better. It’s just over $200, and fully solid state (and green!). They continuously upgrade the OS and apps for you – choosing those apps which are mature and most useful. If anything goes wrong with the OS they may be able to fix it remotely. If anything goes wrong with the PC they ship you a replacement. It’s ideal for word processing and web browsing, and comes with lots of built-in games. Zonbu also backs up your data to Amazon’s S3 service. What more can you ask for unless you are a gamer?
#32, no but its not deal breaker in buying a non windows PC. Its a specific market, but its not the major reason most people buy PCs.
#30 – Windows XP properly patched and updated isn’t all that bad an OS. I’m still using Windows 2000, which is pretty much XP underneath the Teletubby graphics theme. Most stuff works under Win2K, even some software and hardware that’s supposedly only for XP or better. The problem with Window’s updates is keeping the update from replacing codecs with DRM’ed new versions. Grrrrr! I’d been thinking about taking the Linux plunge for a while now, and have a secondary machine running Ubuntu. It’s different enough to throw people like me that have been “Windowed” since Windows 286. But it’s not any more different than AmigaDos on my old A2000. If I could use Workbench back in the day and then get used to Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and NT 3.51 and Win 95, I guess I can muddle thru Linux. The current version of Ubuntu and a bunch of the FOSS sotware with it blows the doors off the previously mentioned windows
versions. It’s easier to use than I thought, too. Where things are, and how to tweak stuff is where the learning curve. I’m using the command line a bit, too. It’s been a while since config.sys and .ini files were a normal editing chore and I’m a tad rusty.
Wow Steve! Talk about cynicism!
While I assume you’re not the REAL Steve Balmer, you raise a good point about how this might affect Microsoft, if the computer actually succeeds.
While Microsoft may not need to feat this specific $200 computer, they’d better have a plan for how to deal with whole computers that cost less than MS Windows alone.
>> Windows XP properly patched and updated isn’t all that bad an OS.
I agree.
I regularly use Linux, Mac and XP and I’ll say that XP pretty good.
But I’ll say it again: I think all the main OSs have totally gone on the wrong track.
An OS should be completely transparent to the user, so we can focus on the applications.
#37 – An OS should be completely transparent to the user, so we can focus on the applications.
YES!!!!!
Ohforthe,
This is a strong opinion of mine and I get surprising flac for this. In my opinion, all the main OSs have completely got the paradigm wrong.
An OS should be like what’s under the hood in your car — the less you think about it and less it breaks down, the better. The average driver never wants to pop the hood and only wants to focus on the driving experience.
In the computing experience, this means the applications.
I want to play music, write letters, or chat on-line — I have no desire to even THINK about the underlying OS.
I haven’t owned a game machine since my Play Station One but — to me — that is the ideal OS model.
I’m sure there is some sort of OS in the Play Station but the PS experience is all about the game — as it should be. And, I might add, the PS1 almost never crashed — as it should be.
In both the car and computer “communities” there are geeks who actually enjoy fiddling under the hood of tweaking the OS — but that is a very small percentage of average users.
wow
what a scam, it should be illegal for companies like google and walmart to prey on unsuspecting consumers. Lets see Take about $80 worth of hardware, install some “free” software and sell it for $200 + what ever the extended warranty and service plan cost.
#39 – I am 100% with you…
Obviously an OS needs a GUI and like a car, it needs a hood so advanced users, IT pros, me, etc, can get under the hood… But yes, I agree that users shouldn’t have to be aware of the OS…
However, as an aside, when I ask people, “what kind of computer do you have?” I get several answers…
1. Windows
2. Office
3. AOL
4. It’s black and silver.
5. Media Player
So maybe people aren’t really aware of the OS now 🙂
#40 – Dude… It’s hardly a scam. It just isn’t a really powerful machine and I worry that non-standardized software complicates support issues for the very people who are most vexed by support issues.
But $200 is not a bad price for what it is. It just isn’t for us.
I think this is a great idea – the more computers we can get into the hands of the masses the better. I bet there are some big margins on this kit though…
On the PC gaming issue, *real* gamers know that gaming sucks on any machine that has less than $1000 of components in it anyway. This isn’t aimed at gamers, but neither is a $400 machine running Vista Basic – your gaming experience would be the same on both machines – zero
Excellent !!! More GNU/Linux, Less WinBloze !!!
Asus will launch a similar product with linux next year, seems like a good project.