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Wal-Mart Ends Test of Linux in Stores: Not What Customers Sought
Associated Press (excerpt) ^
| March 11, 2008
Posted on 03/10/2008 10:06:24 PM PDT by HAL9000
click here to read article
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To: HAL9000
Bahhh
21
posted on
03/11/2008 3:15:49 AM PDT
by
big'ol_freeper
("...millions hate what they mistakenly think that the Catholic Church is." ~ Archbishop Fulton Sheen)
To: dayglored
I suspect that after a couple of weeks, at least some of the cheap Linux PCs end up as hosts for old/second copies of Win98 or Win2000. Those older OSes run like a bat outta hell on newer hardware, even bottom-feeder hardware. As long as you can find drivers.Perhaps, (and I loved my Win2k) but its becoming increasingly difficult to safely use either of those two anywhere near the net, especially '98.
22
posted on
03/11/2008 3:36:22 AM PDT
by
MichiganMan
(Remember when Linkin Park wasn't on your mom's radio station?)
To: kittycatonline.com
That’s a brilliant observation, absolutely right on.
23
posted on
03/11/2008 3:40:34 AM PDT
by
ovrtaxt
(Member of the irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.)
To: Anti-Bubba182
There is no way Walmart made a big profit on a $199 machines compare to Vista ones. I bet that is the real reason.
Yeah, 'cos Wal-Mart is well know for only stocking the highest priced items to protect its margins. It's not like you'll ever walk in there and find, say, a $30 DVD player instead of those $1,000 models they sell. Right. Wal-Mart tried to sell Linux, and it didn't work. You Linux fan-boys can come up with all the conspiracy theories you like, but I'll take them at their word on this one.
To: RoadKingSE
"What's all this talk I hear about Charley Brown's friend Linus not being welcome at WalMart? That is totally unfair and ..what's that? Linux not Linus? Well that's different. Nevermind."LOL! :D....a classic response.
25
posted on
03/11/2008 4:16:39 AM PDT
by
skinkinthegrass
(just b/c your paranoid, doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you...our hopes were dashed by CINOs :)
To: nina0113
I have both XP and Linux Ubuntu 7.10 on a dual boot laptop. With 1.25 Gb RAM, XP actually boots faster than Ubuntu. An earlier version of Ubuntu, 7.04, was the fastest.
I use XP far more than I do Ubuntu. Ubuntu takes some getting used to if you go beyond the desktop environment. I use it when I just want to surf. For all my daily tasks, I'm happy with XP.
You can still get XP on new PC's through Dell online, and Best Buy online Best Buy For Business. That's a better choice than going Vista, fer sure.
26
posted on
03/11/2008 4:30:23 AM PDT
by
bcsco
(To heck with a third party. We need a second one....)
To: HAL9000; rdb3; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; GodGunsandGuts; CyberCowboy777; Salo; Bobsat; JosephW; ...
27
posted on
03/11/2008 5:54:29 AM PDT
by
ShadowAce
(Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
To: MikeGranby
You Linux fan-boys can come up with all the conspiracy theories you like, but I'll take them at their word on this one. You have to admit that arguing that the product was pulled because it sold so well that it couldn't be kept in stock is a bit of a stretch.
28
posted on
03/11/2008 5:56:21 AM PDT
by
1rudeboy
To: HAL9000
Customers would rather have computers with Vista? ROFL!
29
posted on
03/11/2008 5:58:17 AM PDT
by
KoRn
(CTHULHU '08 - I won't settle for a lesser evil any longer!)
To: KoRn
Yep, any Windows based system is going to serve the basic software needs of the average low-end user much better than Linux. Geeks (and I am one) never quite understand how much different their computer needs are from the rest of the average users.
30
posted on
03/11/2008 6:24:36 AM PDT
by
RJS1950
(The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
To: HAL9000; kingu; N3WBI3
Not what consumers wanted? They all sold out as fast as they were put on the shelves. Yeah dat. At least in Sillycon Valley.
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
To: HAL9000
Well, I think it’s a software issue. Most people want to have their windows software. They’re used to it, and don’t want to change-cause that means they have to learn something. Too much work, not enough time, and they don’t understand it.
I saw a quote on an automotive website yesterday that said nearly 90% of Americans, below the age of 40, don’t know how to drive a standard transmission. In fact, the author said people asked what’s a standard? LOL
33
posted on
03/11/2008 7:48:26 AM PDT
by
papasmurf
(I'm not worried anymore. I read Obama's "Blueprint for Change".)
To: Nateman
Sears sells confusers? I’ve never seen them there. Course in my local store, the tool department has a door direct to the outside, and I try never to venture deeper into the store than that anyway! LOL
34
posted on
03/11/2008 7:50:55 AM PDT
by
Still Thinking
(Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
To: MichiganMan
If you’re well firewalled, you should be fine. I still have one Win2k box in my home network (primarily used for net access), and it never catches anything. The person who uses it doesn’t get an admin account, and I have Zone Alarm and AVG running local as well as the firewalling from the router. Seems to be perfectly adequate.
35
posted on
03/11/2008 7:56:53 AM PDT
by
Still Thinking
(Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
To: 1rudeboy
You have to admit that arguing that the product was pulled because it sold so well that it couldn't be kept in stock is a bit of a stretch.Exactly. That means the price is below the market clearing price and they're giving away profit. They should raise the price to 219.99 and if the situation persists, raise it again to 229.99. If it gets to the point where they're making more profit per unit shelf space than from other stuff, give the PC's some of the shelf space from the other stuff.
36
posted on
03/11/2008 8:01:25 AM PDT
by
Still Thinking
(Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
To: Still Thinking
That means the price is below the market clearing price and they're giving away profit. Actually what it means is that shelf space is expensive. A $50 MP3 player has around a 30% profit margin. You can stock 500 MP3 players in the space that one computer system takes up. A computer system has razor thin margins. It's not profitable to stock them on the shelf at your local Wally's.
Note that they still sell them on-line. Well, when they aren't sold out.
37
posted on
03/11/2008 8:17:36 AM PDT
by
Knitebane
(Happily Microsoft free since 1999.)
To: Knitebane
That’s essentially what I said. If they can’t keep them on the shelf, the price is lower than it could be without affecting unit sales, so they should raise the price a little and see if demand slows down to meet supply.
When they raise the price, they will get a better margin on the item in question. If the process goes so far that margin/ft shelf is better for the item than the one next to it, adjust the shelf allocation a little.
Your comment takes into account the reality of computer sales, I was just pointing out some general rules that apply to anything which they were apparently failing to follow.
38
posted on
03/11/2008 8:30:06 AM PDT
by
Still Thinking
(Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
To: Still Thinking
Your comment takes into account the reality of computer sales, I was just pointing out some general rules that apply to anything which they were apparently failing to follow. The rules are a bit different for computers. The sales channel is predominantly online. You can generally only make money with a brick-and-mortar computer store if you offer something other than just the machine. Most mom-and-pop computer stores sell with 2-3% margins and still make most of their money off of de-virusing and de-spywaring Windows computers.
Wal-Mart doesn't offer anything other than the machine. If they raise the price people will just go elsewhere. Keeping machines on the shelf is a losing proposition regardless of the markup.
39
posted on
03/11/2008 8:39:42 AM PDT
by
Knitebane
(Happily Microsoft free since 1999.)
To: nina0113
That gOS is very interesting..It is super fast on an AMD64 X2...has all I think you need for browsing...Firefox and some intersting interfaces to facebook.google,gmail,....etc...
Go here to see some screen shots:
gOS
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