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Companies selling preinstalled Linux and no-OS

lxer.com — I am putting together a list of companies that sell pre-installed Linux and no-OS computers. It is aimed at the lower priced desktops and notebook/laptops.

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  • schestowitz, on 10/12/2007, -7/+23Very useful!!
  • sharkscott, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Great list! I keep going down the list and checking out all the cool options I have.
  • klepto, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12Cool list. I'm actually in the market right now
  • Atomic1fire, on 10/12/2007, -22/+4and they all complain walmart is evil
    • i440, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2Seriously! Now that Wal-Mart sells Linux, ALL OF A SUDDEN it's not evil anymore! Let's have LXer encourage people to buy from it!

      It's really perplexing, you know.
  • r2d7, on 10/12/2007, -56/+7How useful ....

    Coming next week, a list of hard drives you can run Linux on. Followed by mice compatible with Linux.

    Seriously, Linux people are supposed to be 'geeks', if they can't find a vendor on their own, or build a machine, they shouldn't be on the internet at all.
    • 1coreduo, on 10/12/2007, -24/+9... and the point of this comment is?
    • cogen, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11I think of the comments that are made in this vein whenever people talk about making Linux ready for the average user.
    • zach_sp, on 10/12/2007, -3/+36A bold statement. My sister couldn't differentiate a CMOS battery from a voltage regulator, but she's damn capable of firing up GAIM and chatting a storm.

      Besides, I'd go so far to say that MEPIS is easier to install than Windows.

      Presumptuous *****.
    • r2d7, on 10/12/2007, -38/+3... and the point of this article is?
    • joesnow, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13then it should be obvious to you that the idea of linux preinstalled isn't targetting geeks.

      plus, it's part of the whole "marketing to get linux out there" deployment principle, not necessarily making it easier for geeks.
    • zach_sp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+22The point of the article is to list vendors that sell PCs with Linux or no operating system at all, probably to avoid shoveling money into Microsoft's coffers. Are you ***** blind? It's right in the description.
    • r2d7, on 10/12/2007, -20/+2People don't "know" about linux when they go to a store and buy a computer, they find out when they get on the internet. Clearly it is too late at that time.

      @ zach -
      Digg users are quite capable of finding linux isos (the frontpage most days), they're also quite capable of finding a pc vendor that'll give them no or foss operating systems.
    • rumor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18r2d7 you're a ***** moron. not every single person on digg is someone who knows *nix by heart and can set up a cluster in their sleep.

      also, just because a lot of people on here are geeks doesn't mean they wouldn't like a list of the different places they can find no/fo-ss systems to make their shopping easier.
    • 1coreduo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Thank you @rumor
    • October, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1Hey, and then following that some OEMs that ship Mac on X86! Wait... what the hell would be the point of that?!?

      All harddrives work dandy with nix, as do most (99%) of optical and floppy drives too. Noob.
    • sp00nz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1>>Besides, I'd go so far to say that MEPIS is easier to install than Windows. Presumptuous *****.

      Wow. Way to go. A windows install can be the easiest thing in the world. As can a Mepis install. Both can be configured and setup to run specifically for that system. Implying they can is being presumptuous.
  • MrLobster, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Very nice, I was looking for a laptop to run Linux on and didn't want to pay extra to have Windows preinstalled.
    • i440, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Actually, I heard somewhere it actually costs /less/ to have Windows preinstalled, specifically on Dell PCs. But then, of course, you're stuck with a Dell.
      • Chandon, on 08/05/2008, -0/+1This is an urban legend. Dells tend to cost about $40 more with Windows compared to a similar Ubuntu box.
    • October, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Sure, you might save some money getting Windows pre-installed... XP Home (I'd rather run Mac or Linux)... with all the extra crap Dell or Gateway want to put on all the proprietary hardware... useful...errr.. useless.
    • xqb4dpx, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1then dont even boot to windows just put in a gentoo disc and boot
    • jonbach, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@i440

      I don't think it would actually cost less, but it wouldn't surprise me if they eat some of the cost. I run a computer company as well (http://www.pugetsystems.com) and I can tell you that selling systems with no OS or with Linux is MUCH more expensive for us to support. While I'm sure many Digg users here are capable and able to run Linux on their own, there are a HUGE number of people that *think* they can, and then end of taking up hours and hours of our tech support time with questions. We say "no software tech support" if you don't purchase Windows with the machines for this reason, but that doesn't stop people from asking anyhow, and in the spirit of excellent customer service, what are we supposed to do? Anyhow, just bringing another angle to the discussion...then vendor side of the picture!
  • egorgry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Too bad I don't have my OCD list I made about 2 yrs ago when I was laptop shopping. The only one I can remember is hypersonic. they are on the high end though.

    http://www.hypersonic-pc.com/2001/index.asp
  • Waterrat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4 Excellent find!
    When this old clunker conks out I'll be getting one of thise.
  • October, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Damn! I got to call my grandma! She's been wanting a new machine for awhile now.
  • October, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Besides, that list is useful for the l337 users that still insist on trying to ripoff MS with some pirated copy of Windows ME or 98.
    • wordsofwisedumb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11There is NO 1337 user that would touch Windows ME if they had a choice.
    • Tobey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5It's not even possible to "ripoff MS" by pirating 98 or ME, seeing as how Microsoft doesn't even sell them anymore.
  • maci01, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I'm not sure if cyberpowerpc.com and ibuypower.com count as they offer no pre-installed operating system and Windows XP.

    I just bought my computer from cyberpowerpc.com for 574 bucks. Athlon 64 X2 3800, 1024mb of ram, 160gb HD, a nice looking case and an Nvidia Geforce 7600 GS 512mb video card.
    • 1c3d0g, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I think the term they use is "you got *****". Sorry buddy, but I hope your PC doesn't crash and burn in less than a month...
    • maci01, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Cnet gave it a decent review, 7.6 / 10. They commented on the poor video card which I upgraded and lack of extra goodies (but it comes with two free games and a 1gb flash drive). Hopefully it dies within a month cause I can always send it back . . . thanks for wishing me luck, I'll have to report back.
    • TokenUser, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2You should have typed "review cyberpowerpc" into google, and at least looked at resellerratings.com ... you get what you pay for.

      If I am buying a PC off the shelf, I would prefer a "name brand" machine installed with Windows that I can refromat for Linux than some of the bargain basement crap that comes without an OS. A server preinstalled with Linux is one thing - a consumer basd home machine preinstalled with one of 900 flavours of Linux/GUI combinations is another. Good luck talking to "Brian", "Steve", and "Kelly" in India when you need help finding drivers at 3:00am and you are forced to call the support line.
    • AdamCo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The computer I am using now I got from cyberpower, I've been using it for nearly 3 years and haven't had any problems with it other than replacing a fan. I know cyberpower has been getting bad press, maybe their quality has downgraded or I just got lucky, but I've been happy with my purchase.
    • maci01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have seen the reviews and they're a mix of good and bad. A lot of products are like that. I have also checked reviews for each piece of hardware they're installing into it, excluding the ram and heatsink/fan, as no particular model was mentioned.

      I would also like to point out that the lifetime rating of Cyberpower Inc on reseller ratings is higher than Dell, Gateway HP and Compaq -- to name a few name brands.

      This can all however come back and bite me in the ass but time will tell when my PC arrives.
  • onwardknave, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I went to add PCsForEveryone.com to the list, but I never received my registration email so that I could add it to the list. They're at http://www.pcsforeveryone.com
  • nstanosheck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4You should add http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/ they sell both Macs and IBM PCs with Linux installed.
  • mcgrew, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I'll probably get flamed for this, but:

    http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/e510_nseries?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

    FreeDOS ftw!
  • macewan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5http://system76.com/index.php

    system76 looks promising
  • benplaut, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Anyone want to put it into a wiki? i can host
  • nazadus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm writting this on my Sagar NP5750 FORCE that I purchased from PowerNotebooks.com.
    From what I'md told (two of my friends who had experianced their support) their support rules. Both theirs and Sagar's support. Unlike Dell.

    Support is usually the defining meaning on if I will buy a product from someone ever again.
    • DrGonzo1184, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I delt with them once trying to find a part for a computer I had (that I did not even buy from them, it was an alienware) and their support was awesome. They pointed me to the right place to find the part. If I was buying a notebook, I would go with them.

      P.S. Sager makes alienware's notebooks. Buy it from them, alienware is *****, especially in the support department.
  • diktator279, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Hey, you know what? As a windows user looking to switch to Linux, its nice to see I can buy a pre-configured computer without wasting money on a copy of windows I'm just going to uninstall. Good Digg.
    • Lobster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Penguin power $ are based on hardware - eh . . . we do our own software . . .

      Both DSL and Puppy have Linux in hardware - not just preinstalled on the hard disk - No moving parts.
      http://puppylinux.org/wikka/ShopPuppy

      Puppy works to extend laptop battery use (programs are called from memory not from energy consuming hard disk)

      So hardware manufacturers are you Puppy Powered?

      In fact if you had a CD with some wikipedia on it and Puppy - you would have an ideal kids learning environment
      Been there done that . . .
      ftp://ftp.servage.net/wpcd/wpcd_notes.htm

      Where is my t-shirt?
  • ketan9, on 10/12/2007, -12/+0It is interesting to see this and could possibly have some impact to MS but have to wait and see what comes out with VISTA coz. Linux is not that cool with graphics. Just my opinion as I am using it all the time for my work. Linux is insanely stable but still when it comes to fun it is far behind Windows.

    Ketan
    http://www.eclassifieds4u.com -- Canada's Free Classified Ads Listing Site
  • spacebar14, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4lol
    "HYPERLINK@"...
  • daprice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5When I first got a machine with Linux in 1993, I got it from one of those companies that is on the list, SWT. Since the web browsing was just forming around 1993, his business was all through local flyers and ads in publications. Back then he was just getting started fresh out of school.
  • Jammerdelray, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1No OS installed? lmao...whatta jerk
    • bobbybobington, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@jammerdelray
    • bobbybobington, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You are an idiot. Some people like to install the OS(s) themselves. These technically inclined people are commonly called Geeks. They are generally harmless, but they must treated carefully and with respect, because you never know when they could hack your comp or mock you for your computer illerteracy.
  • Aelbric, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Had to make a plug for my favorite:

    http://www.adamant.com

    Been buying all my boxes and the ones for my family/friends for about 8 years from them. First class outfit.
  • digshit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Is there such a list for us Aussies?
  • wallclimber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1FTA: "I figured that instead of whining about the big OEMs
    we should promote the companies that actually care about desktop Linux."
    ===================================

    This is absolutely the best attitude and action to take. It's also very useful information. Thanks for posting it! Diggs for sure!

    And ketan9, you might change your opinion about Linux and graphics if you Google for Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar + Linux, and see what they use for making their animated movies. It will probably surprise you.

  • splitbrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you're looking for a laptop with preinstalled Linux I can really recommend http://www.xtops.de - really nice guys with great support.
  • Cowboy22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Very useful list. Thanks.
  • Justathought, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0You can add Xi to that list.

    http://www.xicomputer.com/
  •  

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