Ubuntu Linux launches via Best Buy - bit-tech.net Forums

CardJoe · 10th Jul 2008, 10:11

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/07...via-best-buy/1

Canonical has announced that the Ubuntu Linux operating system will now be available through Best Buy shops in the US in a boxed retail form, complete with technical support.

liratheal · 10th Jul 2008, 10:16

Wait. Did they stop the free CD thing?

Gareth Halfacree · 10th Jul 2008, 10:26

No, this is in addition to. The idea is that they've got the people who browse the 'net looking for alternative operating systems, and now they're trying to get the people who browse the aisles of Best Buy. It's in-store advertising more than anything.

r4tch3t · 10th Jul 2008, 10:27

Nah they're just offering a retail box so Joe Blogs can get it from his local store just like Windows. You have been able to buy Ubuntu over here for years, $10, but it's just the same as the Free CD so no retail packaging.
I think this could work for Ubuntu as it is more average user orientated. Even my Dad can use it and prefers it over windows because it works better with no random popups all the time which he has no idea whether to say yes or no to.

lepre · 10th Jul 2008, 11:34

the box seems like the one of crap sw you already find in stores, and that's where it will be, unfortunately.

Timmy_the_tortoise · 10th Jul 2008, 12:24

I didn't like Ubuntu.. It made me feel claustrophobic... Still haven't uninstalled it yet though.

proxess · 10th Jul 2008, 14:04

id opt-in to buy a box just for the heck of it. its 20 dollarz... thats roughly 15€. symbolic price

wuyanxu · 10th Jul 2008, 14:09

why do so many people like Ubuntu?

i tryed it when they first put out their free-CD scheme. and it was bad! so bad, i throw away the Live CD after 1 boot.

Fedora Core or SUSE is what people should be looking at

Panos · 10th Jul 2008, 16:13

I remember back in the 90's I bought my first Linux distribution. RedHat 5.2. It was 3 CD's, a massive book going through everything (including kernel compile) to introduce you into the system. Cost £20, on 90's value.
We are talking about the years where command line was something you used more than anything else, and FWMN95 as your GUI (if you manage to install XFREE86). On that Dial Up Era the issues where many. A simple update mean you had to stay online all the night in case a file stop downloading to kick it again. Or else you where losing money connected over the phone and doing nothing.

I would like to see more distributions like that, coming with a nice fat manual with them too. I hate online documentation/book.

ParaHelix.org · 10th Jul 2008, 18:10

"Retailing for $19.99 – around £10 – the product is aimed at “users who are unaware of Ubuntu or who are bandwidth restricted and don't want to download Ubuntu themselves.”

What the ****, you can order free CD's of the distributions anyway.

Jordan Wise · 10th Jul 2008, 18:12

lol loving the box : linux for human beings

DXR_13KE · 10th Jul 2008, 22:37

130 bucks for installing it????

Fophillips · 10th Jul 2008, 22:43

Meh, that packaging really sucks. It just looks like the rest of the rubbish on the PC software shelves.

Cthippo · 11th Jul 2008, 05:29

Guys, if you want a viable alternative to windows for the masses, this (or something like it) is it!

Yes, I know there are a shedload of compromises in Ubuntu to make it "user friendly", I know it has issues, and I know you can dowload it for free. I've done it, I hand out copies of it at work. This is not for me, or even for the averave bit-tekker. This is for the people who buy a computer and expect it to work. This is for people who would never, ever consider upgrading, much less downloading, and OS because they're afraid they'll break it.

Even if you're a die-hard Windows fanboi (*caughgoodbytescaugh*), this is still a good thing. Real competition will force MS to make new versions of Windows significantly better than the last, because people now have a mainstream, cheaper option. MS cannot compete with linux on price, so they have to compete on brand loyalty and value.

For those of us who already use *nix this is still a good thing because this will strongly encourage manufacturers to support linux with good drivers, or risk losing market share to someone who does. It also means that some people who would have never been exposed to linux will go on to become power users and advocates for the FOSS cause.

I don't know how to say this strongly enough...

This IS a GOOD THING!!!

Ghys · 11th Jul 2008, 06:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by DXR_13KE

130 bucks for installing it????

services are where the company makes profit

and yes , all their services are freaking rip offs

Ubuntu Warrior · 11th Jul 2008, 11:14

As you may tell from my user name I am slightly biased but, hey, Ubuntu offers a fantastic solution. Yes, services are pricey but they are even more pricey from most other players. Try getting a quote for an install of Oracle Applications, or some BI consulting work from KPMG, or Java Spring development, etc. To be honest our organisation does not invest heavily in services and we have some 22 Ubuntu servers and around 150 Ubuntu clients working just fine - need a savvy sys admin though!

We do take annual maintenance from Canonical for 2 of our key network servers and while it is not cheap it is a wonderful feeling knowing that my cash is supporting people trying to change things for the better with the open source movement. On the contrary, most of our M$ spend leaves me feeling sick most of the time with an unhealthy dose of guilt for feeding the global money-making machine. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti everything M$ and some of their products are unbeatable, but it is refreshing to see other players out there offering far better value to the client and still putting food on the table.

10th Jul 2008, 10:11	#1
CardJoe Player Character bit-tech Staff Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,982	Ubuntu Linux launches via Best Buy http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/07...via-best-buy/1 Canonical has announced that the Ubuntu Linux operating system will now be available through Best Buy shops in the US in a boxed retail form, complete with technical support. __________________ this is joe's non-bit-tech blog

10th Jul 2008, 10:16	#2
liratheal Just got a great book on tape Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: High Wycombe, UK Posts: 3,623	Wait. Did they stop the free CD thing? __________________ Gigabyte MA790FX, X4 9950 Black Edition, 8gb Geil Black Dragon, 2x4870 512mb, Antec TruePower Quattro 850w I game, Do you?

10th Jul 2008, 10:26	#3
Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bradford, UK Posts: 434	No, this is in addition to. The idea is that they've got the people who browse the 'net looking for alternative operating systems, and now they're trying to get the people who browse the aisles of Best Buy. It's in-store advertising more than anything. __________________ gareth.halfacree.co.uk \| twitter! bit-tech news correspondent

10th Jul 2008, 10:27	#4
r4tch3t hmmmm.... Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2,885	Nah they're just offering a retail box so Joe Blogs can get it from his local store just like Windows. You have been able to buy Ubuntu over here for years, $10, but it's just the same as the Free CD so no retail packaging. I think this could work for Ubuntu as it is more average user orientated. Even my Dad can use it and prefers it over windows because it works better with no random popups all the time which he has no idea whether to say yes or no to. __________________ Fight my Brute The quantum limit of reality might be scaled up because we're all holograms. Obviously. Once more we see that sufficiently advanced physics is indistinguishable from getting really stoned. From here

10th Jul 2008, 11:34	#5
lepre Supermodder Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Italy \| brescia Posts: 256	the box seems like the one of crap sw you already find in stores, and that's where it will be, unfortunately. __________________ Teh Case coming soon............maybe (well...by now it's just a lian li a05b )

10th Jul 2008, 12:24	#6
Timmy_the_tortoise International Man of Awesome Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 964	I didn't like Ubuntu.. It made me feel claustrophobic... Still haven't uninstalled it yet though. __________________ Q6600 @ 2.40GHz w/G0\|Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R\|4GB OCZ Gold PC-6400 800MHz\|Powercolor Radeon HD4850\|Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB\|Scythe Ninja Mini\|LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD-RW Combo Drive\|Corsair TX650W\|Antec NSK2480 Pioneer VSX-417\|2x Gale 3010\|2x Yamaha NSP110\| MS304W Centre \| MS308 Subwoofer

10th Jul 2008, 14:04	#7
proxess Victim of AdvancedModernCapitalism Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The town of Love, Funchal Posts: 600	id opt-in to buy a box just for the heck of it. its 20 dollarz... thats roughly 15€. symbolic price __________________ Netbook: Asus eeePC 901; 12Gb SDD; Custom Ubuntu 9.04 Minimal Compiz Standalone. Laptop: Intel Centrino Duo T5500 1.66ghz; 2048mb RAM; ATI Mobility Radeon x2300; Hitachi 120gb iPod Classic 120GB; Maxtor 160GB External; Ubuntu 9.10 x64 and Windows 7 x64.

10th Jul 2008, 14:09	#8
wuyanxu quad fuelled, GTX200 powered Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: in a room near Soton Uni. UK Posts: 3,943	why do so many people like Ubuntu? i tryed it when they first put out their free-CD scheme. and it was bad! so bad, i throw away the Live CD after 1 boot. Fedora Core or SUSE is what people should be looking at __________________ Death to consolification !!!Core i7 860 @ 4Ghz Cooled by Corsair H50 // Asus P7P55D Deluxe // 8GB of Corsair Dominators @ 1528Mhz 8-8-8-24 // BFG gtx260+ OC2 MaxCore 216SP 896MB // Samsung 64GB SSD // WD Raptor 74GB + Black 1TB + Green 1TB // Corsair Hx620w // Antec p182 // Samsung 24" T240

10th Jul 2008, 16:13	#9
Panos Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 73	I remember back in the 90's I bought my first Linux distribution. RedHat 5.2. It was 3 CD's, a massive book going through everything (including kernel compile) to introduce you into the system. Cost £20, on 90's value. We are talking about the years where command line was something you used more than anything else, and FWMN95 as your GUI (if you manage to install XFREE86). On that Dial Up Era the issues where many. A simple update mean you had to stay online all the night in case a file stop downloading to kick it again. Or else you where losing money connected over the phone and doing nothing. I would like to see more distributions like that, coming with a nice fat manual with them too. I hate online documentation/book.

10th Jul 2008, 18:10	#10
ParaHelix.org Supermodder Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 270	"Retailing for $19.99 – around £10 – the product is aimed at “users who are unaware of Ubuntu or who are bandwidth restricted and don't want to download Ubuntu themselves.” What the ****, you can order free CD's of the distributions anyway.

10th Jul 2008, 18:12	#11
Jordan Wise Baby called to see the boss... Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Newcastle Uni Posts: 597	lol loving the box : linux for human beings __________________ Favourite Max Payne quote: "He was trying to buy sand for his hour glass, and I wasn't selling any" Steam ID:jordanwise

10th Jul 2008, 22:37	#12
DXR_13KE Madeira's banana is the best!!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Madeira ; Portugal Posts: 6,473	130 bucks for installing it???? __________________ *Renegade X - 0.40 Release!* <---- CLICK!

10th Jul 2008, 22:43	#13
Fophillips Hypermodder Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Great Britain Posts: 942	Meh, that packaging really sucks. It just looks like the rest of the rubbish on the PC software shelves. __________________ Pokécode: 1547 3492 6063

11th Jul 2008, 05:29	#14
Cthippo Can't mod my way out of a paper bag Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bellingham, WA Posts: 4,473	Guys, if you want a viable alternative to windows for the masses, this (or something like it) is it! Yes, I know there are a shedload of compromises in Ubuntu to make it "user friendly", I know it has issues, and I know you can dowload it for free. I've done it, I hand out copies of it at work. This is not for me, or even for the averave bit-tekker. This is for the people who buy a computer and expect it to work. This is for people who would never, ever consider upgrading, much less downloading, and OS because they're afraid they'll break it. Even if you're a die-hard Windows fanboi (caughgoodbytescaugh), this is still a good thing. Real competition will force MS to make new versions of Windows significantly better than the last, because people now have a mainstream, cheaper option. MS cannot compete with linux on price, so they have to compete on brand loyalty and value. For those of us who already use *nix this is still a good thing because this will strongly encourage manufacturers to support linux with good drivers, or risk losing market share to someone who does. It also means that some people who would have never been exposed to linux will go on to become power users and advocates for the FOSS cause. I don't know how to say this strongly enough... This IS a GOOD THING!!! __________________ Notice: If we see you flaming we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate measures - The Bit-Tech Fire Brigade.

11th Jul 2008, 11:14	#16
Ubuntu Warrior What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1	As you may tell from my user name I am slightly biased but, hey, Ubuntu offers a fantastic solution. Yes, services are pricey but they are even more pricey from most other players. Try getting a quote for an install of Oracle Applications, or some BI consulting work from KPMG, or Java Spring development, etc. To be honest our organisation does not invest heavily in services and we have some 22 Ubuntu servers and around 150 Ubuntu clients working just fine - need a savvy sys admin though! We do take annual maintenance from Canonical for 2 of our key network servers and while it is not cheap it is a wonderful feeling knowing that my cash is supporting people trying to change things for the better with the open source movement. On the contrary, most of our M$ spend leaves me feeling sick most of the time with an unhealthy dose of guilt for feeding the global money-making machine. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti everything M$ and some of their products are unbeatable, but it is refreshing to see other players out there offering far better value to the client and still putting food on the table.