Cool Tech Reviews

Linux is never going to make it as a consumer PC operating system until the average user can comfortably use it. The Content Consumer checks it out in the The Great Ubuntu-Girlfriend Experiment:

I’ve toyed with Linux since 2002, when I first installed Mandrake. With the latest release of Ubuntu, I was interested to see how far Linux had come since then in terms of being used easily by the mainstream. So, I tricked my grudging girlfriend Erin into sitting down at a brand new Ubuntu 8.04 installation and performing some basic tasks. It’s surprising how many seemingly simple things become complicated and even out of reach for someone without a knowledge of Linux. There are a lot of little things that could be done to make the experience a lot more friendly for non-computer-literate people – some of them easy to implement, others not at all.

Click through to read the full test (it’s not tedious at all) and I think you will agree that 1) Erin is unusually savvy for a philosophy major, 2) things aren’t as bad as the introduction would lead you to believe.  Still, after reading it, I’m not sure Linux would do very well in a Great Ubuntu-Grandma Experiment.

Tim Conneally at BetaNews alerts us to the latest entry in the lowest priced PC competition - Sears.com offers the cheapest desktop PC at $185:

Another low-end PC hit the market today, this time it is a machine by Mirus equipped with Freespire 2.0, available at Sears’ online shop for $185.

The Mirus desktop system is equipped with an Intel Celeron D 420-1.6Ghz, 1GB of RAM, 80GB HDD, CDRW optical drive, and Freespire 2.0.
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This system retails for $284.99, but comes with a promotional Mail-in $100 rebate, making it less expensive than the cheapest Wal-Mart PC, the $199, gOS-equipped Everex TC2502.

No monitor included, but the Mirus system comes with speakers, keyboard, mouse, 56K modem, ethernet, and a 15-in-1 memory card reader. It also comes with a beta of the CNR.com Client, a free Linux software delivery service for one click software updates.

The Mirus system has 512MB more RAM than the Everex so it is likely a better deal until the rebate program ends.  For the technically inclined they are both bargains, but I doubt that either will be big hits with the average consumer because of the Linux fear factor.

Lenovo which bought IBM’s personal computer business, announced today that they would be offering Novell’s SUSE Linux distribution on selected models including the T Series (directed at business users) of the famous ThinkPad laptop product line starting in 4Q2007. Does this finally herald the arrival of the Linux PC for everyday users?

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As had been promised, Dell today announced three computers with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution preloaded. There was a bigger surprise, however, in the other announcement that Dell would start selling exclusive models of their PCs at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club retail stores in the USA and Canada. 

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Stephen Shankland at CNET:

Linux seller Linspire has removed the $20 to $50 annual fees it charged for access to its “Click ‘N’ Run” library of software downloads, a bid to enhance the popularity of its product.

“CNR really makes using desktop Linux easy, and we want everyone to have access to this quality service,” Chief Executive Kevin Carmony said in a statement. The move was financially feasible for the company because it’s making enough revenue from premium products such as software to play DVDs, CodeWeavers’ CrossoverOffice software to run Microsoft Windows and Sun Microsystems’ StarOffice, a commercial variant of OpenOffice.org, the company said.

The library is a key feature of the company’s $60 Linspire and free Freespire Linux products. The company argues that its approach makes it easy to install new software.

And it does make it easier, particularly for users that aren’t overly proficient technically, which is what Linux need to attract if it is ever going to have broad appeal as a desktop OS.

Dave Rosenberg at InfoWorld:

It seems like the never-ending Linux desktop quest is finally getting a bit closer as SVN reports that Lenovo will preload Suse on the Thinkpad T60 (a nice machine. Technically I think HP was the first OEM to ship a Linux laptop a year or so ago but it was a clunker, both in terms of form factor and usability. Thinkpads have great keyboards and are virtually indestructible.

From the embedded link to Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols:

Finally. For years, the holy grail of the Linux desktop has been to get a major computer vendor to commit to preloading a Linux desktop. It finally happened.

On August 4th, we found out that Lenovo Group, the company that has taken over IBM’s Personal Computing Division, had made a deal with Novell Inc. to preload SLED 10 (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) on its ThinkPad T60p mobile workstation.

For the first time, a major OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has committed to preloading a Linux desktop.
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The T60p isn’t just any laptop. It boasts a high-end, 2GHz Intel Core Duo processor T2500, with a minimum of 512MB of RAM, which can be pushed up to 2GB of memory. For graphics, it uses an ATI FireGL V5200 with 256MB of RAM.

The system is also expected to come with what Lenovo is calling a “ThinkPad Experience” under Linux, which includes: Access Connections, Configuration Utility, Power Manager, warm and cold docking support for USB and video, and Help Center support.

The Linux option hasn’t made the Lenovo ThinkPad T-Series page yet, but presumably it is coming. It’ll be interesting to see if it is any cheaper than the Windows versions of the T60p which seem a bit pricey.

Update 8/15: InfoWorld:

The suggested retail price for the 14-inch model is $3,099 and $3,199 for the 15-inch.

Both products are now available for purchase on the Lenovo Web site and through retailers.

I still can’t find it yet on the Lenovo Web site, but these seem rather expensive especially since a regular T60p starts at $1,919.