Wal-mart just plotzed out the Everex Green gPC, a low-end machine with low-end specs running Ubuntu Linux and a version of Enlightenment that its creators called GOS. Some may say that this is the “Google PC” but it’s actually running a version of Linux specially tweaked to let you “launch” Google apps — still in the browser — from the task bar. The PC runs a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU and is already up on Wal-Mart’s homepage so W00T W00T. Eighty gigabytes of hard drive space and 512 MB memory really seal the deal. Seriously. It’s only $199 so pick it up, try Ubuntu for an hour, and then install an copy of XP. Your sanity will thank us.
[UPDATE - I've seen the error of my ways. A $199 Linux PC is a pretty good deal, no matter how you slice it.]
I don’t think the OS is what’s half-baked here.
Ubuntu 7.10, on which this system is based, is highly reliable and has a great user interface. I’m migrating my family members one by one to Ubuntu because it “Just Works” and I don’t have to run around fixing/upgrading their computers all the time. Maybe you should spend more than an hour with it. Recommending Windows XP, which is being abandoned by Microsoft, makes no sense at all, and Vista won’t run on this hardware.
Yeah. You’re right. I was rushed to figure things out after they broke the embargo too soon. Generally, I’d say it’s a solid Linux PC for the fam.
Coming soon (en masse) to an educational institution near you!
Wow. Wal-Mart, the epitome of contemporary capitalism, is stocking a PC running Linux, the epitome of contemporary communism. Does the ground feel cold to anyone else?
I think you had it right the first time - buy the box, dump Ubuntu and load XP. Yes, as the commenter noted, Ubuntu is reliable. Although great UI? Um, not really. Though you can improve it significantly if you know what you’re doing - which the average Wal-mart purchaser won’t. Driver support? Improved, but certainly not equivalent to XP. The user will find that out when they go to connect their HP camera or XYZ media player and find out, oops, no support or at least no support for the bundled s/w. And god help the user the first time they need to drop through the shell and actually interact with the OS.
Bob, you are a twat.
Every camera and media player I have plugged into my Ubuntu box (so far about 10 different makes/models) has worked flawlessly. While the shell is still necessary for the odd customization, pretty much every feature is accessible through a GUI these days.
The windows UI is far worse, but people are just used to it. When I was trying to help a friend fix her windows machine the other day, I had to open a DOS shell to do things like ipconfig, msconfig, etc.
The UI is not like regular ubuntu, it runs Enlightment, not Gnome. It looks pretty cool, I’m downloading it now to check it out. http://www.enlightenment.org/
UI’s are a lot about preference, so the more the merrier!
Really great - Google coming…
All news at http://googlepcnews.blogspot.com/
Ubuntu is not half-baked. I use 7.10 daily on my laptop. It’s the best OS I have ever used. I would not go back to XP on laptop after using it, nor would I exchange it for a FREE copy of Vista.
In addition to my above post, wireless and hard wired network connections on Ubuntu are INSTANT!!! No configuration is needed at all. Everything I have plugged in has worked the first time, which is much more than I can say for windows. Your average person who has no computer knowledge will find Ubuntu easier to use that Windows, as will most advanced users. It is the people in the middle who will be frustrated. It just works.
Funny that a lot of techies on the net are bashing this offering. Well, for starters, this one was not made to target your demographic guys.
Yes it is true, you can build a cheaper one from the ground up and there are other more OS/software options out there but I doubt the Joe average would care to go through the hassle.
I am sure everyone here knows that the ordinary consumer simply wants to write a document, email and surf the net and this thing does that well. This one does it for quite less then those other ready made boxes. Its a big deal and because of that, it sells like hotcakes.
Uhh, this review is complete bs. If you know anything about Linux, you know that Xp sucks ass. Xp stole my sanity. Unbuntu recovered it.
I’m thinking this will be a mixed thing. Its good to finally see a end user linux box, and cheep computers are a good thing… but I fret that perhaps they should have done a 300 or 350 machine on a little better performing hardware first, and then release something like this 6months later.
Why, because bottom of the pot walmart purchasers have a tendency not to even know the difference between linux and windows. So you get lots of flack from that… Someone willing to spend a little more typically does a little more research, and would expect a linux machine… They will show it off more, and be more likely to help the less comp-savvy understand it. Then more people on the bottom of the totem pole experience wise will be ready for it when they buy it…