[TriLUG] Fw: Mandrake on Microtel systems at Walmart.com soon

[al johson]

I received the following message from a friend, about something new at
Walmart which should be of interest to anyone interested in seeing Linux
flourish and become a mainstream OS desktop for everyone. It seems that in
addition to Lindows (previously mentioned here on Trilug), Walmart is going
to sell a Linux computer with Mandrake installed as well. I can't guarantee
the following information, but it's interesting non-the-less.---Al  Johnson.
====================================
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 3:25 PM
Subject: Mandrake on Microtel systems at Walmart.com soon


>
>
>    Mandrake on Microtel systems at Walmart.com soon
> Wednesday June 19, 2002 - [ 03:53 PM GMT ]
> Topic - GNU/Linux -  - by Tina Gasperson -
> As early as next week, Walmart.com will begin selling Microtel PCs
> loaded with the Mandrake Linux distribution.
>
> Keep your eye on Walmart.com for new Microtel systems bearing the
> Mandrake logo. The systems will sell alongside the newly announced
> Lindows-based PCs, say sources. And continue to look for more online
> retail envelope-pushing from Wal-Mart's online wing, of all places.
>
> MandrakeSoft CEO Jacques Le Marois confirms the news this morning, and
> company spokeswoman Margaret Waples says, while a contract with Microtel
> has not been finalized, the company is working on getting Mandrake
> certified to run like clockwork on the Microtel systems. Waters is
> hopeful that the dotted line will be signed and PCs up for sale by the
> end of next week.
>
> Walmart.com and Microtel are getting a lot of press lately, mostly
> because Walmart.com is the first major retailer to offer something other
> than the standard Windows PC. With Walmart.com taking the first leap,
> it's possible that other stores will follow in selling bare systems and
> those with Linux preloaded.
>
> Walmart.com has a few well-placed electronics buyers who are savvy to
> Linux, and a management team looking for ways to reinvigorate stagnant
> computer sales numbers. The combination has resulted in innovations like
> the Windows-free Microtel line and has generated strong sales and low
> return numbers, a trend Walmart.com may hope will continue with the
> introduction of Linux systems. According to sources, the buyers chose
> Lindows first because of perceived user-friendliness.
>
> But the move to Mandrake may be seen as a better one for the Linux world
> and for people who want to purchase the Microtel systems with Linux,
> because Mandrake has been around for years, is already on the brink of a
> 9.0 release level and has an established reputation for providing
> support. In support of LindowsOS, however, Rich Hindman of Microtel says
> that as of Monday, June 17, the version of Lindows that lives in the
> systems sold through Walmart.com is LindowOS 1.1, not the beta SPX
> mentioned in a quote from a Lindows PR spokeswoman in Tuesday's report.
>
> A source close to Walmart.com says that Lindows itself is "ready to
> roll," and that drivers are the only hold up. The Walmart.com units
> contain special custom drivers written specifically for the Microtel
> project. "The only way someone can get Lindows 1.1 is to buy a computer
> with it pre-installed," says Hindman, vice president at Microtel.
>
> There has been some disdain expressed in the Linux community over the
> perception that Lindows has been reluctant to release source code under
> the terms of the GPL. Brad Kuhn of the Free Software Foundation
> expressed some concern that Lindows was going to market at Walmart.com
> without a fitting EULA. "We have promised [Lindows CEO Michael]
> Robertson a rewrite of his EULA, and it is waiting for time from our
> general counsel to write one. We do wish he'd told us in confidence that
> this Wal-Mart deal was imminent; we could have expedited the work on the
> EULA if we'd known."
>