[TriLUG] New Vista laptop needs Linux

[Michael Kimsal]

Not sure if that was directed specifically at me, since I mentioned I've
been booted out.  That was slightly overstated - I was told by someone at
BestBuy
 that if I kept asking I would be escorted out of the building.  I don't
shop there any more.

In another case (circuit city) I asked if I could boot up from a liveusb
disk
to see if my linux distro would work.  "No, I can't let you do that."  "Why
not?"
"It's store policy."  "Why?  I just want to boot - I don't write to the
drive."
"We might get viruses."  "But I'd really like to give you $600 for this
laptop if I can prove it works with the live usb drive.  I just want to
check."
"No, this is store policy."

I was not agitated, but was in a hurry in both cases
(laptop had just broke and I was trying to get a new one in a hurry.

Both of these stores were on Capital near Triangle Town Center.  If anyone
else has had better luck at those stores, let me know.




On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 9:15 AM, <OlsonE at aosa.army.mil> wrote:

> Ihmo, if you're going to use the "livecd", then you should be allowed.
> But to wipe Windows off the machine without putting it back in its
> original state ...I'd also tell you to leave my store. I've had no
> issues booting LiveCDs at any of the local area places I've been
> (BestBuy, BJ's, Circuit City ...etc).
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: trilug-bounces at trilug.org [mailto:trilug-bounces at trilug.org] On
> Behalf Of Glenn Starling
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 3:15 PM
> To: Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion
> Subject: Re: [TriLUG] New Vista laptop needs Linux
>
> I have had good luck at several stores just asking the sales person
> helping
> me if I could "try" Ubuntu.  They said "yes" and watched me as I booted
> the
> live version.  I also indicated that it would not write anything to
> their
> hard disk.  I had already asked for their machine recommendation and
> they
> knew that I was going to put Linux on the machine if I bought it.
>
> Glenn
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Litt" <slitt at troubleshooters.com>
> To: "Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion" <trilug at trilug.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 11:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [TriLUG] New Vista laptop needs Linux
> ...
> > Now you know why I buy my laptops at Costco.
> >
> > By the way, most of the time I've been able to sneakily boot live
> distros
> > on
> > display laptops at Costco.
> >
>
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-- 
Michael Kimsal
http://michaelkimsal.com
919.827.4724 - Skype
919.455.8488 - Cell