I just read today that Sam’s Club is about to start offering 1.1 GHz Duron PCs running Red Hat Linux for $299.
The machines are beefier than Wal-Mart’s $199 Microtel PCs running Lindows and Lycoris. The machines don’t exactly compete with one another; the 800 MHz Microtel boxes are good enough for word processing and e-mail, and Lindows and Lycoris target users with simple needs. Red Hat targets people with a little more familiarity with PCs, as does AMD. Sam’s is also offering a $399 version with a 2 GHz AMD Athlon XP.
The machines are built by a Kansas outfit called CPUbuilders. The systems utilize a SiS chipset with integrated video. They use PC133 memory and not the newer, faster DDR memory. The 1.1 GHz model comes with 128 megs of RAM and a 20-gig drive; the 2 GHz model has 256 megs and a 60-gig drive. Both have standard amenities like Ethernet, modem, sound, and a CD-ROM drive. The budget model lacks a floppy drive, while the more expensive model has one.
They both appear to be solid, but basic, configurations. It’ll be interesting to see how successful they are in the marketplace.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
Hi Dave,
Where did you read this? I haven’t come across it on my usual techie news sites.
I have a RedHat 8.0 install. It reminds me of NT 4.0. Businesslike and a bit sparse. I haven’t used it yet, but Xandros sounds like it might be a better fit for the Sam’s Club crowd.
Alan–
News.com I think.
Dave,
Here’s the URL: http://news.com.com/2100-1040-983525.html
As far as your past writings, I have a dog-eared copy of “Optimizing Windows”. It was very useful when I ran W98 at home. I still leaf through it simply because I enjoy your style.
Your daily log is also entertaining and often brings a chuckle. And usually one, or more, pearls. Whether editing video, Wikipedia, baseball.
Thank you,
Dave