Comments on: Why naked PCs are a good idea. http://tottinge.blogsome.com/2006/05/19/why-naked-pcs-are-a-good-idea/ Tim Ottinger on Christianity, freedom, software, podcasts, and really hot-looking guitars. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:20:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Tim http://tottinge.blogsome.com/2006/05/19/why-naked-pcs-are-a-good-idea/#comment-397 Tue, 23 May 2006 07:37:33 +0100 http://tottinge.blogsome.com/2006/05/19/why-naked-pcs-are-a-good-idea/#comment-397 It's hard to get them, that's for sure. Some who (M)anufacture (Soft)ware try to make it illegal to sell them without an OS. I kind of feel bad for the sellers who are caught up in this mess. It would be cool if the vendors could preinstall your choice, but I guess that requires someone to do some extra legwork. That would make it cost about the same if you didn't sell thousands or millions of units. Imagine getting a Debian Linux or one of the BSDs installed for you, preconfigured to your hardware. With a standardized line of hardware, that shouldn't be hard. Especially with the slick new installers. But if there is no naked pc and there is no choice, then there is one winner and all the rest are losers. I think that's a poverty. Also, you're right about the hardware cost -- the few times vendors did preinstall an alternative OS in the past they wanted to charge a special "server" price for the hardware. That's nuts. I don't want to pay *more* for a free operating system. I want to pay less and get more. So there are problems. BTW: I got my last computer from EmperorLinux, preinstalled with Debian Etch -- and that's how I'm typing this. It’s hard to get them, that’s for sure. Some who (M)anufacture (Soft)ware try to make it illegal to sell them without an OS. I kind of feel bad for the sellers who are caught up in this mess.

It would be cool if the vendors could preinstall your choice, but I guess that requires someone to do some extra legwork. That would make it cost about the same if you didn’t sell thousands or millions of units.

Imagine getting a Debian Linux or one of the BSDs installed for you, preconfigured to your hardware. With a standardized line of hardware, that shouldn’t be hard. Especially with the slick new installers.

But if there is no naked pc and there is no choice, then there is one winner and all the rest are losers. I think that’s a poverty.

Also, you’re right about the hardware cost — the few times vendors did preinstall an alternative OS in the past they wanted to charge a special “server” price for the hardware.

That’s nuts. I don’t want to pay *more* for a free operating system. I want to pay less and get more.

So there are problems.

BTW: I got my last computer from EmperorLinux, preinstalled with Debian Etch — and that’s how I’m typing this.

]]> by: Kris Cook http://tottinge.blogsome.com/2006/05/19/why-naked-pcs-are-a-good-idea/#comment-396 Mon, 22 May 2006 12:36:00 +0100 http://tottinge.blogsome.com/2006/05/19/why-naked-pcs-are-a-good-idea/#comment-396 I love the idea of naked PC's for the ability to select your own OS; however, as a Windows user and someone whose livelihood comes from working in a Windows environment, and at this point probably always will, naked PC's are a minefield. It's hard to get one from any of the larger hardware producers (Sony just told me "no", and also refused to upgrade the OS for a machine to Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition). And purchasing from build-out shops is hit-or-miss because you often get stuck with components NOT on the Hardware Compatibility list. Which means maybe it will work, or maybe not. I think a big part of the problem is that the major manufacturers want to drive up the hardware price for people who want a beefier OS (Dell for example has several desktop models that will run Windows 2003 server, but they won't ship you onel they want to sell you a server which costs an additional 30% more than the cost of component differnces). Sigh. Greed ruins everything. I love the idea of naked PC’s for the ability to select your own OS; however, as a Windows user and someone whose livelihood comes from working in a Windows environment, and at this point probably always will, naked PC’s are a minefield. It’s hard to get one from any of the larger hardware producers (Sony just told me “no”, and also refused to upgrade the OS for a machine to Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition). And purchasing from build-out shops is hit-or-miss because you often get stuck with components NOT on the Hardware Compatibility list. Which means maybe it will work, or maybe not.

I think a big part of the problem is that the major manufacturers want to drive up the hardware price for people who want a beefier OS (Dell for example has several desktop models that will run Windows 2003 server, but they won’t ship you onel they want to sell you a server which costs an additional 30% more than the cost of component differnces).

Sigh. Greed ruins everything.

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