Wal-Mart sells Linux PCs
Linux, the free operating system that's a perpetual underdog in the desktop market, is showing up in computers in Wal-Mart stores this week for the first time.
About 600 Wal-Mart stores will carry the US$199 Linux-powered Green gPC made by Everex of Taiwan, Wal-Mart said. It was available online on Wednesday.
Wal-Mart Stores sold Linux computers online - but not in stores - starting in 2002 at prices as low as $199. Computers from several manufacturers were available for several years but they didn't find much of a market, and they're gone now. The variant of Linux on the gPC is called "gOS" and is derived from the popular Ubuntu variant. It's heavily oriented toward Google's Web sites and online applications.
A comparable Everex PC that comes with Windows Vista Home Basic and more memory costs $99 more, or $298, partly because the manufacturer has to pay Microsoft for a software license. Both computers come with keyboard, mouse, and speakers, but no monitor.
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