<h1 class="storyHeadline" style="margin-left: -2px; padding-left: 1px; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"> Linux PC Hits Shelves At Wal-Mart For $199 </h1> <br> <!-- teaser (dek) copy --> <div class="storyDek" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0px;"> The gPC comes preloaded with the gOS operating system -- a Linux variant -- and a 1.5-GHz processor manufactured by Intel clone maker Via Technologies. </div> <!-- / teaser (dek) copy --> <span class="byLine" style="margin-left: 2px;"> By <a href="mailto:paulmcd@cmp.com"><u>Paul McDougall</u></a> <br> <span id="courtesyOf" style="margin-left: 2px;"> <!-- remove http:// substring (if present) from the url --> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/;jsessionid=ILCLSJWZTOF10QSNDLPSKHSCJUNN2JVN" target="_blank"> InformationWeek </a> </span> </span><br> <span class="storyDate" style="margin-left: 2px; line-height: 20px;"> <nobr> November 1, 2007 03:51 PM </nobr> </span> <br clear="all"> <!--body--> <span
id="articleBody"> <div class="IntelliTXT">It probably won't run Crysis or other state-of-the-art games, but a Linux-based PC that Wal-Mart began offering this week for $199 should get the job done for e-mail, Web browsing, and other everyday computing tasks. <div>The Everex TC2502 Green gPC is one of the first Linux-based desktop machines to be offered for sale by a major retailer. As such, it could become a barometer of <a itxtdid="3802340" target="_blank" href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202801241#" style="border-bottom: medium none; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; padding-bottom: 0px; color: darkblue; background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer;" classname="iAs" class="iAs">open <nobr>source<img style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; height: 10px; width: 10px; position: relative; top: 1px; left: 1px; float: none;" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif"></nobr></a> software's
potential for success in the consumer market. </div><div> The gPC comes preloaded with the gOS operating system -- a Linux variant -- and a 1.5-GHz processor manufactured by Intel (NSDQ: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techweb.com/financialCenter/index.jhtml?Account=techweb&Page=QUOTE&Ticker=INTC" class="stockLink">INTC</a>) clone maker Via Technologies. The rest of the specs include an 80-Gbyte hard drive and 512 Mbytes of DDR 2 memory. </div><div> There's no monitor included, but buyers get stereo speakers and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. </div><div> As for software, the gPC comes with the free OpenOffice.org 2.2 productivity suite. The suite, which includes word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation applications, recently won <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201807146">backing from IBM</a>. </div><div> Everex is a Taiwanese-based PC maker that's looking to carve a niche for itself in the computer industry's economy
section. A version of Everex's gPC that runs the basic edition of <a itxtdid="3802212" target="_blank" href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202801241#" style="border-bottom: medium none; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; padding-bottom: 0px; color: darkblue; background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer;" classname="iAs" class="iAs"><nobr><img style="border: 0pt none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; height: 10px; width: 10px; position: relative; top: 1px; left: 1px; float: none;" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif"></nobr></a>Microsoft (NSDQ: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techweb.com/financialCenter/index.jhtml?Account=techweb&Page=QUOTE&Ticker=MSFT" class="stockLink">MSFT</a>)'s Windows Vista is on sale at Wal-Mart for $298. </div><div> The retailer is making the gPC available at selected stores and through its Web site. </div><div> The price difference between the Linux and Windows version
of the computer reflects what some in the tech industry derisively call "the Microsoft tax" -- a Windows licensing fee that PC makers must pay to the Redmond, Wash., software maker for each computer sold. </div><div>It's unlikely that Linux-based PCs will displace Windows-powered computers anytime soon. For one thing, there's only a limited number of applications that will run on Linux. </div><div> Linux advocates argue, however, that until they become more mainstream, open source systems could f</div></div></span><p> __________________________________________________<br>Do You Yahoo!?<br>Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around <br>http://mail.yahoo.com