On Aug 28, 2009, at 13:25, "Brian A. Dewhirst" <b.dewhirst@gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:32, J.R. Mauro<jrm8005@gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:17 PM, Adam Keck<ghostis@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Jason, I think you will run into two issues with being a straight Linux OEM. The computer OEM business generally has a relatively low barrier to entry and it's largely commoditized, thanks to Dell, HP, etc. To make it work, I think you will need to specialize in some way such that it would be cost/time prohibitive for new businesses to enter your target market. Perhaps you could create a blackbox application of your Linux hardware or learn particular industry that has specific needs (and money ;-), like Legal, Green Energy, or Medical Records. Right now you are competing with
This. Not many people will be convinced to buy a linux machine. ("huh? What's line-oox?")
However, if you start selling inexpensive computers with packages of software preinstalled for certain targets, e.g. medical (the amount of Linux software for medicine is amazing. I've seen a lot of MRI machines that have Linux terminals), POS, business management, graphics, desktop publishing, etc., then people might bite.
Of course I'd also recommend ample documentation for your "suite" of apps, even if it's just a manifest describing what GnuCash, etc. is for, since people will not be able to figure out the names. Support is also usually a must with Linux if you think non-savvy folks will be customers.
Dell nationally and PC Plus et al locally :-/. In both cases, your established competitors can probably cut their prices to cost for awhile to compete. I think it will be hard to get started. MHO, -Adam
I suspect some of this will change soon. If he's planning on being a "Google Chrome PC distributor" and just getting started w/ vanilla Ubuntu, I think he may have something going. He's certainly describing the right sort of machine for a Chrome OS machine, near as I can tell.
I'd reserve judgment on anything changing anytime soon.
-- Brian
disclaimer: most of you know more about *nix and computer hardware than I
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