DDNers,
Quite honestly, rather than ephemeral political positions (although they
certainly have their place, don't get me wrong), I am more concerned about
the way Wal-Mart does business, both with its employees and its suppliers.
Those tactics do great harm both to small businesses and to the employees at
Wal-Mart [in my mind, low price doesn't make up for it; nor does hiring
people who have physical disabilities to act as "greeters"].
Driving down the cost of a computer is a good thing, but there always are
other things to look at, such as *how* those costs get to be so low -- what
the cost is of 'low-cost'.
My $0.02.
Steve Snow
=======================================
Stephen Snow, MA, National Certified Counselor
[EMAIL PROTECTED] "Where love stops, power
www.commcure.com begins, and violence
704.569.0243 and terror." -- CG Jung
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Carolyn Birden" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "The Digital Divide Network discussiongroup"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 7:33 PM
Subject: Re: [DDN] the cheap computer
> WalMart's prices may look tempting, but you might want to consider
> the following before you buy:
>
> http://www.buyblue.org/bluexmas.html
>
> Carolyn Birden
>
>
>
> At 8:19 AM -0600 12/14/04, Tom Abeles wrote:
> >Wal Mart is everywhere, even in the PRC. And now they have a
> >commercial version of what was to have been the volkscomputer
> >
> >thought this would be of interest:
> >
> >Xandros & Microtel Deliver $199.98 Linux Desktop to the Masses
> >http://www.linuxelectrons.com/article.php/20041209213249573 Friday,
> >December 10 2004 @ 07:30 AM
> >Xandros, the leading developer of easy-to-use Linux solutions, today
announced
> >that Wal-Mart.com is carrying a fully loaded Linux desktop computer with
the
> >pre-installed Xandros Desktop Operating System (OS) for only $199.98.
> >Built by Microtel and available at Wal-Mart's online store,* the new
> >desktop PC
> >offers a complete suite of pre-installed software for home, school, and
small
> >office desktop use. The PC provides an affordable alternative to all
other PCs
> >on the market today. The $199.98 price tag includes a free subscription
to the
> >Xandros Networks news and update facility which features a huge inventory
of
> >open source and commercial software that can be downloaded and
> >installed with a
> >single click.
> >"Xandros is known for its friendly graphical environment in which
> >even computer
> >newbies feel right at home, and you can work without the constant dread
of
> >viruses, spyware, and system crashes. We are delighted to offer Wal-Mart
> >customers this value-packed PC with the secure Xandros operating
> >system for the
> >'Everyday Low Price' of $199.98," said Rich Hindman, Vice President
> >of Microtel
> >Computer Systems. "With Xandros you can browse the web, send your
> >e-mail, create
> >papers and presentations, and burn CDs with a couple of mouse clicks. The
> >Xandros PC also works beautifully on your home computer network."
> >"Wal-Mart shoppers expect to get a bang for their buck," said
> >Andreas Typaldos,
> >Xandros CEO. "This $199.98 PC is the best deal around -- it even
> >provides a free
> >subscription to Xandros Networks with its single-click updates, plus
> >free access
> >to the Xandros Support Forum. This value-packed Microtel PC running
Xandros is
> >perfectly compatible with your Windows network and files, but
> >remains immune to
> >Windows viruses and carries a much smaller price tag."
> >All Xandros offerings at Walmart.com provide well-structured menus
> >and a careful
> >selection of user-friendly programs for browsing the web, sending e-mail,
> >downloading photos, and many other computing tasks. The bundled
> >office suite is
> >compatible with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The exclusive
Xandros
> >File Manager provides seamless access to Windows network resources and
the
> >ultimate in drag-and-drop burning of music and data CDs.
> >Other outstanding features of the $199.98 Xandros Desktop PC include
multiple
> >virtual desktops so users can separate their Internet, office, graphics,
and
> >other tasks, simultaneous tabbed browsing of multiple webs sites, pop-up
ad
> >blocking, automatic spam filtering, and a built-in Ethernet connection.
All
> >hardware and software is fully tested and certified by Xandros Labs.
> >For details on the complete line of Xandros Wal-Mart offerings, please
visit
> >www.xandros.com/walmart/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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