> I informally act as a hardware purchase advisor for a large number of
> friends, and until I see a really fundamental attitude/business practice
> shift I'll be no more advising the purchase of a compaq or similar than
> I would a winmodem. 

So can anyone advise what are the good Linux compatible brands to look at 
and what to avoid?

I'm looking at buying a new PC for home use and need something that the kids 
can play games on plus the normal office type functions, internet browsing etc. 
I want something that I can store photos and MP3s on and maybe do some video 
editing in the future. Also maybe set up a home network.

I am definitely NOT a computer professional but a reasonably competent user. No 
experience in Linux but interested in what I have seen / read about and would 
want to install it to find out more.

So what do I buy? Sounds like Compaq is out. Dell had an offer last week for a P4 
for $2,800 which sounded good value but this was at the top of my budget. Are Dell
generally OK? What about IBM, HP, Gateway etc. If you ask the sales people in 
the stores if a particular brand is Linux compatible the answer is always (inevitably) 
Yes. But is it necessarily so?

Thanks
Rick