[School Project] Linux Preinstall Computer Store?

techmatt · #1 5th February 2007, 01:03 PM

Good day all,

I have a school assignment due rather soon that I thought you may be able to help with. I am supposed to make a Ecommerce website for a company I make up. I have chosen to do a Linux Computer Store. Basically, this store will sell computers with Linux preinstalled and all hardware setup and tested. Some computers will be used, and others new.

My question to every one is. What distributions should I represent in my assignment? Of course I will be offering Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Slackware. Are there any others I should offer on this site to get rounded view of Linux?

Another question is, what should the site boast more about Linux, ease of use, the stability, or the GUI fuetures?

Thanks for the help on this school project.

***bob*** · #2 5th February 2007, 01:34 PM

Maybe Sabayon (gentoo based), Knoppix (good distro and a tool too), Puppy or Damn Small Linux (mini distros) ... Then too, how about the BSD crowd? PCBSD or FreeBSD? And, for the new users, how about PCLinuxOS, Mandriva, Mepis, Xandros or Linspire/Freespire?

Let's see...that only leaves about 400 more to pick and choose from...

***bob*** · #3 5th February 2007, 01:40 PM

Features? Gee, hard to think of ANY way that Linux is superior to Windows...

I suppose you might mention the lack of Viruses and Spyware; the cutting-edge graphics (beryl, compiz); the variety, the package managers that update your whole system at will; the Free Software (Free as in Open Source and often Free as in Beer); the central repositories for easy location, the multiple programs available for almost any need. Then too, there's the stability, the security, the ability to customize your desktop and entire system to your needs or tastes.

Nope, can't think of anything....

leigh123linux · #4 5th February 2007, 02:12 PM

Quote:

My question to every one is. What distributions should I represent in my assignment? Of course I will be offering Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Slackware. Are there any others I should offer on this site to get rounded view of Linux?

Debian!!!!

***Dan*** · #5 5th February 2007, 02:26 PM

Banner ad across front window:

Uptime: X00 days (or x000 hours) and counting. No viruses, no spyware, no trojans, no crashes, no "illegal functions". LINUX. No matter what flavor you like, It just works.

Include a triangular free-standing display with various live CDs.: Top placard: "Pick one, try one, love one." $3.00 each. (To cover duplicating costs.)

Include elive and LG3D in the running demonstration machines. But be fair. In a dark, dank, bug infested corner, include one marginally equipped machine running Windows Vista. And stock 1 copy of each level of the latest patched Vista distribution. (However, include a stiff markup on Vista.) Some one will probably want it, and there's no reason not to make a profit on it. ... That justifies having it on display, so it can wiggle its ears in all its glory ... and bray.

Dan

EDIT: Oh! Right next to the Windows machine ... place an obviously many-times-photocopied crash log sheet, with several fresh entries.

D.

< ... >

nick.stumpos · #6 5th February 2007, 02:43 PM

I <3 ARCH.
i would definitely highlight, the security, and customability. these I think are two of the major reasons people use *NIX and FOSS

Mat · #7 5th February 2007, 03:26 PM

in today's world, nobody should forget the cost-factor.. which tends to be lower (at least) for home-users..

Mat

techmatt · #8 5th February 2007, 05:05 PM

These are all good ideas thank you

To Dan - I like the banner idea and may use it. However, the rest would work better if this was a store and not a web site. Thanks for the post though.

Would it be better to just have a text box with other after a few selections of Distros

***Dan*** · #9 5th February 2007, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techmatt

These are all good ideas thank you

To Dan - I like the banner idea and may use it. However, the rest would work better if this was a store and not a web site. Thanks for the post though.

Would it be better to just have a text box with other after a few selections of Distros

Whups! Sorry Matt. Guess that's what I get for misreading and making assumptions. I assumed this fictitious business would have an anchoring Brick & Mortar element.

In fact, after thinking about it, I believe you should not ignore that. You will need warehousing, and a shipping/receiving center to fill orders.

Want to dazzle your instructor? Do both. Whip up the business plan, based on an actual workable idea. Your local SBA center will have the info on putting together the business plan, your local friendly financial institution should be happy to give you some info on financing, a quick browse through the local Chamber of Commerce for local demographics, and a friendly chat with a real estate company should give you some hints at likely available business properties, and values -- both purchase and rental.

That will give you a foundation to base some quasi-realistic numbers for a fulfillment operation to provide the on-line element with substance. And ... if you're going to have to rent space anyway, a storefront couldn't hurt!

Maybe bounce an email off of some of the businesses that already do this kind of stuff. Ask them what their biggest challenges were. They may help, they may not, but it never hurts to ask.

Dan

techmatt · #10 5th February 2007, 10:23 PM

Grate idea but I only have a week and it also include a 10 page paper. I figure I could do a web based store. With web site and all in that time. The paper however coudl hit some of the points you have stated. Dan, thaks for the help. You mave have just given me at least two pages of my paper

I would like to do this in real life, but I know the market is not there for it yet and I would like to continue to eat.

***Dan*** · #11 5th February 2007, 11:04 PM

Well, I admit to a bit of lunacy. But, I think the time for this has come. And ... I believe this is the best time to get in on the ground floor. I notice the businesses in the Fedora vendor section are not falling away. Oh, Yeah! The market is there. Unfortunately, I would do exactly what I proposed, but in order to be successful, one would have to set up in a major metropolitan area. And, I'm just not willing to do that to myself. La Junta is as big a town as I ever care to live in again.

But ... if a fellow didn't mind all those people, and the traffic, and the stoplights, and the smog ...

Happy to help. Good luck on it, Matt!

Dan

igknighted · #12 8th February 2007, 11:38 AM

If I might add a bit of business sense... Including a large number of distro's might sound great, but consider the support and knowledge base your staff would require. I imagine you would offer some sort of general setup and probably user support for an initial period. To this end, if you have Fedora/RHEL, consider staying with RPM based distro's. Or maybe focus on just one WM (or at least limit it to gnome and KDE). It could quickly spiral out of control the level of expertise that would be necessary to support this. I consider myself linux competent, but I've always been a Gentoo person, and Debian before that. I have dabbled with Suse and Mandriva, but tend to dislike RPM in general. I'm giving Fedora a try this week (and am very impressed, I dont like gnome or RPM so I sort of dreaded this test... but Fedora might stick around) and have had to learn so much to use it.

The point of this rambling is that perhaps you should consider focusing on one branch of linux, but offering to provide whatever services you can with others with no warrenty should there be issues, because linux is such a broad field it isn't feasible to be expert in it all.

techmatt · #13 9th February 2007, 01:56 AM

That should not be a problem if I am using only hardware the is Linux compatible and built in drivers. If I only support the hardware, no other problems would come up - I hope

AlexThomson_NZ · #14 9th February 2007, 02:19 AM

I would suggest only three versions:
Server PCs- CentOS, or RHEL (with RHEL obviously you will need to add the cost of a RH support license)
Desktops: Ubuntu

This would make whatever support you offer a lot easier, and would certainly make the job of the PC assembler a lot easier too!

As for which feature to promote- tough choice! Maybe go for the cost factor (ie. the cost of Vista Ultimate+Office 2007+Norton=$aninsaneamount vs. $0)

or... not having to reset your PC every 10 minutes, not having to worry about viruses, the eye-candy, no popups, no reinstalls when the PC gradually gets sluggish (ahhhhh just remembered why I love Linux so much!!!

)

AlexThomson_NZ · #15 9th February 2007, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techmatt

That should not be a problem if I am using only hardware the is Linux compatible and built in drivers. If I only support the hardware, no other problems would come up - I hope

True- but you might find a lot of customers won't be able to differentiate a software/hardware problem in most cases, you will be the first contact for the customer whatever the problem may be, and you would have to be able to troubleshoot problems on all the distros you offer!