“Computers that run the Linux operating system instead of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows didn’t attract enough attention from Wal-Mart customers, and the chain has stopped selling them in stores, a spokeswoman said Monday,” The Associated Press reports. “‘This really wasn’t what our customers were looking for,’ said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah. They were looking for Slim Jims, pro wrestling posters, 56×29 Faded Glory jeans, and beer helmets.
AP continues, “To test demand for systems with the open-source operating system, Wal-Mart stocked the $199 ‘Green gPC,’ made by Everex of Taiwan, in about 600 stores starting late in October. Walmart.com, the chain’s e-commerce site, had sold Linux-based computers before and will continue selling the gPC.”
Full article here.
Hey, I’m not above shopping at Wal*Mart, but I still feel dirty when I do. If you walk into Wal*Mart and walk out completely satisfied with your shopping experience, I’m happy for you. Enjoy your fabulous dinner at Olive Garden.
Walmart is an absolutely fabulous anti-poverty program. It has accomplished more than any government program, without taking a dime of taxpayer money. So, sure, more low-income people shop there! As for all the ignorant anti-trade comments on this thread, go take a class in economics. Or just open your mind and get some common sense. Fact is, China has LOST far more manufacturing jobs in the last few years than the US–ALL countries are losing manufacturing jobs as automation increases, and this will continue until until those jobs are as small a part of our workforce as farming is today. And there are PLENTY of well paying service jobs available, though they do require skills (e.g., nursing).
Anybody who shops at Wal-Mart should be ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES!
WAL-MART IS ONE OF THE MOST EVIL CORPORATIONS IN ALL OF AMERICA!
DO NOT SUPPORT WAL-MART!
Watch the documentary “Wal-Mart: The HIgh Cost of Low Price” and REVOLT AGAINST WAL-MART!
More details here:
http://www.walmartmovie.com
Wal-Mart is evil!
All of you are getting wrapped up in the love/hate Walmart argument. (and there are good arguments on both sides)
However, all of you are missing the real story: Shaun is indeed correct, Walmart has sold out all Green PC’s in all of the 600 store they put them in.
Does that sound like a poor seller to anyone?
More like Walmart caved to MS pressure claiming that people were just installing pirated copies of windows
After all who would want to run Linux;-)
Okay, I shop at Wal-Mart . . . for some stuff.
Like, for example, if I need beer, cigarettes, a pistol and condoms all in one stop.
It just sucks I had scratch to “Linux PC” off that list.
“Walmart is an absolutely fabulous anti-poverty program. It has accomplished more than any government program, without taking a dime of taxpayer money. “
Totally false. Wal*Mart did more than any company or administration to make the poor people poorer, especially in rural areas (destruction of local economy). Also, they are doing it at the expense of taxpayer’s money (welfare for Walmart employees).
Check the facts first!
Maybe this documentary will help you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:_The_High_Cost_of_Low_Price
“After all who would want to run Linux;-)”
Well seriously, how many *consumers* would? I’m WAY geekier than the average american consumer, and certainly more computer savvy than the average WM customer, and I certainly can’t be bothered to fiddle with a machine like you have to fiddle with a Linux box. I mean, that’s why I use a *Mac*. I’m sure there is an audience out there for it, but I still say it won’t have a mass appeal until it has a unified interface. Or at least a more sensible one. And yes, I ran Yellow Dog for years on an iBook. It was a fabulous web server than I couldn’t play Halo on.
@ MidWest Mac
So… you obviously plan on killing a hooker and then blogging about it tonight.
Ya see what kind of people shop at WM?!
@ Marian
This is correct. It made poor people poorer, and gave them carnival-quality prizes so they wouldn’t notice.
MacDailyNews = MacDailyOpinions
This site is never news oriented. Why do you bother with an opinion section when all you do is inject crappy statements into every supposed news story. What a waste.
Hopefully Apple won’t pull some of its ad dollars after your attack on WalMart customers.
No stereotypes on this site. Just news. Right. What’s next MDN? Racial comments? Fat jokes? Anything else you feel worth adding to a simple story?
MDN isn’t funny.
@name
I live in Montreal and unfortunately we have Wal-Mart here. Taxes. although important and not the reason for being absent in your neighbourhood because Quebec is the most highly taxed region in NORTH AMERICA!!!!!!
It is because of key demographics of dense population and cheap labour. To put it in perspective, Canadian Tire sells quality stuff in comparison.
I feel sorry for the people trying to save a buck by shopping there because in many cases they wind up paying more.
Why is this so?
Because if you buy a cheap tool, and it breaks, then you have to rebuy it. In the long run it would have been cheaper to buy a slightly better quality tool from the get go. Therefore the poor get screwed and Wal-Mart makes even more money……sad.
I’m with you, MacBill.
I also heard Karl Rove bought the 911 detonators from Wal-Mart.
“What’s next MDN? Racial comments? Fat jokes? Anything else you feel worth adding to a simple story? “
I can see you’re new. If you don’t like the conversation on MDN, just wait 5 minutes.
@ Buster
My god, I cringe when I see people buying Wal Mart tools. Or bikes. I just want to help them.
Wal-Mart tools have a lifetime warranty.
That way, people keep coming back….
(actually, they do sell Stanley. Not exactly Klein, but they do hold up. And everybody deserves a tool that holds up)
Not new. I love macs, but this site is so skewed. I am emailing apple and showing them MDN’s take so they will withdraw ad dollars.
@ TowerTone
But Stanley is their *top* end. Most people buy stuff that’s even cheaper. And those $30 DVD players… I know of at least 5 have died in under 6 months. I wonder how much our trash output has gone up under the WM dynasty…
Landfills of the world, rejoice!
@ honest
Good luck with that.
don’t get me wrong, C1. I’m not defending them. Just their right to do business.
And I see crappy tools at almost every discount store I shop.
When I was an industrial (union) electrician, we had a saying about shit tools. “They are the best tools money can buy. At Wal-mart”.
No luck needed. You can’t talk like that and expect ad money from a company like Apple. So far they have had about twenty emails about it, and when I called they said they are getting calls and promise to do something about it asap.
‘Sure, I’d prefer if Apple products were ‘Made in the USA’, but they’re not. In fact, there’s really almost no such thing as ‘Made in USA’ anymore. Even crappy American cars, electronics and appliances are assembled from parts gathered from everywhere.’
That’s true. Nearly anything that says ‘Made in the USA’ just means ‘assembled in the USA’.
‘I tried Linux about five years ago, and thought it had real potential. All they had to do was fix up the UI a bit, make it easier to use, and they would have a Windows-killer. But five years later Linux still hasn’t gotten their act together. Every distro is either ugly as hell or too hard to get simple things to work. I can only conclude that Linux developers simply don’t get it.’
They really don’t! They just don’t seem to make the connection that your average non-geek doesn’t want to waste their time tinkering with their OS. Until that changes, Linux will never be preferred as a consumer tool. That is the old way of looking at technology, and there are just waaaay too many fingers in the pie for things to gel cohesively at this point.
@ Honest
I bet.
@ TT
Re: tools
Point taken.
However, every bicycle they sell is a shit breather.
@Name:
The Linux distro is called gOS. its a pretty cool concept. All apps are online rather than on the machine.
http://www.thinkgos.com/
@UltraVisitor:
You need to take another look at Linux. Nobody has to compile the kernel anymore. The UI’s are just as good as OS X. The major issue with Linux is still wireless since Broadcom refuses to provide specs for their wireless chipsets.
Check out the new KDE desktop: http://www.kde.org/announcements/4.0/guide.php
Or look at Compiz, which completely blows away the OS X desktop: http://compiz.org/Home/Videos
By the way, I have 3 Macs. I agree OS X is a better overall experience than Linux on the desktop, but don’t discount Linux either.
Lighten up, people. The 56×29 was priceless. Listen– WalMart does cater to a certain demographic. Remember that this is the company that got rid of their online music business because their shoppers do not purchase online– same reason to pull the plug on Linux machines. By the way, the music that WalMart does stock is often censored. I remember the Rob Zombie album cover that did away with his pentagram markings. Censorship usually equals low-brow thinking. It is what it is.