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1. Comment - Wal-Mart Debuts $298 PC

   (Jul 25, 2007 - 4:43 PM)

   My comment is in support of DotNet_Coder's post of July 19.
   
   I couldn't agree more. The people who are making the comments about the "downside" of this machine are probably kids, white, middle class, one or two working parents and not a lot of siblings. Surprise, you are not who this machine is intended for.
   
   I half agree with another poster that they might have put XP on the machine. But that would only be for better overall compatibility. I say I agree in "half" because the other half of the matter is that Vista IS the operating system that we all will be exposed to; like it or not. That said, MS is trying to get everyone over to Vista so why not do it from the start. The criticism that is it probably only Vista Home Basic really shouldn't be a criticism. I've seen Home Basic running on an old 386 laptop with a slow processor and it runs just fine. All Home Basic is, is Vista minus it's own built in "bloat-ware". So you don't get the Aero (glass) interface; otherwise it looks the same. My experience (I am a systems specialist and consultant and have put this on over a dozen low-end machines with no problems), is that it runs fine on a slower machine.
   
   As for loading open source programs like Open Office 2.2, I use it myself daily. It is completely compatible with Word (except for Word 2007), Excel and PowerPoint (also except for the 2007 versions). It will not run MS macros but the person buying a machine in this price range is probably not writing or using high-end macros.
   
   I think DotNet_Coder is correct in that the taget market for this machine is for those who can't afford a high end machine. For many, a $300 price point is probably high. I would be willing to bet though that anyone who purchases one due to financial reasons is going to be thrilled with it.
   
   While I have not been thrilled with the path Wal-Mart has taken over the last few years (in some ways trying to become the retail store version of Microsoft), I do have to applaud them for at least trying. While their motives are probably more financially driven than humanitarian, it still serves the same purpose in the end...to bring computers to families who might not otherwise have had them.
   
   They tried this a couple years ago by offering computers with a Linux operating system. For anyone who is unfamiliar with Linux, it forms the last of the "big 3" operating systems out there (one being Microsoft's, another being Apple's and the third being Linux which is actually a legally FREE operating system but like Apple is not compatible with Microsoft's programs. And since Microsoft is still the worlds' most used operating system, why not give someone the operating system that they are most likely to run in to in school and in the work place?).
   
   So while I don't usually applaud Wal-Mart or Microsoft I really do believe that this computer serves a purpose. Final comment, as a hint to the posters who feel the need to swear when commenting about something as simple as a computer; did you notice I was able to respond to a post, leave my negative opinion about 2 companies and not have to swear once to get my point across. No...I'm not trying to preach to you; just something to think about.