Published on 12/21/2004
Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world is offering an ultra-cheap laptop powered by Linux: The Balance 14.1" Notebook Computer.
And cheap it is. At $498, you will get the lowest-end laptop PC: VIA C3 Processor, 128MB RAM, 30GB Hard Drive, CD-ROM Drive, 14.1" LCD Screen. To save about $100, Wal-Mart is installing Linux rather than Windows.
It's not great for sure, but that's enough to handle most productivity softwares, web browsing and email. You can find a cheap Wifi adapter to have a wireless network access.
It remains to be seen if the customers are going to embrace Linux or not.
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