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The Internet Software Hardware Linux

Earthlink Sponsors Cheap Linux PCs 179

Posted by Zonk from the brand-convergence-for-the-win dept.
prostoalex writes "Earthlink and Microtel are offering cheap Xandros-based computers to anyone who's willing to sign up for Earthlink dial-up service at $22 a month. The desktops on Microtel Web site start at $70 for a basic AMD Sempron machine, Microtel laptops start at $399. ExtremeTech says there is also a SkypeOut gift certificate: 'All Xandros PCs and laptops include free Skype-to-Skype calling worldwide, plus an exclusive bonus voucher for up to 120 minutes of SkypeOut calling to any phone number in the world.'"
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Earthlink Sponsors Cheap Linux PCs More

Earthlink Sponsors Cheap Linux PCs

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  • Does anyone use Xandros? How is it compared to like Fedora, or Mandrake?

    It seems pretty fluffy to me (probaby a good thing for who they are trying to target with these discount PCs).

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • True, but you also do not want these users passing on Office trojan/virii to the masses do ya?
      • There are many good reasons to have a virus scanner installed on Linux systems: Viruses do pass by Linux boxes even if they are not infected: Linux boxes are involved in file transfers (a lot of mail servers run Linux..) and so on. It is important to be able to find Windows and other viruses for other operating systems even if they can not infect Linux.
      • But if they don't think there is a problem, they never will.
    • The thing about Xandros is it is setup to look and act prety much like windows. Which makes it simple for someone new to Linux to be able to use it. I bought an inexpensive system from samsclub for $157 and didn't have to worry about paying for a dialup service. Debian Sid rules.

    • Re:Xandros... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Yim ( 268074 )
      I've had a lot of seat-time with Xandros (Corel Linux) and have been pretty impressed with its abilities out-of-the-box. It's got a decent debian style package builder, which isn't completely reliable with rpms straight-through, but works well with deb packages. 3.0.1 OC runs KDE 3.3, which isn't my cup of tea (wmaker) but works well for those used to a pure GUI environment. It lends its flexibility quite well for those who are used to a *nix environment, as it builds source just like any other, but has the

    • Re:Xandros... (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Sorry, forgot to answer some of your questions. How does it compare to Fedora or Mandrake? Well, I found that it is a touch slower, but it is more integrated (since Xandros packages everything themselves). I also found that it worked better out of the box. I had to do a LOT of fiddling with Fedora to get my local network and Internet working. I had to do even more fiddling with Mandrake to get my sound working. Why? Who knows, it was a pain in the butt. Xandros worked out of the box except for playi

    • Re:Xandros... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by jrboatright ( 843291 )
      Yes. I've been installing Xandros on essentially anyone who's computer I got tired of fixing hag ridden copies of windows on.

      It installs from a single CD.

      It looks and feels a lot like windows

      It just works, out of the box. I have yet to have it fail to find and install the correct video, monitor, and sound on any computer which was running win95/98/me or 2000.

      It runs just find in 128 meg of ram, and WILL run in 64.

      But since I don't give Aunt Bee and Counsin Fred the root password, they can't hopelessl
  • Seems kinda pricey given the number of laptops available on eBay. -X
    • Yes, but are you looking at new laptops on ebay? I imagine that these have warranty which is worth something. Though I suppose that depends on how good said warranty is.

      Jared

  • Bill Gates (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mboverload ( 657893 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @05:53PM (#12659851) Journal
    Could Bill Gates be right about hardware costing dirt in the future? Since they are selling this on software Gates is kind of 100% right.
    • That may be true, but at least in this case he's wrong wrt the price of software.

    • Re:Bill Gates (Score:2, Insightful)

      by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 )
      Of course he's right, but its not happening because he said it.

      Mobile phone companies have been like this for years, its just an expansion of that.
    • Honestly, a monkey and an organ grinder could have predicted this. Hardware was one of the boundries for entering the computer market in the past, but now with Cell phones, in-car GPS systems, and everywhere else you see ubiquitious computing machines, you begin to pay less for the hardware (and ironically, the software too!), and more for the support contracts of those platforms, whether they be cellular service, special GPS-like network access, or radio access.

      Just worries me because some day in the fut
      • Just worries me because some day in the future, the need for owning a full fledged computer may be unjustifiable..,

        You realize that's heresy, don't you? ; )
    • Only reason this hardware can cost dirt is because there isnt a $100 microsoft tax in software.
  • but I don't think they come with that Skype deal. I don't think I'd link up with earthlink @ $22/mo for this offer, too bad i am not in the market though.... bbl going to call up some friends and family to help them out and get them moved into a less frustrated enviroment (non-Windows) :-P

  • A Nice Move (Score:3, Interesting)

    by hoka ( 880785 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @05:56PM (#12659871)
    I'm glad that more companies are starting to pick up on cheap hardware combined with free software. This will be great for the "moms and pops" who don't care about what they use as long as it works. By offering lots of cheap (with specific hardware) companies can reduce costs for support since there arn't options. It's undercutting the competition just like Ford did, you can have "any color you want, as long as its black". Looking at the specs on the system they don't seem that bad, comparable to a deal Frys had a few weekends ago where you could pick up a full system for $100 (Sempron, CD-Rom, Harddrive, case etc). Some ram upgrade and those machines would probably be plenty for most users.

  • This could be great for Grandmas (Score:3, Interesting)

    by putko ( 753330 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @05:56PM (#12659872) Homepage Journal
    If they make it so simple that they send it to you, you plug it in, and it works, that's really great for unsophisticated computer users.

    I wish them the best of luck.
    • If they make it so simple that they send it to you, you plug it in, and it works, that's really great for unsophisticated computer users.

      ???

      Until those same "unsophisticated computer users" try to install this "great new game they got at the bargain bin at Best Buy."

      • Do grandmas play games?

        If the software sold with the box comes with solitaire or other stupid games, that probably enough for unsophisticated users.

        A lot of people don't want to be bothered with installing anything -- that's one of M$'s advantages.

        If you just want a box that allows you to surf, do some basic word processing and make free "phone calls", this looks barely good enough and quite convenient.


      • Well, if they can't read the box when it says "Windows" and they can't read the screen at home where it says "Linux", then they're just as likely to buy an X-Box game or a Nintendo game and be unable to install it as well.

        Which means your point is stupid.

        If your point was that Linux doesn't have a ton of great games, which is basically true (and irrelevant to a lot of people over the age of 18), then say so.

  • why would anyone pay $22/month for dialup when you can get some sort of broadband for $10/month more (or dialup somewhere else for so much less?)?

    am i missing something?
    • Because you can get a really cheap computer with it...?
      • Let's do some math. They could get a standard cheap dial-up account for $9.99/month or they could pay $22/month for this one. That comes out to $12 more each month, or $144 each year. If you keep this service for three years (the average PC cycle), you've paid over $400 for the computer. Earthlink certainly didn't lose money on that box and they gained a subscriber that they may not have gotten otherwise.
        • I just dug up some more of the details and they lock you in to at least one year of Earthlink and charge you $70 for the basic desktop. So, even if you bolt after the first year, you've still paid over $200 for the box. I can buy the thing without the Earthlink membership [microtelpc.com] for $219, so this isn't a free (as in beer) computer. After that first year, you are less likely to change ISPs simply because of the hassle of changing email addresses and such, so they continue to sell you marked up dial-up service.
          • The deal part about this is that you're paying $200 over the course of a year, with no financing or interest charges.

            So you pay $70 for the desktop (plus shipping) and $21 per month for the dial-up service.

            I can imagine a lot of people wanting a cheap server or another pc in the home hopping on this, even if they already have broadband.

            Hell, if I needed another machine, I'd do it in a heatbeat. And I'd never log into the Earthlink account, and would cancel after a year.

            • I can imagine a lot of people wanting a cheap server or another pc in the home hopping on this, even if they already have broadband. Hell, if I needed another machine, I'd do it in a heatbeat. And I'd never log into the Earthlink account, and would cancel after a year.
              1. The cheap computer would hardly be worth the cost for a server. This is a 1.5 GHz AMD Sempron, cheapo motherboard (with an SIS chipset, and only two PCI slots), 256 mb of generic RAM, a 40 Gb hard drive, and a one-year return-to-the-manufac
    • Not all places have broadband available.

      The fact that dial-up is cheaper elsewhere is another point entirely.
  • Free hardware and Free software beat that billy boy...
    • When Billy hears about this, I bet he craps his pants.

      There's the potential here for a chunk of the market (unsophisticated cheapos) to have their entire computer experience be non-Micro$oft.

      It is really hard to compete with such a business -- MSN will have to start cannibalizing the main franchise, and that just won't happen.

      Although I hate Earthlink and their goddman telemarketers, this really, really makes me happy today.

  • It's aaaalive! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Crimson Dragon ( 809806 ) *
    I understand the purpose of this, however I cringe whenever I see dialup being promoted into longevity.

    The internet content of today chokes on dialup. The internet content of the future will not be able to live without broadband.... so why promote expanded use of any kind of dialup? Are we still in an age where there are enough people without broadband (or the cash to afford it) that we must cater in this fashion? Should this be so, efforts to bring prices down in the broadband market and increased effo
    • I imagine the users being targeted are not going to use it for much more than email and occasional photo uploads or something. Though I agree that it's like offering a free rotary phone with your telephone service. Drag these people kicking and screaming into the new century! Someone please think of the children!
    • Great, a broadband enthusiast.
      So, where should I send the invoice for running a T1 line out to my house, and the monthly fees associated therein.

      'cos, like it or not, something like 80% of the world still accesses through dialup connections. Broadband doesn't have the magicial penetration you think it does. And shitty designers just make things worse on those of us stuck with dialup connections.
    • The internet content of today chokes on dialup. The internet content of the future will not be able to live without broadband.... so why promote expanded use of any kind of dialup?

      Don't be so self-absorbed. Lots of people in the U.S. still don't have internet access at home; many don't want it. Many don't want anything more than email and the occasional browsing for information (news, sports scores, movie times, baking recipes).

      "Logic" like yours is the same that pushes for insanely powerful computers

      • There is much passion on this point, and if one rereads my post, I believe the pushing of broadband is more worthwhile than clinging to dialup. I don't propose Grandma using a jackhammer to kill an ant: I propose that we give Grandma the option to do other things than send email all day long.
    • There are many of us who haven't gone up to broadband. I've been online for a few years now (and been reading /. for a long time too) and I get by with dial-up. When I need to download a large file (a new distribution, OpenOffice, music or video) I use the connection at work or ask a friend to grab it for me. But for the most part what I do online is perfectly served by dial-up and can be done on my oldest machine (a 1995 box with 32MB of RAM running Windows 98). I want to be able to read news and mail, che
    • Most people in North America do not have broadband. And most high bandwidth content is completly useless and annoying to the user.

      And even if everyone had really fast broadband into their house, that doesn't mean that "the internet is faster". All those people now consuming more broadband means server loads would be greater, packets would take longer to get to their destination. I have a 100M connection at home, and I consider it very lucky if I can download something at 1.5M. And we are not going to see

  • $22/month for dialup? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tackhead ( 54550 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:01PM (#12659915)
    > [$69.99] with a 12 month EarthLink membership subscription at $21.95 per month

    Well, at least it's running Linux. Because on dialup, it'd probably take at least 12 months to download the patches to secure XP.

    If you've got $21.95/month for dialup, but don't have an extra $2-4/month for DSL from your phone provider (or $20/month from your cable provider), you've got no business spending $333.39 ($69.99 + 12 * 21.95) or "$69.99" for a low-end PC with no monitor.

    Use $300 to buy a year's worth of broadband, and with the remaining cash, support your nearest surplus store ($50) or computer recycler ($10), garage sale ($50), or even lighten the load on your apartment's dumpster ($0.00).

    • First....Its 333.39 for a new PC with no monitor but INET access and software Surplus store/Garage: 50$ + 12*10(cheap dialup) =170$ and the pc will be used and who know what if any software or whatnot. Recycler: 130$ same thing. Dumpster: YMMV As far as extra 2-4$ a month for dsl...nuh uh. By the time you add taxes and other "fees" that they are allowed to charge now...it is way more than they advertise. Not to mention the main flaw of your arguement: A person who would be satisified with this level o
    • If you've got $21.95/month for dialup, but don't have an extra $2-4/month for DSL from your phone provider (or $20/month from your cable provider),

      I want some of what you're smoking.

      $30/month for DSL (on top of POTS) but that only applies if you use one of the LOC's partner ISPs -- which often doesn't include Earthlink.

      For cable, you're looking at $40/month for basic cable plus the same $30/month, except this time you have to use the cable company as your ISP, so Earthlink is locked out altogether.

      • Approximate cost: $50/month.

        Your math is pretty good -- I get tired of listening to everyone slamming this deal because DSL is only a buck or two more. It isn't like everyone in the world has equivalent access.

        I can get a slow DSL (finally ... it's been years) for about $60/month or pretty quick cable for $55/month. In my case broadband is more than double the cost of this dialup plan (not even counting the value of the computer). Although I won't be trading my broadband away, there are tons of

        • 30$/mo for the phone line, plus 22$/mo for the dial up service. 52$ is very close to 55$ and to 60$! Don't forget the cost of the base line from the RBOC, cause that's the larger of the costs involved.
          • Who doesn't already have a phone?
            • I don't have a phone. :) Quite a few people that I know don't, either. It's becoming rather common to ditch the high cost land-line and just go with an equal priced cellular. Mobiles often have a better set of services included (no cost long-distance, call id, voice mail, three way calling, etc) and you can take them with you if you want. When your land-line base cost starts being over 30$, there isn't much reason to have that *and* a mobile.
              • Try it this way. People who don't have quality broadband access are also those people likely to live in places w/ spotty cell coverage. So explain again why they will give up a landline for no phone service?
                • Because they gave up the land-line due to redundant cost or dislike of the provider. I know very few people that live in an area with spotty cell coverage for every cell provider, and you can see this looking at the coverage maps. Broadband coverage is also quite good now. There are many people who don't consider it because their dialup is "good enough". Most COs are wired for DSL now, and most cable providers offer internet service. There are some very good maps available at dslreports that will show
                  • It's a big country. There are plenty of places that don't have the network access you enjoy. There are vast stretches of the county I live in where cell coverage is non-existent and broadband is available only via sattelite. I live on the edge so I can get cable for $55/mo. In the last 6 months 256k dsl or some BS like that at more than $60 month has become available.

                    If a person lives in an area with good access to everything, then yes, the earthlink deal isn't that great. But here is my point, for
    • Well, at least it's running Linux. Because on dialup, it'd probably take at least 12 months to download the patches to secure XP.

      Umm, I hate to break it to you, but every month I have to download about 200MB of updated RPMs for the various Mandrake and Redhat distros I run/admin. It's fine on broadband, but it is in no way a lower volume of updates than XP.

    • Nice math there. I wish it worked.

      I live in the downtown area of a city of a quarter-million people. I have two options for internet access:
      1) $56/mo for cable internet
      2) Dialup

      $300 will pay the *connection costs* of cable.
      • It cost me 100$ to get my DSL installed, which is the first time I've actually had to pay for installation. Many places still have nice deals. Besides, your dialup *really* costs over 50$/mo when you figure in the phone line.
  • All Xandros PCs and laptops include free Skype-to-Skype calling worldwide

    Wow, that's generous! Now if only their internet access offered free access to CNN.com and slashdot.org, worldwide, I'd be putting in my order right away! :^)

  • About time... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Prod_Deity ( 686460 )
    I worked for an out sourced call center for Earthlink in late 03. At that time, Earthlink didn't support Linux at all.

    I had about 3 calls about people wanting to set up Kppp, but I was told by my supervisor to not say anything but "Earthlink does not support any linux distribution"

    One other call was someone calling for a number, but at the time we had to ask what OS they were using, and I did as my supervisor told me to do....

    Right after I gave the statement, the caller gave me an ass chewing, saying t
    • Odd.

      I worked for Earthlink in '99, at one of their in house call centers, and we had a very limited linux support. Essentially we could tell them what files to modify, and what should be in them. Anything beyond that (like if they said "how do I edit a file? I can't figure out vi!"), and we had to stop the support.

      Of course, if the caller was proficient at using any technology, he could have easily gotten a local number from the automated support service on the 800 number. Perhaps he just liked waitin

    • i started earthlink with sky. my original plan for the modem pools was to use linux-based terminal servers .. it warms my cockles to see them finally doing the linux gig ..

    • Re:About time... (Score:3, Informative)

      by th3space ( 531154 )
      I worked for them from whenever they acquired Mindspring until some time in '02 (I'd actually been with Netcom, then Mindspring, then Earthlink), when I got fed up and left...but I was in the hosting group, and we really didn't bother with who was running what, given that we only cared about their sites working (and only tenuously so, at that)...

      Why do I mention this? Well, not only did Earthlink not support Linux externally, they didn't support it internally, either...the hosting and dedicated groups bot
    • worked for an out sourced call center for Earthlink in late 03. At that time, Earthlink didn't support Linux at all. I had about 3 calls about people wanting to set up Kppp, but I was told by my supervisor to not say anything but "Earthlink does not support any linux distribution"

      Way Back When (tm), some tech actually took the time to mail me a FAQ on configuring Linux for Earthlink. If I remember properly, it was keyed to RH5.

      It was an Earthlink document, so there must have been at least some informa

  • Finally (Score:2)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) *
    I thought for sure AOL was going to offer something like this after they purchased Netscape a long time ago. Imagine if Joe user's pc is mangled; the ISP rep says "insert the recover CD into your machine and reboot" which is some kind of live distro that lets the ISP guy log into the machine remotely (no matter how mangled the OS may be) and fix the machine or even possibly restore the OS back to the default.
  • I noticed that the $399 machine comes with a VIA C3 CPU, which I found interesting...

    Has anybody got any numbers/benchmarks showing the C3 performances/power consumption versus Intel/AMD CPUs?

    And, more importantly has anybody actually bought one of these machines, tested it, and installed something other than Xandros on it? OpenBSD and Slackware comes to mind, but any other distribution would also be interesting...
    • I remember putting together a boot-from-flash Linux system to run on a VIA C3, and I couldn't compile anything above 486 instruction-set for it. It might have been a particular revision of this chip, I dunno, haven't got one anymore.
  • In other news, people are selling massively 8086-based PC's containing enormous 5.25" disks (imagine how much GB of data can fit on this) for only $2.

  • This sounds familiar (Score:4, Interesting)

    by wallykeyster ( 818978 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:16PM (#12660041)
    Didn't PeoplePC try and fail at this just a few years ago? I don't remember if they were using Windows on the boxes, but the business model of dial-up and "free" computers didn't pan out then. What has changed?
    • PeoplePC was just too early to market.

      The computers they offered cost them too much, and they spent far too much maintaining their network. Basically, their massive overhead destroyed their profitability.

      Fast forward to 2005: The cost of hardware has dropped substantially, and Linux has matured enough to be useable for the average person. Couple that with the minimal overhead involved in connecting these users to the existing Earthlink network, and the possibility of profitability is far higher.

      Of course
      • Of course, many people have been saying for years that computers would one fday be like cellphones. When I bought my first one, I spent $1500 on the phone and another $100 a month for fuzzy local service. Last year I replaced both mine and my wifes phones for $0 and a promise to maintain $50 monthly service for two years. The phones themselves have become a commodity and are no longer a profit center...they're simply used to drive subscriptions.

        Your analogy holds on the other side of it too. There are sti

    • the business model of dial-up and "free" computers didn't pan out then. What has changed?

      Well, the price of hardware has gone down significantly. Hardware has gotten fast enough that most people don't care if their computer is top-of-the-line, so a commodity computer is perfectly acceptable. Linux is also less expensive than Windows.

      But besides that, their plan is significantly different. Earthlink is charging $2 more per/month above their normal dial-up price, and they still require you to pay all b

  • It will be interesting to see if Earthlink/Xandros keeps selling this unit (or ones like it) in perpetuity. If Earthlink can make money on a low-dollar, low monthly subscription Linux desktop, then it proves that Linux is ready for the masses. With the high cost of tech support calls, any technology that is not drop-dead simple becomes a money-losing nightmare for the provider.

    I'm going to watch this experiment carefully because, if it succeeds, then Linux desktop share should climb significantly.
  • So let me get this straight.. I pay $263 to Earthlink to save $150 from microtel? Hrmmmm.
  • It worked so well for PeoplePC and freepc.com. They'll be losing money on every unit, but heck, they'll make it up on volume, right?

    What the mom-n-pop's-mom-n-pop crown really need is a machine that skips the os and boots straight to Yahoo!

  • Button Stealing (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Zoc_All_Alone ( 177585 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:21PM (#12660108) Homepage
    It's a little unnerving when I view their website and realize they stole their "Customize It" buttons from Dell.

    • Re:Button Stealing (Score:4, Informative)

      by syukton ( 256348 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @08:48PM (#12661242)
      It's important to qualify "stole" here.

      Their sizes are identical. 1423 bytes.

      Did a "save as" with firefox.

      >fc /b img.aspx.gif icon_customize_it.gif
      Comparing files img.aspx.gif and ICON_CUSTOMIZE_IT.GIF
      FC: no differences encountered

      img.aspx.gif is from the Dell Home website. The other is from Microtel.

      hmm.

  • Under 'processer', it says 'AMD 2.0GHz Sempron Processor 2200+'.

    Do even a tiny ammount of Googling, and you will see that the Sempron 2200+ is a 1.5 ghz chip. So, this means one of two things... either A) they're blatently lying about the clockspeed, or B) they're pre-overclocking the chips... which is the case?

    If they're saying it's equivelant to a 2.0 ghz Intel chip in speed (which most AMD fans, myself included, would agree with), that's one thing. If they're pre-overclocking the chips, that's another

  • Even the Windows versions come with OpenOffice (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Rob Y. ( 110975 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:28PM (#12660164)
    Some nice things about these boxes:

    They're actually cheaper with Xandros than with XP. Not by much, but I guess that means they're actually paying Xandros and not Microsoft.

    They all come with OpenOffice. Even the versions with WinXP. And MS Office is clearly listed as a (very) pricey option.

    This makes it very clear that, even for users not ready to adopt Linux, there are big cost savings to be had by adopting OOo.

    Now if all vendors would start offering Firefox and OOo on their boxes (with or without WinXP), that might make a real splash.
    • Would it really make any difference what the vendors offer? Vendors are stupid not to include OO and Firefox in their pre-installations as it does not cost them anything at all to bundle free software. But I do not see the big point for users. Users have the Internet. If they can not afford the Internet then they are not buying new computers (=whitetrash), and those who have the Internet can just download OO off da net.

  • Good move, Linux = $$$ (Score:3, Interesting)

    by xiando ( 770382 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:31PM (#12660195) Homepage Journal
    1. Get customer to sign up and get a cheap computer
    2. Get customer hooked on your service and *SUPPORT*
    3. Years go by
    4. ???
    5. Profit !!!

    Linux is not that easy to use and they will surely need to provide some support, but the profit in having the customer this hooked on your support is probably worth it.

  • Earthlink + Skype? (Score:3, Funny)

    by sydsavage ( 453743 ) on Friday May 27, 2005 @06:34PM (#12660223)
    I'm sure that skype is going to work great over Earthlink dialup.
  • The hardware vendors offer an instant rebate when you sign up for a one-year Earthlink account, which means they get their money back from Earthlink (likely at nearly 100% of the discount). They also get significant exposure and advertising, mostly on Earthlink's dime (they probably pay a small kickback to Earthlink for each sell that includes the Earthlink service).

    Earthlink has a new twist to differentiate themselves, charges enough for the service to break even on the additional expense in the first yea

  • Can I consider Microtel a reputable company when they blatantly steal the "Customize It" button from the Dell website?
  • Whats up with the arrow keys on the left side of the laptop? That's someting weird and not conventional.
  • Wait a minute. It isn't 1999! Wasn't PeoplePC or some other discount dialup ISP offering a service like this one back in the hey days?
  • I think this plan has failed before with the PC hardware, but what about just the software?

    Imagine AOL with a custom distro of Linux. Keep in mind the enormous CD distribution that AOL has before you flame me...

    Most users do not differentiate AOL from the internet, so why not just dual boot into AOLinux. The average Joe would stop using Windows because they only use AOL anyway. This plan could work as long as it installed as a dual boot to allow people to continue playing games and using create-a-card s
  • This reeks of an Internet rebate scam. Buy a cheap PC for almost nothing, but be forced into a $22/month dial-up contract for a few years.

    How is this different than a $400 Internet rebate on an eMachines PC running XP Home, which costs $470, and is $70 after rebates, but you have to pay AOL/MSN/Earthlink $22/month for 3 to 5 years?

    Why don't I just pay $300 for a Linux PC, and then pick my own ISP for a much lower price per month?

    $22 for 12 months ends up being $264, plus $70 for the PC, makes $334 for a
  • I couldn't find anything on Earthlink's site about it.. what happens if you sign up for the service, hate it, and want to cancel? What do they do then?

    I recall some similar deal with MSN years ago, and if people cancelled their service, they were hit with $300 early termination fees.

    So, is this really "Earthlink spreading Linux" or marketing drones saying "Hey, this Linux stuff is a nice and cheap way to lock in more customers!" ?

  • Sky Dayton, founder of Earthlink, as well as other top brass and major shareholders, are members of the Church of Scientology.

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