Powering up: is Linux really ready to be plugged in to the desktop? The answer is at your fingertips

Entrepreneur, Dec, 2003 by Mike Hogan

Yeah, what do I expect for $169? Here's what I got--a noisy, re-purposed consumer PC that's not powerful enough for a knowledge worker and without the features usually found on thin clients. Is tech support any help? I don't know, because I've never gotten past Wintergreen's answering machine.

Lindows.com touts the systems as though it has something to do with them, when in fact, it's a couple of levels removed. It asks for $59 per year for software support, which seems eminently fair. But it's not exactly like buying from Dell or IBM, is it?

Bottom line: Linux is ready for some desktops. Just make sure the desktops you buy are ready for Linux.

MIKE HOGAN is Entrepreneur's technology editor. Write to him at mhogan@entrepreneur.com.