Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? A Pattern Is Developing......

  • Thread starter Thread starter Moshe Goldfarb
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Moshe Goldfarb

First we had the Lenovo laptop that was released pre-loaded with Linux and
has a good portion of it's features hamstrung (ie:not working) with Linux.

Read about that one here:

http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/Reviews/Lenovo-Launches-Linux-Laptop-and-Leaves-Lots-of-Questions/

" Seeing that XEN was pre installed got our interest. What a great
idea¡Xdeliver the system with virtualization already in place. Our amazement
at such an insightful idea quickly waned once we tried to use the XEN boot
option and were rewarded with an Error 15: File Not Found. We tried to
resolve the problem using instructions from SUSE, a control panel installer
and a few other tricks, but we came up empty. "

" The first part of the document covered ¡§features not supported.¡¨ Some of
those features are:

* ThinkVantage Active Protection System.
* ThinkVantage Access Connections for SUSE Linux
* ThinkPad Configuration for SUSE Linux
* ThinkPad Power Manager for SUSE Linux
* Wireless WAN Adapter
* ThinkVantage Button
* (Intel Graphics System) DVI Output "

Can you believe that?

Next we have the new Everex Cloudbook, another Linux based Laptop that
seems to be going right down the drain.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/21/cloudbook-shows-up-on-wal-marts-website-zareason-drops-it/

"Everex's Cloudbook hasn't exactly seen the smoothest of launches, and now
that the official launch date has come and gone, it seems that things just
keeping getting curiouser and curiouser. For starters, the budget-priced
laptop has now finally shown up on Wal-Mart's website, but it's already out
of stock, and it's not clear if it was ever in stock to begin with. In
other non-availability news, retailer ZaReason (which has actually shipped
a few Cloudbooks) has announced that it's ditching the laptop altogether,
stating only that "due to the amount of money we have lost granting refunds
(due to bank transaction fees) we can no longer sell the Cloudbook."
Needless to say, some are speculating that Everex's deal with Wal-Mart is
the primary cause for the troubles at ZaReason, but either way, it seems
that anyone actually looking to get their hands on a Cloudbook is out of
luck, at least at the moment."

The key point is that ZaReson is DUMPING it because people are returning it
in droves and they, ZaReason are being stuck with the credit card bank
fees.


Yes ladies and germs, it looks like yet another Linux Laptop DISASTER.

The real truth is, people, common people, are not interested in Linux and
there are not enough geeks around to make a Linux laptop feasible.

--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/
 
The Asus EEE seems to be doing fine (as it should--it looks like a nice
little system).

The problem here is Everex. They seem to think that they can just throw
together a crappy system (this isn't their first...there was that gPC
thing they sold cheaply at Wal-Mart) and it will be OK, because (1) it
is cheap, and (2) Linux advocates will overlook all its flaws because it
has Linux on it.

It's odd that Linux advocates embrace these crappy computers as a way to
showcase Linux to the general population. If you were, say, an
appliance maker, and you wanted to showcase your new line of kitchen
appliances by holding an open house in a house equipped with your wares,
you wouldn't go find a rundown shack with a weed infested jungle in
place of a lawn, and invite people there to see your great kitchen
appliances, would you? Of course not. You'd have a very nice house,
with an immaculate lawn, in a lovely neighborhood, with everything great
inside. You want people to go away remembering the whole experience as
great, and some of that transfers to the appliances you were promoting.

When I want to show someone that there are good alternatives to Windows,
I don't look for the crappiest non-Windows machine I can find to show
them. I show them something like an iMac or a PowerBook.

Just look around. Nearly everyone who successfully promotes something
pitches it as upscale, not as something to use when you can't afford
something good.

--
--Tim Smith
 
On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 18:38:37 -0800, Tim Smith wrote:

> The Asus EEE seems to be doing fine (as it should--it looks like a nice
> little system).

Where I live, they can't keep it in stock.
Nice system it is.

> The problem here is Everex. They seem to think that they can just throw
> together a crappy system (this isn't their first...there was that gPC
> thing they sold cheaply at Wal-Mart) and it will be OK, because (1) it
> is cheap, and (2) Linux advocates will overlook all its flaws because it
> has Linux on it.


But it's not just Everex.
It's Lenovo who release a piece of Linux garbage that barely works.
Its the OLPC which has totally mismanaged distribution chains.

> It's odd that Linux advocates embrace these crappy computers as a way to
> showcase Linux to the general population.

We keep hearing over an over again how Linux laptops, cheap (inexpensive if
you will) Linux laptops are the future yet each one turns out to be worse
than the one before it.

What's going on?

> If you were, say, an
> appliance maker, and you wanted to showcase your new line of kitchen
> appliances by holding an open house in a house equipped with your wares,
> you wouldn't go find a rundown shack with a weed infested jungle in
> place of a lawn, and invite people there to see your great kitchen
> appliances, would you? Of course not. You'd have a very nice house,
> with an immaculate lawn, in a lovely neighborhood, with everything great
> inside. You want people to go away remembering the whole experience as
> great, and some of that transfers to the appliances you were promoting.

Exactly!!
Starbucks Cafe isn't any better than Chock Full Of Nuts but it markets
itslef better and cleans up the rough edges.
CFN....cheap seats, dirty counters and sticky sugar dispensers.
Starbucks....all first class. Clean and nice.
The cafe is the same, but the experience is totally different.
In fact IMHO CFN is better cafe than Starbucks, buy a lot.


> When I want to show someone that there are good alternatives to Windows,
> I don't look for the crappiest non-Windows machine I can find to show
> them. I show them something like an iMac or a PowerBook.

Bingo.


> Just look around. Nearly everyone who successfully promotes something
> pitches it as upscale, not as something to use when you can't afford
> something good.

Yep.
Take a look at the current Mercury Car commercials.
"you have to put Mercury on your list"....
Microsoft iSync etc..

It sells...


--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/
 
In article <1fpjoatl33dnt$.x0oy7ntvfpiu$.dlg@40tude.net>,
Moshe Goldfarb <brick.n.straw@gmail.com> wrote:
> Exactly!!
> Starbucks Cafe isn't any better than Chock Full Of Nuts but it markets
> itslef better and cleans up the rough edges.
> CFN....cheap seats, dirty counters and sticky sugar dispensers.
> Starbucks....all first class. Clean and nice.
> The cafe is the same, but the experience is totally different.
> In fact IMHO CFN is better cafe than Starbucks, buy a lot.

There's a funny story about not understanding marketing in the coffee
biz. Back when upscale coffees were taking off in the US, one of the
company's that started expanding nationwide was Seattle's Best Coffee.

When they started opening shops outside of Washington, some genius
decided that it would not be good to call a store in, say, Chicago or
New York, "Seattle's Best Coffee". Seattle is somewhere around #23 in
size of US cities, so, the thinking was, associating with such a small
city (compared to a Chicago) would suggest quaintness, or hicks, or
something like that, and not the kind of upscale sophisticated urban
image they wanted. So they named their stores something like SBC.

What they completely missed was that everyone associated Starbucks with
Seattle, and the upscale coffee craze was associated with Seattle.
Customers see a coffee shop called SBC, and they assume it is just
another local place and go off and find a Starbucks or some other place
that will bring the Seattle coffee scene to their city.

So, after spending a lot of money to rebrand themselves to lose the
Seattle name, they ended up (after finally coming to their senses and
doing some actual market research) spending a lot more money to go back
and put Seattle in the name again!

--
--Tim Smith
 
On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:39:10 -0800, Tim Smith wrote:

> In article <1fpjoatl33dnt$.x0oy7ntvfpiu$.dlg@40tude.net>,
> Moshe Goldfarb <brick.n.straw@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Exactly!!
>> Starbucks Cafe isn't any better than Chock Full Of Nuts but it markets
>> itslef better and cleans up the rough edges.
>> CFN....cheap seats, dirty counters and sticky sugar dispensers.
>> Starbucks....all first class. Clean and nice.
>> The cafe is the same, but the experience is totally different.
>> In fact IMHO CFN is better cafe than Starbucks, buy a lot.
>
> There's a funny story about not understanding marketing in the coffee
> biz. Back when upscale coffees were taking off in the US, one of the
> company's that started expanding nationwide was Seattle's Best Coffee.
>
> When they started opening shops outside of Washington, some genius
> decided that it would not be good to call a store in, say, Chicago or
> New York, "Seattle's Best Coffee". Seattle is somewhere around #23 in
> size of US cities, so, the thinking was, associating with such a small
> city (compared to a Chicago) would suggest quaintness, or hicks, or
> something like that, and not the kind of upscale sophisticated urban
> image they wanted. So they named their stores something like SBC.
>
> What they completely missed was that everyone associated Starbucks with
> Seattle, and the upscale coffee craze was associated with Seattle.
> Customers see a coffee shop called SBC, and they assume it is just
> another local place and go off and find a Starbucks or some other place
> that will bring the Seattle coffee scene to their city.
>
> So, after spending a lot of money to rebrand themselves to lose the
> Seattle name, they ended up (after finally coming to their senses and
> doing some actual market research) spending a lot more money to go back
> and put Seattle in the name again!

As someone involved in the arts, including advertising, that comes as no
surprise although I had not heard that one before.

Advertising people will tell you that their job is selling things to people
that don't need them.

The problem with Linux is not only do people not need it, people hate it.

How do you market something that is free?
How can you get people to use something that is free?

Simple answer is, if it is good enough the people will use it.

Evidently Linux is not good enough because people seem to run from it.



--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/
 
In article <hyom339okvku$.1hyw4hoj8t6gs$.dlg@40tude.net>,
Moshe Goldfarb <brick.n.straw@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>Evidently Linux is not good enough because people seem to run from it.
>

Great Ghu, where do you get this stuff? Linux is so popular
in the data center space that my biggest problem is talking people OUT
of it when they should be using a commercial operating system.

Like, say, Windows...
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Feb 23, 9:38 pm, Tim Smith <reply_in_gr...@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> The problem here is Everex. They seem to think that they can just throw
> together a crappy system (this isn't their first...there was that gPC
> thing they sold cheaply at Wal-Mart) and it will be OK, because (1) it
> is cheap, and (2) Linux advocates will overlook all its flaws because it
> has Linux on it.

So Jack Tramiel and his inept offspring are alive and well. :-p
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:45:04 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:

>
> The problem with Linux is not only do people not need it, people hate
> it.

Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
machine.

Most people are not going to buy a PC pre-loaded with Windows and replace
it with Linux. Obviously. But quite a few people will buy a cute,
inexpensive mini-laptop, and that will be their introduction to Linux.

BTW -- take another look at the Cloudbook article you linked. I could be
mistaken, but it sounds like ZaReason is having to refund money because
they can't fill orders, not because everyone is sending them back.

Charlie
 
Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:

> On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:45:04 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>
>>
>> The problem with Linux is not only do people not need it, people hate
>> it.
>
> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
> machine.
>
> Most people are not going to buy a PC pre-loaded with Windows and replace
> it with Linux. Obviously. But quite a few people will buy a cute,
> inexpensive mini-laptop, and that will be their introduction to Linux.
>
> BTW -- take another look at the Cloudbook article you linked. I could be
> mistaken, but it sounds like ZaReason is having to refund money because
> they can't fill orders, not because everyone is sending them back.

That's correct - because they wont release enough of them as they don't
work.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/25/everexs-cloudbook-postponed-for-tweaks/
 
On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:45:04 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>
>>
>> The problem with Linux is not only do people not need it, people hate
>> it.
>
> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
> machine.

It is.
Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and Asus
is releasing a Windows version shortly.

So much for Linux.


> Most people are not going to buy a PC pre-loaded with Windows and replace
> it with Linux. Obviously. But quite a few people will buy a cute,
> inexpensive mini-laptop, and that will be their introduction to Linux.

It will also be their last time using Linux as soon as they wipe the
machine and install Windows on it like many are doing.



> BTW -- take another look at the Cloudbook article you linked. I could be
> mistaken, but it sounds like ZaReason is having to refund money because
> they can't fill orders, not because everyone is sending them back.

Nope.


> Charlie


--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/
 
On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:40:04 +0100, Hadron wrote:

> Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:
>
>> On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:45:04 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> The problem with Linux is not only do people not need it, people hate
>>> it.
>>
>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>> machine.
>>
>> Most people are not going to buy a PC pre-loaded with Windows and replace
>> it with Linux. Obviously. But quite a few people will buy a cute,
>> inexpensive mini-laptop, and that will be their introduction to Linux.
>>
>> BTW -- take another look at the Cloudbook article you linked. I could be
>> mistaken, but it sounds like ZaReason is having to refund money because
>> they can't fill orders, not because everyone is sending them back.
>
> That's correct - because they wont release enough of them as they don't
> work.
>
> http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/25/everexs-cloudbook-postponed-for-tweaks/

Exactly.
Another POS Linux loaded brick.

--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:

> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>
>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>> machine.
>
> It is.
> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.

Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits on
a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?

Charlie
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:18:21 +0000, Charlie Wilkes wrote:

> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>
>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>> machine.
>>
>> It is.
>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>
> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits
> on a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?

He read an article somewhere where some person managed to install Windows
on it. Now in his mind, EVERYONE is doing it!

--
Stephan
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT

å›ã®äº‹æ€ã„出ã™æ—¥ãªã‚“ã¦ãªã„ã®ã¯
å›ã®äº‹å¿˜ã‚ŒãŸã¨ããŒãªã„ã‹ã‚‰
 
In article .,
Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> wrote:
> > Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>
> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits on
> a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?

Well, the fact that Asus sells a Windows version right now in Japan, and
has stated that they will release it in the US, are some big clues.

XP easily fits on a 4 gig system.

--
--Tim Smith
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:

> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>
>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>> machine.
>>
>> It is.
>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>
> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits on
> a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?

You should stop listening to COLA posters. And learn where google
is. And as for the last part of your sentence, if you don't know or can
not guess why people would put Windows on it then you're in the right
place :-
 
Stephan Rose <nospam@spammer.com> writes:

> On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:18:21 +0000, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>>> machine.
>>>
>>> It is.
>>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>>
>> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits
>> on a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?
>
> He read an article somewhere where some person managed to install Windows
> on it. Now in his mind, EVERYONE is doing it!

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/24/asus-rolls-out-eee-pc-in-japan-windows-xp-standard/
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:14:18 +0100, Hadron wrote:

> Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:
>
>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>>> machine.
>>>
>>> It is.
>>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>>
>> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits
>> on a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?
>
> You should stop listening to COLA posters. And learn where google is.
> And as for the last part of your sentence, if you don't know or can not
> guess why people would put Windows on it then you're in the right place
> :-

Think about it. What are people going to use this thing for? They will
take it on the road to browse the web, send/receive email, etc. I use
Linux and XP both, and for that stuff, one is the same as the other.

People need Windows for particular software packages, the kind no one
would use on a machine like this anyway. Not too many people will make a
DVD of their kid's birthday party with a 900mhz CPU.

The Eee PC is a cool idea that isn't fully mature yet. I have read some
reviews, and I can see room for improving the interface. But Windows
will just add to costs and limit the ability of the developers to tweak
the OS for that particular platform.

BUT, having said all that, from a user's POV, extending XP's lifespan is
probably the next best thing to developing Linux as a Windows alternative.

Charlie
 
Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:

> On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:14:18 +0100, Hadron wrote:
>
>> Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> writes:
>>
>>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>>>> machine.
>>>>
>>>> It is.
>>>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>>>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>>>
>>> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits
>>> on a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?
>>
>> You should stop listening to COLA posters. And learn where google is.
>> And as for the last part of your sentence, if you don't know or can not
>> guess why people would put Windows on it then you're in the right place
>> :-
>
> Think about it. What are people going to use this thing for? They will
> take it on the road to browse the web, send/receive email, etc. I use
> Linux and XP both, and for that stuff, one is the same as the other.

To an extent I agree. But people want Windows. They want to be able to
sync their phone and pda - all of which is painful if not downright
impossible on Linux.

>
> People need Windows for particular software packages, the kind no one
> would use on a machine like this anyway. Not too many people will make a
> DVD of their kid's birthday party with a 900mhz CPU.

You think there are no "low power" apps which people use and would use
on this pc? Wrong. Sorry. People ARE installing XP on it. People DO want
XP on it. I don't necessarily agree but others seem to want it,

>
> The Eee PC is a cool idea that isn't fully mature yet. I have read some
> reviews, and I can see room for improving the interface. But Windows
> will just add to costs and limit the ability of the developers to tweak
> the OS for that particular platform.

People dont care about tweaking the OS. They want the apps they are used
to.

>
> BUT, having said all that, from a user's POV, extending XP's lifespan is
> probably the next best thing to developing Linux as a Windows alternative.

Agreed.
 
Re: Everex Cloudbook...Another Linux Laptop Gone Down the Tubes? APattern Is Developing......

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:29:01 -0800, Tim Smith wrote:

> In article .,
> Charlie Wilkes <charlie_wilkes@users.easynews.com> wrote:
>> > Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>>
>> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits
>> on a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?
>
> Well, the fact that Asus sells a Windows version right now in Japan, and
> has stated that they will release it in the US, are some big clues.
>
> XP easily fits on a 4 gig system.
>
Sure... get rid of the hibernation file, minimize restore points, make
sure you delete all the crap generated by Windows update... it can be
made to work with a bit of effort. Or you can run a Linux distro
tailored for good performance on systems with limited resources.

Charlie
 
Last edited by a moderator:
* Charlie Wilkes peremptorily fired off this memo:

> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:28:54 -0500, Moshe Goldfarb wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:35:07 GMT, Charlie Wilkes wrote:
>>>
>>> Just one cycle back in this thread you agreed the Eee PC is a nice
>>> machine.
>>
>> It is.
>> Most people are wiping Linux and installing Windows on it though and
>> Asus is releasing a Windows version shortly.
>
> Bah. Where do you get this information? What version of Windows fits on
> a 4gb flash drive? And what is the payoff?

Oh, you can get an XP install to fit in that space. And certainly a Win
2000 install fits even better. However, now see how many apps you can
load, and how much data. Almost unusable.

I've tried.

--
[Gates] apparently has made more money than anyone else his age, ever, in any
business.
-- Brian O'Reilly, Fortune magazine, (12 October 1987)
 
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