[ale] Do people still roll their own Linux desktops?

[Rich Faulkner]

Amen brother!  Free...as in free to make changes to the machine as you like.

I too find things about OOB machines that "bug" me and prefer rolling my 
own.

I know you often spend more money on DIY than a proprietary box but in the
end my customers have preferred spending more money and getting that freedom
than buying brand-name.  Of course these are small businesses...places like 
my
current employer are an IBM shop that has switched to HP.  We wouldn't have
time to build boxes or stock parts in an enterprise with over 1000 hosts.

Off to an onsite...cheers all!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John G. Heim" <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
To: "Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts - Yes! We run Linux!" <ale at ale.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: [ale] Do people still roll their own Linux desktops?


I've been over and over this with various people for years and I always end
up building my own system. Every time I come across one of those low-cost
machines there is something wrong with it. I don't mean that its broken
down. I mean one component or another is sub-standard in some way. There
always is something about it that is no good and ends up being a pain in the
butt for as long as you own the machine.

I'm blind and even so, I still build my own machines. In a way, I feel like
I'm indulging myself at a significant cost. I know I really should be buying
hamburger but I like steak so much more.  I tell my wife I need to spend
$600 instead of $400 because its "research" for my job. But I just feel that
if I buy one of those inexpensive machines, there will be something about it
I don't like. This has been my experience and that of my friends who have
put linux on their PCs. Some driver is impossible to find, or the case is
impossible to open, or the disk failes, or something.

I don't intend this as advice. If you're asking if people still build their
own machines, my answer is yes.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Björn Gustafsson" <bg-ale at bjorng.net>
To: "Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts - Yes! We run Linux!" <ale at ale.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 6:48 PM
Subject: [ale] Do people still roll their own Linux desktops?


I'm in the market for a new desktop Linux system, and I've never
bought a consumer unit before.  This time though I'm sorely tempted by
deals I see in the $350-$450 range on discount desktops, which are
sometimes even quad-core systems.
http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion-p6203w-desktop-athlonll-x2-r-215-2-7-ghz-4gb-500gb/q/loc/101/213720391.html
for example is $370 for an older model dual-core desktop.

My 5+ year old case is feeling creaky, and I'm probably due for a new
power supply, so I don't think I can build a comparable system myself
for under $450, and I worry about durability with such cheap parts.
My main requirements are a dual or quad-core processor and at least 4
GB of RAM, with a decent video card.  If I look at pricewatch.com and
similar sites the components add up to $500 or more. (Not including a
monitor, which I don't need.)

Does anyone have suggestions on a low-budget alternative to pre-built
systems, or am I wasting time even thinking about that?  For example,
are the "no OS systems" that Ascendtech sells any good?
http://www.ascendtech.us/customkititems.asp?kc=DTPCC2DE8400912

-- 
Björn Gustafsson

_______________________________________________
Ale mailing list
Ale at ale.org
http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo


_______________________________________________
Ale mailing list
Ale at ale.org
http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo