Linspire and Sears get into the $199 Linux PC business

As noted in the article, the Lindows machine is a full USD100 more than the Everex gOS box. You have to pony up the extra to get it out the door, so it is NOT the equivalent of the gOS box. Typical of Lindows' folks smoke and mirrors PR. They have been that way since the beginning and don't seem to be changing any now.

In a major way, rebates are a dishonest discount because a significant percentage of buyers don't pursue the rebate, you still have to pay sales tax on the full amount, and I hate the manufacturer being able to hold onto your money for the lengthy period between purchase and the rebate check arriving.

But in the overall big picture, having not just one but SEVERAL $199-ish computers to choose from, pretty much all using Linux, is a very good thing.

And while the above-average user can take the Everex box and either replace gOS or upgrade it to a full Ubuntu or Xubuntu (which I recommend), the target buyer of the Everex computer will have no idea that the OS on their computer isn't yet at the point where it's ready for the non-technical user. Sorry that I keep harping on this point, but the box would be much better with regular Ubuntu preinstalled. All the Web-based "ehancements" of gOS, which are nothing more than Firefox favorites (which appear in FF itself, as well as across the bottom of the screen and in the Enlightment menus), can easily be implemented in any Linux distribution out there.

Think what you will about Linspire and Freespire, but I think users will have a better experience with those distros than with gOS. There's a level of maturity there that gOS probably will reach, but hasn't yet.