[ubuntu-uk] buying a laptop?

[alan c]

On 17/01/11 09:53, Barry Drake wrote:
> On Mon, 2011-01-17 at 09:29 +0000, Scrase, Eddie wrote:
>>  Although I haven't bought a laptop from them, from past experience I can
>>  recommend the Linux emporium (linuxemporium.co.uk).
>
> I've heard very good reports about them, but looking at their website, I
> thought they were a tad expensive.  Is their stuff higher spec than your
> average Computer World items?

I priced them - for my type of mid/low range laptop, as about 50 
pounds above the best I could get elsewhere. I still used them for 
three laptops for friends who wanted a retail purchase. For me, it 
would have been an extra price I was happy to pay to support an 
excellent business  to support the beliefs I hold. I would dislike to 
pay a 50 pound 'donation' to a large software company for an OS I did 
not want to be associated with, even if the price overall was lower.

The retail experience of my friends was unsurpassed. One mentioned 
poor eyesight, and Emporium installed also, by arrangement, Vibuntu 
(for poor sight), no charge. One of the video aspects of Vibuntu gave 
trouble at installation of vibuntu and they sorted that anyway. The 
other two friends used the phone support during the warranty. One 
needed serious  work. It sounded like the file system had got bad, not 
sure. The user was a novice and was using a usb internet dongle and I 
guess that there were problems from intermittent connections, 
including with updates, but I am guessing. All problems were sorted 
online.

When the time came for me to take over support as a friend, Emporium 
answered questions about their machines and gave detailed advice, and 
offered more, about how to upgrade versions etc.

That is a pretty good 50 pounds worth! And of course, they (and I) had 
the knowledge that Ubuntu and webcam and all, would -work-.
-- 
alan cocks
Ubuntu user