[Lincs] Retail Centre

[Iain Baker]

hey all...
just a quick check - does anybody know a good retailer in lincolnshire
for Linux? someone that sells hardware that is guaranteed Linux
Compatible, sells software for Linux, sells computers with Linux
pre-installed, sells Linux Distro's, or at least recognises Linux as
existing, and understands what it is??

this may be an even more stupid question... but if you don't, do you
think there should be one... can you see an advantage.

I am going to be unemployed in about 18 months - and i was thinking
that Linux Friendly Computing Shops aren't existent, and should be...
lets face it, sometimes you like to go into a shop and speak to
someone, and buy a product without having to trail the net trying to
find it, download it, burn it, find out it downloaded wrongly and cry
in the corner...

as such i was considering starting a Computer shop that did all the
things listed in my opening paragraph... selling Linux games, FOSS
software (with money from the sale of products going back into the
projects to keep them free and keep them healthy), and selling Linux
compatible hardware, and building Linux Boxes...

i realise as members of a LUG you are all pro Linux... but i am also
aware there are a lot of different skill levels, so i thought it would
be interesting to see if it was a service that more than just me would
like to see on the highstreet.

Do the new linux users think it would make it easier to grow within
the user comunity to have such a place... do the novice users think it
would be beneficial for 'lazy moments' where you just want to buy
something and know it will work without the research... and to experts
think it would be useful for 'lazy moments' and as a place to point
'converts'... or do you all think its a waste of time when you can
just download everything you need of the web??

thanks for your input

iain