[SWLUG] is usb failure a premonition of machine demise?

[Daniel Morris]

On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 01:20:10PM +0000, Mark Summerfield wrote:
> 
> I spent this morning visiting various computer shops and was pretty
> disappointed. I brought a Ubuntu live CD and did try it on one machine,
> but it didn't recognize the graphics card, so I suspect that buying a
> replacement won't be easy.
> 

I've never done an Ubuntu install, but I do remember hearing/seeing that 
one of the major releases had broken Intel graphics drivers. Might you
have a LiveCD of that vintage?

FAOD this isn't intended to be a distro-flamewar.

> Any shops you'd recommend for getting a custom machine, or is it easy
> nowadays to build one's own? Or is it easiest to just buy a Dell since
> they can supply their machines with Ubuntu preinstalled?
> 

I'd rather a Dell backed by next-day onsite business support. I've had
to use this three times in the last ten years for a dying RIMM, PSU and
motherboard over two machines, and they've never quibbled or given me
the run-around. If you are in the middle of a city, it is a personal 
machine or you have oodles of hardware and your data hot-swappable
through a NAS backup running (with parallel installed software tools and
configuration etc), then maybe this is less valuable, which is maybe why
we've bought a no-brand from a local shop at head office and saved £150
for a similar spec machine ;-)

As always, be careful comparing specs & prices on a not like-for-like
basis. 

The other thing I dislike is mandatory service/pricing being added
later, like delivery from Dell - there seems no point in advertising a
price and a bundle of charges that have to be purchased. It is similar
to a CDG->CWL flight fare of £2.84, +£46.89 (taxes + charges), +£3
(booking fee) +£2.50 (credit card) supplement! Only the extra +£9.99
(1st bag <20kg online discount) is really down to true consumer choice.

 Daniel