edju wrote:
> I went to Circuit City to look at laptops. All come with Vista. When I
> mentioned to the salesman that I don't use Windo$e but Linux, he said that
> there is no way to install Linux on a Vista machine. Something about the
> file system, NFFS. I then said that I would partition and format the disk
> anyway so the Vista file system shouldn't matter. He said it does
> anyway, and furthermore that any live CD would not recognize the hard
> drive or, indeed, any of the hardware, which is Vista-specific somehow.
> He said one could not even install XP on a Vista machine. Finally, any
> fooling with the disk would render the "recovery" CDs (DVDs?) unbootable.
> Does this make sense? Anybody dual-booting with Vista? Are drivers
> available?


Nothing you report as his statements makes sense.

Circuit City employees are, as you stated, salesmen. They are somewhat
lower down the food chain than salesmen at Best Buy.

Never believe what a salesman tells you. Always check the Internet, then
believe about half of what you read.

You can't find a computer preloaded with GNU/Linux or anything other
than Windows at either store. Period.

If you don't want to financially support Micro$lut, then buy a laptop
from Dell with Ubuntu preloaded. You can then install a different distro
if you choose, safely knowing you did not support a corporation which
continually tries to destroy freedom.

Other stores also carry non-Micro$lut PCs, such as MicroCenter and
Wal-Mart, and most any "mom and pop" computer store.

If you don't really need a laptop, then you can build your own
desktop/tower PC, with whatever options you choose, and put whatever OS
on it that you choose.

Notice my frequent reference to "choose," which you lose with Micro$lut.

--
John

No Microsoft, Apple, Intel nor Ford products were used in the preparation or transmission of this message.

The EULA sounds like it was written by a team of lawyers who want to tell me what I can't do. The GPL sounds like it was written by a human being, who wants me to know what I can do.