Fuzzy Logic

All of the usual suspects are up in arms over the fact that Best Buy is (and has been) selling Ubuntu Linux for $20 on their website (and instore at most of my local stores).  They even sell an installation service for it for $130 through their Geek Squad service.  A lot of people seemed to be completely outraged by the fact that Best Buy would dare to charge for Open-Source Software.  Hell, Ubuntu is free for download and you can even have Canonical send you a free copy.  So why would anyone ever possibly buy a copy of Ubuntu in the store and why shouldn’t people be outraged that Best Buy is selling it?  I think it’s great that Best Buy is doing this for a few main reasons: This program helps grant legitimacy to Ubuntu in the eyes of the average user.  The partnership with Geek Squad for installation is also good, and you can’t discount the fact that even if a user doesn’t buy it, they very well may be intrigued by this weird software called ‘eww – bun- two.’

The biggest implication of Best Buy selling Ubuntu is just that–Best Buy is selling Ubuntu!  It is, as far as I know, either the second or third time a major retailer has marketed Linux (the others being Walmart’s $200 Linux PC and the Asus Eee PC).  Many people are hesitant to adopt anything that is free in the computing world due to the horrible experiences that most people have with free, spyware-infested software.  If the slightly computer-savvy average person is in the store and sees Ubuntu it should help them realize that it is a legitmate piece of software.  Once people start seeing Ubuntu in the store there will definitely be a large amount of random purchases of the software.  Also, on the bright side, a boxed copy of Ubuntu would make a much nicer present than CD-R with Sharpie on it!  Either way, the selling of Ubuntu, especially at the reasonable price of $20, is a good thing for adoption.

The biggest battle for Linux adoption is to get the software into the hands of new people.  But even after they have paid for it, many may not install their new, shrink-wrapped copy of Ubuntu once they actually try to install it.  Confusion over various things (Hey Jeb, what’s a partition?) that seem overly simple to experienced Linux users will be enough to offset users.  Luckily, the Geek Squad installation option is, ideally, great.  This is, of course, most likely the first and last time I will ever complement the Geek Squad as a whole, but I really think this is a good thing to have.  First of all, it makes it seem more ‘comparable’ with Windows’ high price tag.  $20 isn’t much, but when you add on a $130 installation charge it is more in the range of Windows (which is, after all, the main competition).  This also gives users a way to install Ubuntu without having to know anything about computers.  As long as the Geek Squad agent (and I use that word in the loosest term imaginable) is competent, this will definitely provide a decently painless way for people to obtain Ubuntu.

When someone is walking in the aisles of Best Buy and sees Ubuntu they will, most likely, be confused.  Even after reading the box they may still have questions and not buy it, and that’s perfectly fine.  At least the user will have been exposed to Ubuntu which is, in my opinion, a major victory.  If enough people start wondering about Ubuntu, they’ll start talking.  It’s not hard to imagine two co-workers chatting about this strange new Ubuntu thing they saw the last few times they were at Best Buy.  Retail Stores are, after all, about advertising products and making them look good enough that a person feels the need to purchase them.

In the end, we’ll all have to wait and see.  Maybe this will pay off like I (and so many others) hope it will.  Of course, it could also easily have the opposite effect.  If Best Buy doesn’t sell enough copies to justify keeping Ubuntu in stock, it will probably acquire an aversion to selling more Linux distros and Linux-based computers.  But for now, I’ll keep on hoping.