[CLUE-Tech] Linux on rentable laptops

[Nate Duehr]

Alex Young wrote:

> the real question is why rent a laptop for linux use when you can just
> buy one for $90?
> http://retrobox.com/rbwww/home/search_results_pc_laptops.asp?bin_id=world
> no, I don't work for them.

I was thinking this too, but along different lines... laptops are 
getting super-cheap in relative terms to year's past.  I recently bought 
a new laptop (eMachines M2105) that has a 2.8 GHz Celeron, 256 MB RAM, 
40GB hard disk, CD-RW/DVD-R, and a 15.4" widescreen LCD for under $700 
brand-new.

That would lead me to believe that price depression has to be happening 
in the used market if the new machines are this inexpensive, and a 
cursory look though eBay backs that up... Pentium III machines (which 
run Linux quite nicely) are in the $300 range.

I can understand needing something fast(er) for certain applications, so 
if that was the original desire, I'll shut up now.  (GRIN)

But prices are WAY down... I can't imagine there's much of a rental 
market, and if there is, it's got to be a bad deal financially unless 
you're looking for hundreds of laptops and can't afford an all-out 
purchase.  I would think if it's for business purposes, even financing 
the laptops vs. renting them would almost always make more sense unless 
it truly is a very short-term need.  I've seen pallets of laptops in 
wholesale lots go on eBay for what I thought were extremely low prices 
per unit, too.  And if eBay has 'em, there's probably other places that 
can even beat those prices.

I guess there's probably a million ways to go about aquiring a laptop - 
or ten - good luck in your search for what you want!

Nate Duehr, nate at natetech.com