Announcing Gifta Laptops with Ubuntu 5.10

[nocturn]

Hi everyone

We would like to announce that our store, Gifta, is offering Laptops, preinstalled with Ubuntu Linux 5.10

We are a store based in Belgium that specializes in gifts and gadgets, but with a strong focus on people, ecology and ethics.

We are offering two standard models, The Gifta Basic Laptop with an AMD Sempron processor and 512 MB of RAM and the Gifta Racer, a more powerfull machine with a AMD Turion. Custom configurations are also possible on request.
All machines are preconfigured with Ubuntu Linux 5.10 (Breezy), OpenOffice 2 and have MP3 playback capabilities.

We can be found here:
http://www.gifta.be
info@gifta.be

[crichell]

It's nice to see OEM's providing Ubuntu pre-installed – especially when it's only Ubuntu. Best of luck to you.

[teaker1s]

nice to see, maybe we could ask for a virtual shop as I see various vendors and there is no common place to
1)find
2)compare

failing that a wilki page of product vendors

[Drunken Pirate]

Thats a good idea, but alas, most users will not bite for it. You should offer windows as an option, becuase by offering Linux only, you are cutting out a good chunk of would be sales. It's sad but its true.

[Swab]

Thats a good idea, but alas, most users will not bite for it. You should offer windows as an option, becuase by offering Linux only, you are cutting out a good chunk of would be sales. It's sad but its true.

Yes but he did say "with a strong focus on people, ecology and ethics" :)

[ardchoille]

Awesome! I am very happy to see OEM offering Linux as the OS :)

Don't offer Windows. Windows is an insecure, bloated, buggy, unsafe system designed and distributed by a corporation which which willfully lies and violates the law at their leisure. Windows is garbage. I have been on Linux for years and have never had the need to use any Microsoft software. Linux is the future and Ubuntu ROCKS!

[nocturn]

Thats a good idea, but alas, most users will not bite for it. You should offer windows as an option, becuase by offering Linux only, you are cutting out a good chunk of would be sales. It's sad but its true.

This is probably true, but we would rather fail then to earn our money by doing something unethical. Windows and the strategy of the company behind it go directly against our values, so we cannot justify offering it.

[nocturn]

For those that are interested, I added full specs to the shop pages.

I can also say that Wireless works out of the box (no extra drivers).

[Rinzwind]

The Dutch Linux mag that just came out has Gifta in 1 of their articles about ordering laptops with pre-installed Linux! :)

[glug101]

Nocturn: Congrats on offering a product that I would want o buy:) I am so sick of paying extra for windows I've switched to ebay as my source for computer equipment. (it's usually MUCH cheaper too)

Everyone: You might allready be largely aware of this, but there is a company that produces a product called the Open Desktop Workstatino (ODW). It is VERY linux friendly (can be ordered with a number of different linux varieties installed), and due to the PPC G4 processor, VERY unfriendly to *******:). And for the nostalgic, the base motherboard is pretty much the standard for Amiga OS 4. (yeah, they're still around) Pricey stuff, but nice.

http://www.pegasosppc.com/products.php

[taseal]

phew, my humble opiniion, but a thousand euros is alot of money :eek:

thats about 1400 for that laptop :( thats tooo much money, sorry :(

how come they are so expensive?

[nocturn]

phew, my humble opiniion, but a thousand euros is alot of money :eek:

thats about 1400 for that laptop :( thats tooo much money, sorry :(

how come they are so expensive?

What do you mean with 1400?

The Gifta Basic is 970 Euro, the Racer is 1070. They are more expensive then stuff like Aopen, but not by much (and they have 2 years of warranty).
Our Laptops are fitted standard with 512 MB RAM (in one slot) and 60 GB Hard disc and they have a DVD+/-RW drive.

Most shops here have the 4000A select (like our Basic, but with DVD/CDRW, 256 MB and 40 GB RAM) at around 900 Euros.
Ordering them custom built (no windows) raises the basic price a bit, but we are still well under the price of the windows versions.

[taseal]

What do you mean with 1400? The Gifta Basic is 970 Euro, the Racer is 1070. They are more expensive then stuff like Aopen, but not by much (and they have 2 years of warranty). Our Laptops are fitted standard with 512 MB RAM (in one slot) and 60 GB Hard disc and they have a DVD+/-RW drive. Most shops here have the 4000A select (like our Basic, but with DVD/CDRW, 256 MB and 40 GB RAM) at around 900 Euros. Ordering them custom built (no windows) raises the basic price a bit, but we are still well under the price of the windows versions. 1400 as in us $ Well I saw a packard bell here in turkey, with centrino 1.7 one of those very clear screens(15), dvd/cdrw package, 512 ram, 40gb HD and it was only 620 dollars... along with windows obviously (i'm pretty sure it was very close to those specs)

i'm just comparing, pls dont get me wrong...

[nocturn]

1400 as in us $ Well I saw a packard bell here in turkey, with centrino 1.7 one of those very clear screens(15), dvd/cdrw package, 512 ram, 40gb HD and it was only 620 dollars... along with windows obviously (i'm pretty sure it was very close to those specs)

i'm just comparing, pls dont get me wrong...

Merhaba :-)
Where in Turkey are you from?

One thing is that the Maxdata hardware is of a very good quality (built in germany), they are in the quality section of brands like HP.
The second thing is that our laptops include 21% sales taxes which go exclusively to the government, which makes it difficult to compete with companies in some other countries (like the US).

[taseal]

Merhaba :-)
Where in Turkey are you from?

One thing is that the Maxdata hardware is of a very good quality (built in germany), they are in the quality section of brands like HP.
The second thing is that our laptops include 21% sales taxes which go exclusively to the government, which makes it difficult to compete with companies in some other countries (like the US).

i'm from istanbul, but I live in FL, USA... I'm actually just visiting my family right now... yeah, the taxes kill it... its something funny like 20% here too... but that was excluded from the 600 dollar I mentioned, so its actually over 700 lol... I guess the hardware you use it topnotch so it brings the price up...

[nocturn]

i'm from istanbul, but I live in FL, USA... I'm actually just visiting my family right now...


My wife is Turkish too, though she was born here (Belgium). Most of her family lives near Izmir. We visited there last summer and I still miss it...



yeah, the taxes kill it... its something funny like 20% here too... but that was excluded from the 600 dollar I mentioned, so its actually over 700 lol... I guess the hardware you use it topnotch so it brings the price up...

MaxData uses a very high quality of hardware and a good after-sales service. Which is also very important (if something is wrong). I selected a Western Digital HD and we put the memory in one slot so you don't have to throw out 256 MB to fit more memory.

[nocturn]

The store has been closed since 14 february 2006.

Thanks to all for your interest

[WildTangent]

The store has been closed since 14 february 2006.

Thanks to all for your interest
Might I inquire why? Seemed like an interesting venture (though I really don't know for sure...I can't read the site).

Random question: what CMS were you using for your site? Or did you code it yourself?

-Wild

[nocturn]

Might I inquire why? Seemed like an interesting venture (though I really don't know for sure...I can't read the site).

Random question: what CMS were you using for your site? Or did you code it yourself?

-Wild

Money. We did not have enough sales to cover our expenses. Belgium is not the easiest country to open a business. Not only is the red-tape never ending, taxes are very, very high.

The costs and taxes where also the reason that our prices are higher then those of other countries. We had to charge a 21% sales tax. In the end, more then 1/3 of our investment in the store went to the government in taxes.

We quit while we could still make it out alive.

The CMS is Mambo with the VirtueMart store.

[Master Shake]

We had to charge a 21% sales tax. In the end, more then 1/3 of our investment in the store went to the government in taxes.


Holy crap! I thought the taxes in the US were high. They are too high, but yours are just totally insane!

[nocturn]

Holy crap! I thought the taxes in the US were high. They are too high, but yours are just totally insane!

On my salary (I have a day job), taxes are about 50 to 60%.
It wouldn't be all that bad if the government wasn't so corrupt.

[WildTangent]

On my salary (I have a day job), taxes are about 50 to 60%.
It wouldn't be all that bad if the government wasn't so corrupt.
WOW! I thought the 15% sales tax here was high, thats nuts.

-Wild

[Master Shake]

Ronald Reagan was right...

Taxation WITH representation isn't so hot either.