Should You Buy a $199 PC?

As you may have heard, Wal-Mart recently began selling the Everex TC2502, a.k.a. the gPC (and, in some corners, the Google PC). For the grand sum of $199 (plus tax), you get a fairly capable desktop system running the gOS, a Google-centric version of Ubuntu Linux.

So, does the gPC have any place in business? Could you realistically deploy it in a small or even medium-size office? The answer: a definite maybe. For starters, the gPC comes preloaded with OpenOffice, everyone's favorite open-source Microsoft Office alternative. That means it has the chops to do word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and the like.

It also provides easy access to Web apps like Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Maps, etc. (hence the Google PC nickname, although Google itself has no direct involvement with the OS or PC).

On the hardware side, the gPC includes a 1.5GHz Via processor, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a DVD/CD-RW drive, and 10/100 Ethernet. Some of those specs may seem skimpy, but keep in mind that Linux has much lower overhead than Windows. Consequently, the gPC could make for a pretty ideal workstation. You'll need to supply the monitor, but with 17-inch LCDs selling for as low as $150, you're still looking at a fairly sweet deal.

Would you ever consider a gPC (or, for that matter, any Linux box) for your business?