Internet Cafe With Linux Systems

[Gumballl]

What is your opinion concerning the use of Linux vs. Windows? Everytime I check into an internet cafe, they are running Windows, which as you know costs a fortune per copy (if business is legit!), and is vulnerable to viruses and who knows what else.

Would it be conceivable to set up an internet cafe business running Linux-only PCs. Or is there some functionality that Windows can perform that Linux cannot?

[Guest endure]

What is your opinion concerning the use of Linux vs. Windows? Everytime I check into an internet cafe, they are running Windows, which as you know costs a fortune per copy (if business is legit!), and is vulnerable to viruses and who knows what else.

Would it be conceivable to set up an internet cafe business running Linux-only PCs. Or is there some functionality that Windows can perform that Linux cannot?

Yes - it's called customers. They don't expect to have to sit down and learn to operate a computer that's different to the one that 99.999% of them have at home.

[rcm]

What is your opinion concerning the use of Linux vs. Windows? Everytime I check into an internet cafe, they are running Windows, which as you know costs a fortune per copy (if business is legit!), and is vulnerable to viruses and who knows what else.

Would it be conceivable to set up an internet cafe business running Linux-only PCs. Or is there some functionality that Windows can perform that Linux cannot?

Yes - it's called customers. They don't expect to have to sit down and learn to operate a computer that's different to the one that 99.999% of them have at home.

I don't think it is a problem for Customers. You have various webbrowsers available such as Firefox or opera ....which are already known in Windows. You can chat with Yahoo and e-msn or mercury . You can make Voip calls with Skype and you can use Open Office which has the same look as the MS Office . Pdf , no problem have adobe Acrobat for Linux too.

Even the Start Menu looks like Windows on KDE.

The only thing which could be challenging is to set it up as network . Also make sure your PC's have hardware that is supported by Linux ....

rcm

[Tywais]

Another issue may be because there is Internet cafe management software readily available for Windows and not that much for linux (and more complex to setup for linux). Most cafe owners will not want to have to spend a lot of time to get a system running (time is money) and will go for turn-key solutions.

Edited May 19, 2006 by tywais

[Gumballl]

Tywais and rcm,

Your responses were great. Networking linux systems is a breeze, and from what I can tell, most folks visiting an internet cafe only want to browse their favourite websites. This of course can be accomplished with Linux and Netscape/Mozilla. Of course, there are always those POS websites that are IE-compatible only... but hey, these need to be neglected anyway, so any customer beeachting about not being able to visit these particular site(s) can go hump themselves.

Seriously though, I was thinking along the lines that it would not be possible to run a webcam (under linux) that is compatible with Yahoo Messenger or (that other POS) Windows Messenger.

As always, your thoughts (and experience) are appreciated.

[Simmo]

Also keep in mind that a large chunk of the net cafe's business here is kids playing online games. There all Windows .....

[rcm]

Tywais and rcm,

Your responses were great. Networking linux systems is a breeze, and from what I can tell, most folks visiting an internet cafe only want to browse their favourite websites. This of course can be accomplished with Linux and Netscape/Mozilla. Of course, there are always those POS websites that are IE-compatible only... but hey, these need to be neglected anyway, so any customer beeachting about not being able to visit these particular site(s) can go hump themselves.

Seriously though, I was thinking along the lines that it would not be possible to run a webcam (under linux) that is compatible with Yahoo Messenger or (that other POS) Windows Messenger.

As always, your thoughts (and experience) are appreciated.

Hi there,

Not sure about the webcam support for Linux as i never use one ... but found this links and looks like at least on Yahoo Messnger & Msn Messenger it seems to be possible. Here the links to the Yahoo Messenger(named Gyach Enhanced) with webcam for Linux: http://www.phrozensmoke.com/projects/pyvoicechat/

and here for the MSN Messenger(named aMSN) for Linux : http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/aMS...iew-20294.shtml

So not sure if this works or not as i haven't tried it but it lt looks at least promising...

As for the Games (simmo) this is probably a downside as there are not a lot available.

But maybe they run on Wine? I use some windows programs (thai - english translation Program for MS and run it with Wine without problems)

rcm

[rishi]

Would it be conceivable to set up an internet cafe business running Linux-only PCs.

... it's about a month since I turned one of my PC's into a Linux-one. It started out by having a very big sign saying 'LINUX' and a subtitle saying 'SUSE 9.3'. It still has that very big sign, but about a week ago I changed the subtitle to "SUSE 10.1"... Well, sofar I've been the only one having touched that Linux-PC ... We're talking about a functioning Internet Cafe inThailand, that does have customers entering the premises ... (including some carrying their own Linux-on a-thumb ... (it seems to me they've merely read too many articles on Internet Cafe security) ...

[Khun Jean]

I had a internetshop, started with linux with the same assumptions that all a customer needs is a browser, and maybe a messenger or two. I changed it to windows within a week.

All customers (without exception!) where "afraid" of using the system as it has a unfamiliar gui. Although the distribution i used (Ubuntu) is almost a copy of windows it is "strange" enough for your customers to run to the next shop that has windows. I used the live-cd - the most easy to maintain as everytime it will start clean- and a networked storage for pictures and down/uploads. Every live-cd was modified for this setup and started with its own useraccount. The solution looked ideal. But alas, no customers - no money!

Other "problem" is connecting some hardware, had problems with webcam and cardreaders. But those problems were more difficult with a live-cd but would besolvable with some online research.

[Guest endure]

I had a internetshop, started with linux with the same assumptions that all a customer needs is a browser, and maybe a messenger or two. I changed it to windows within a week.

All customers (without exception!) where "afraid" of using the system as it has a unfamiliar gui. Although the distribution i used (Ubuntu) is almost a copy of windows it is "strange" enough for your customers to run to the next shop that has windows. I used the live-cd - the most easy to maintain as everytime it will start clean- and a networked storage for pictures and down/uploads. Every live-cd was modified for this setup and started with its own useraccount. The solution looked ideal. But alas, no customers - no money!

Other "problem" is connecting some hardware, had problems with webcam and cardreaders. But those problems were more difficult with a live-cd but would besolvable with some online research.

That's what I said but it's not what idealogues want to hear. I spend my life supporting 'real people' in their use of PCs and the movement of an icon to a different place on the screen is enough to frighten some of them off. When they visit an internet cafe they want to see the same thing they use at home.

[ningnong]

Although the distribution i used (Ubuntu) is almost a copy of windows it is "strange" enough for your customers to run to the next shop that has windows.

That was a point I was going to make, two Internet cafes on the same street one using Linux the other Windows we can imagine which will see the vast majority of business. If there are absolutely no other Internet cafe options around there may be more chance for some sucess for the Linux cafe.

[francois]

hi'

I would make a difference between places for games and net cafe ...

for games, better have windows, sad fact, but fact! some games run with linux but not as well as on windows.

a net cafe with windows? many possibilities, bought and get a maintenance staff, so easy not to change anything, even if it's a nightmare fot the techies ...

2, rich and go for "the customer's choice" as they might think!

3,too lasy to learn how to setup a network with linux, wich isn't harder than with windows(btw) ...

4,they don't have a clue of Linux and skip it making their money back anyway ... a kinda lasyness too

francois

ps;if I were a net cafe owner I'll set at least half of the machines with Suse and KDE and the Server with Slackware, the rest could be any windows ...

Edited May 26, 2006 by francois

[Whitey]

Start off the Internet Cafe for the first month or so with free access, get people interested in the software and show them how they can use it and prosper with it, after a month or so, start charging for access.

[francois]

Start off the Internet Cafe for the first month or so with free access, get people interested in the software and show them how they can use it and prosper with it, after a month or so, start charging for access.

hi'

exactly what I mean, customers would have their windoz, and for free could use (in a limit of one month or so) Linux machine with the owner here to guide them in their first easy steps to GNU

you bet that a lot of them would be interested by this OS as it can be in Thai,

free and all softs that can be needed are already there.

and make free sessions for demo once a week on saturday early evening , newbies like demo ( that works and rocks)

gnu community has to be gentle to get people interested in an OS,

bashing windoz is useless, better show how well Linux works

and never forget that the best machine is the one you build for Linux with the proper hardware and no "exotic" device

for example when I say wireless works well on Suse 10.1, it has been tested with a dlink compatible card

the hardware was detected on upgrade ...

same for usb, the system was build first with a usb zip drive, I kept the module in the kernel, so, now, whenever I plug the zip it works

francois

Edited May 26, 2006 by francois

[oopapasan]

What is your opinion concerning the use of Linux vs. Windows? Everytime I check into an internet cafe, they are running Windows, which as you know costs a fortune per copy (if business is legit!), and is vulnerable to viruses and who knows what else.

Would it be conceivable to set up an internet cafe business running Linux-only PCs. Or is there some functionality that Windows can perform that Linux cannot?

Because windows is the best!!!!!!!!

[Guest endure]

Internet cafes, like all other businesses, are there to provide services that people are willing to pay for, and to make a profit. As it seems, from the stories we've had here from cafe proprietors, that customers aren't interested in learning about new operating systems, then the cafes will provide the customers with what they want which is PCs running Windows. BTW anyone with the level of technical competence needed to run a Linux cafe is also capable of using the multicasting features of Norton Ghost to re-install a Windows machine in the same time as it takes to boot a live Linux CD.