Hi,
I'm running a small Linux consulting business here in a group of small villages in the South of France (http://www.microlinux.fr). I'm using CentOS for everything, servers as well as desktops. The desktop installs are usually highly customized. My approach is to list the client's needs, find the corresponding applications and then install these, to avoid the bloat and increase usability. So far, this approach worked quite well. One complete install and configuration takes about 4 hours, depending on various factors such as bandwidth (internet is not very fast in our remote places here) and sometimes exotic hardware that is tricky to configure.
Yesterday I had a conversation with the boss of a computer store in town. One of his standard PC models (desktop) is an ACER (PIV dual core, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB HD, ATI card) shipped with Windows Vista, and sold for a price of 315 euros. He told me he would be very interested to sell these machines with Linux installed, as this would allow him to lower the price.
Now I wonder:
1) Say I want to install my own customized version of CentOS on it, I usually charge a fixed amount of 240 euros for installing and configuring a complete desktop, tailored to the customer's needs (average: 4 hours of work = 60 euros / h). But I think that this is not what's expected here (neither the price nor the amount of work). How would it *technically* be possible to replicate these installs as easily as possible? The hardware is always the same, so I wonder: I have a vague idea about disk images (to be more precise: I know disk images well as far as burning CDs on the commandline is concerned, or when it comes to installing an OS in VirtualBox using the .iso)... but is there a way to somehow transform an existing install into a disk image, and then simply copy these over to all the other machines? (I've never done this)
2) Otherwise, go for a more mass-oriented distro like Ubuntu, Mint or the likes? What speaks for it: they can be installed very easily, insert the CD or the DVD, fill in the form (username, password, hostname, there you go). On the other hand, I've always been careful about picking my applications in a "best of the breed" way, and I would feel like a traditional taylor working for C & A.
3) Let's not forget about the users who are going to buy this. Whereas folks can always be expected (more or less) to "administrate" their own Ubuntu install, this looks less obvious with CentOS. Or let's say: forums.centos.org is not exactly a newbie forum, at least compared to Ubuntu. I guess your average newbie will not be very pleased with the prevailing tone of competent techno-laconism (compared to Ubuntu or the likes).
I'd be curious to read your suggestions about this.
Cheers,
Niki