Skunkarific Interview
An exclusive interview with
Skunkarific-by
The Modding DenSkunkarific is Cincinnati's largest independent retail computer store
I would like to thank Skunkarific for their time and for the opportunity for this interview.
An with that lets get on with the show.
- Amigaman2
Thanks. Time is my most valuable resource.
I could not give you anything more dear to me.
I thought it would be worth spending the time since the questions were good.
"Could you tell us about yourself and your company?"
"Me: Politically Libertarian,Laissez-Faire.
I love skunks, and skunks love me.
I hate computers. I just happen to be really good at making and fixing them.
I'd rather be at my farm cooking bar-be-que."
"The Store: We have the most eclectic/diverse group of people I have ever known,
Satanists to Born-Again Christians, Straightedgers to Partiers,
Almost half and half Women/Men, all politically incorrect,
which makes us interesting. There is always laughter in the service area.
We got our name from one of my babies, Wolfgang, who very sadly died last year."
How long have you been open?
"We started in 1998 in a 1000 ft location.
Now we have two bigger stores,
and have grown to Cincinnati's largest independent retail computer store
What are your Linux systems that are available?
"EVERY Skunk system is Linux. Many dual-boot with Windows,
but we feel that If you need Windows,
you either have some proprietary software that should be ported to other Operating Systems,
or you are just afraid of the unknown.
We call our dual-booters "Training Wheels"
Your listed on TaFusions site as a oem system builder for their brand of Mepis what prompted you to become a vendor and to sell Mepis?
I got a call from Tachnalign the vendor for Mepis and an offer to send us a free sample. I know I can download any distro legally or illegally,
it was the fact that they phoned me and offered to send me a box chock full of goodies that made me commit to try the OS."
"I wasn't really sold over the phone,
because I have experimented with almost all the distributions, and didn't think that Linux was mature enough to be a desktop operating system for the public,
much less newer computer users. I was wrong.
Unlike The BIG RED linux distro, Mepis had support.
Unlike the "Uninspired" distro, there were no"Gotchas" like a mandatory download to make the OS functional. And unlike the "Man" distro,
it wasn't too dumbed down. But unlike ALL the distros, it had support!"
What can we expect for your company in the future?
"Our second store is already profitable after less than a year in operation.
We hope to open about 8 stores in the Cincinnati/Dayton area"
What are you terms of service?
"Every customer has to fill out a very long questionnaire asking such things as Hey,
you know that if we wipe out your hard drive, your data's gonna be gone, right?
Need a backup? Need rush service?
Do you think Microsoft is evil? (Yes, that is really on the form, as a warning that if they call with the "Is it done yet" calls, we will fill their panties with abernician goat fleas. Even if they are men, we will get panties for them and fill them with the fleas.)"
What are your support options and hours?
"We are open 10-6 M-F, 11-6 Sat, and 12-6 Sun.
We offer free Windows and Linux support for everyone over thephone.
We offer free support in store. Repairs have a $75.00 labor cap.
We also have a forum forum.skunkarific.com and also Technalign is there for issues we cannot resolve easily.
We have had only two phone calls for linux support.
We field about 100 a day for Windows."
Can a customer change parts / customize systems?
"Of course! Everyone is different, and so are their computers.
While we have a line of systems that meet most people's needs, we very often take requests for customizations.
Here is our Pimp main system"
Will you offer shuttle based systems with Linux on them?
,
-------Like this?
Have you been approached by any other Linux vendors to sell their products?
"Nope.
It seems the other "vendors" have no idea how to
sell anything! Most waste years of their lives making an operating system and then don't bother to sell it.
And we wonder why the tech"boom" was a bust."
Will you sell bare bone systems as well?
---Like This?
P4 3.0 or AMD, 256 RAM, Mobo, Case, 430W PSU, all for $249.
For an additional fifty, we do the labor, reinstall the OS, add Mepis, add our security suite, Office Suite, and give you a software guarantee that if anything should ever happen to the OS, you get the computer brought back to its original condition, free, with Rush service
What would you tell a new user to Linux to get and why?
What about extended warranty services do you off this?
"We have one, it's 149 for three years.
I've sold one, at the customer's behest."
What are your store hours ?
"We are open 10-6 M-F, 11-6 Sat, and 12-6 Sun.
(Copy and paste is really cool.....)
What do you use in your system at home?
"I have a Biostar T-Force Mobo with 2GB PC 2700, AMD 3000 939,
1.6T storage, Liteon DVDRW DL, Antec 450W PSU, and a dial-up modem
(I live on a farm, we don't get DSL. And before you make fun of my modem, realize that I can pee off my porch and you can't.) I have a 10MBPS connection at the store.
Mepis Only. I used to have Windows, until my wife agreed (after a week) that Windows was totally unnecessary.
What support have you gotten from TaFusion?
"They call me religiously twice a week.
It starts as a prank call, which we enjoy.
Once they're done torturing my staff, then I get the call. They also post on a forum we use for support between them and us
What made you choose TaFusion?
"They are the only ones selling Mepis, and if there were competition,
I would still stick with them.
They're pretty cool people.
My favorite is David Duke (his real name).
James Bond (also his real name) is pretty nice,
but not as eccentric as David. We like eccentric."
What are the specs of your personnel system?
I don't understand the question. Are you asking what the specs are of our personnel's personal systems?
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/personal.html
There are 13 of us, it would be a long list.
Suffice it to say that most of us have Mepis as our OS.
While I DID require everyone to dual-boot their systems with it,
I required no one to keep it. Most all have changed over on their own.
I just overheard our techs saying how much they enjoy the games.
What games do you play?
Only one-Painkiller. It is all about the mindless killing......
What is on your staffs computers?
"If you are asking about their home systems, most have outdated AMD 32 bit processors with lots of RAM and low hard drive space!
They can get anything at cost, which is kinda ironic, isn't it?"
"If you are asking about the systems they use in-store,they get the fastest, most pimped out systems I can afford without wasting too much money.
The clear (my favorite color) system is Josh's, our stock manager.
He does all the buying, and it is a full-time job.
Do you use Mepis in your day to day work?
"We found Atrex Point Of Sale software long before we found Mepis, so our Point-Of-Sale systems are Windows, but we are currently building a Terminal Server to run the program so we can switch our store systems out.
We DO use Mepis on a day-to-day basis in our tech area.
Nothing reads Windows NTFS partitions like Mepis! It has saved our customers thousands in recovery fees.
What other items can a end user purchase from you?
"You name it. If we carry something, it either works in both OS or we have a Linux-Friendly version, like our Wireless cards.
We ask about Linux compatibility for each and every item that could come into question.
We have forced our local DSL provider (Cincinnati Bell) to support Mozilla, and soon Linux.
Our local dial-up ISP does now.
Why as a end user should I choose you over a generic store?
"When you call, the phone gets answered quickly by a human who speaks perfect English and is a tech.
We also offer support in some other languages, Both Canadian and Parisian French, and Japanese.
Spanish via E-Mail due to dialect difficulties.
We used to do Russian but since our Russian tech seems to be getting married to another tech's girlfriend, that may not be for sure....You can also skype us for instant support.
Most of all you should choose us because we care. For real.
We really are concerned about your computer and how it is functioning.
We will make suggestions not so much based on what will be most profitable for us but for what is best for you.
We have killed off three local competitors with this philosophy, and it is only a matter of time for Comp and Micro to fall, too.
We already do more repair business then both of them combined.
Grande Ouverture! / Grand Opening! of Computect Canada Online