[lug] Wanted: YOUR OPINION! How much $ for Dual Monitor feature in Fedora?

[Siegfried Heintze]

I purchased a new PC from PC CLUB and explained (at the time I was ordering
the hardware) that I wanted hardware that supported both windows and linux
and I needed redundant boot disks, dual monitor support and the ability to
play DVD movies on both linux and windows. They said sure no problem.

So I get the hardware and buy a copy of the book "linux bible" from barnes
and noble and try to boot fedora from the DVD in the back of the book. No
luck. It boots fine on my older machines, however.

So I complain that their hardware does not support linux. They said nonsense
-- your software is too old. Incidentally, this was in early May 2005.

So I said fine, how much would you charge to install a triple boot: Windows
Server 2003, Windows XP Home, and some prominent flavor of linux like
fedora?

They said $200 (+$100 for a copy of XP home and I supplied a copy XP 2003
server). I said fine. Do it.

Well now it is July (almost august) and I still don't have my computer. They
have been unable to do it. (Now I don't feel so stupid for not being able to
do it -- I'm sure glad I did not waste my time trying to do it myself).

(1) First they said they could not do DVD movies on linux because that would
require the purchase of an additional software package. At the time they
quoted me $200, we were both assuming there was a free DVD movie player for
linux just like there was for windows. 

(2) Now they tell me they cannot get the dual monitor feature to work on
fedora. I assume they are using a fairly recent release. (I was actually in
the store in late May when they had the dual monitor feature working, but
not the sound driver). Now they have the sound driver working but not the
dual monitor feature. I know they have experimented with other linux distro
too.

So now I need to bargain with them. I'm going to tell them that I need to
hire someone else to do what they promised to do but did not do. So how much
would someone charge to do this?

In mid June, they agreed to $150 off. But that was assuming I would get all
the features I asked for. Now it is late July and I'm not getting two of the
features I asked for.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Siegfried