Tom Hill wrote:
 I personally wouldn't endorse Overclockers either, and I
certainly 
 wouldn't inflict that grief on anyone else willingly. The sad fact of 
 the matter is that they're the only major retailer (that I can think of) 
 in the Staffs area.
 
 If you ask me (personally) I think it's far too subjective to be based 
 on every member's good/bad experiences (and I know how ironic that 
 sounds given my personal gripes.)
 
 I think we should be a little more impartial as a public organisation; 
 sponsorship of larger organisations seems a little futile, given that 
 they're unlikely to show any gratitude in return for our support, if 
 they even notice.
 
 Perhaps smaller companies (i.e. LinITX, or KustomPCs) would be 
 preferable. But if I'm honest, I'm not sure it's a great idea to go 
 over-board with corporate recommendations on the website. Promoting 
 local open-source companies is perfectly fine, but I'm not entirely 
 certain that large e-tailers really require our help (and not when the 
 arguments stemming from this idea will most-likely get a few backs up on 
 the list.)
 
 Am I talking rubbish, or does this make sense to anyone else? 
All makes sense Tom, but they are the only place to buy bits - unless 
you count PC World.
Maybe we should just classify them "Local - over the counter sales" and 
"National - Linux friendly suppliers"?
I am just keen to see the Staffslug site reflecting local info.  I was 
hoping someone would recommend another supplier I had missed :-(  As it 
is I have just learned about "KustomPCs" :-)
One question folks have is "Where can I go for some linux advice and/or 
help installing my first box" - well the answer is ME!  If they are 
commecial I will charge, if they are hobbyists I won't.