From the Article: "???You can send 100 COTS platforms into space for the price of one build-spec platform, and even if they don???t have good survivability you???re probably still left with 10 of that after a year,??? said Upton"
Hey, Mr. Upton.. ever factor in what the costs associated with launching 100 satellites into space would be? Because, as you well know, just launching a replacement $25 computer, and no one to install and configure it, would be silly. (and expensive - more expensive than one purpose built computer)
There's a reason spec built, ultra durable computers are used. Failure is not an option. While I think your $25 computers, recharged and maintained by solar, on bus stops to run digital signage, or as a cheap add-in to things like point of sale displays etc. are a great idea, and needed. I do not believe that anyone with a mission critical computing component will consider your idea of rebuilding a unit upon every failure as a viable alternative.
Need proof, look at motor vehicle recalls. Cheaper to build it to last when it needs to.
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Only one has to continue functioning. instead of a bulky single point of failure with a large MTBF, you get a ablative system that continues to function even with damage.
once your down to ten CPU's maybe your total processor load is the same as the single High end machine. Hard radiation is a real beast on computers in space.
One stray 10^18ev Proton can destroy electronics no matter what radiation shielding you have.
Need proof look at Naval vessels, triple channel everything. even then you have backups and alternate methods on hand. One large engine could be more efficient but 8 smaller ones can still move your vessel with only one running.
The GPS system is built with a similar system in mind, 3 satellites give you position, 4 eliminates position duality error, 5-8 reduces the error bound, 16 cover the globe and 10+ backups sit ready in orbit to replace failures.
once your down to ten CPU's maybe your total processor load is the same as the single High end machine. Hard radiation is a real beast on computers in space.
One stray 10^18ev Proton can destroy electronics no matter what radiation shielding you have.
Need proof look at Naval vessels, triple channel everything. even then you have backups and alternate methods on hand. One large engine could be more efficient but 8 smaller ones can still move your vessel with only one running.
The GPS system is built with a similar system in mind, 3 satellites give you position, 4 eliminates position duality error, 5-8 reduces the error bound, 16 cover the globe and 10+ backups sit ready in orbit to replace failures.
Many satellites don't have a long lifespan.
They go up, do their thing, then drop safely into the ocean. Planned obsolescence is taken to the furthest degree; they're released into a degrading orbit on purpose.
100 of these tiny things would be enough for many science missions, for instance.
They go up, do their thing, then drop safely into the ocean. Planned obsolescence is taken to the furthest degree; they're released into a degrading orbit on purpose.
100 of these tiny things would be enough for many science missions, for instance.
Though I believe he was only comparing the computer costs. I would argue that if 90 were to fail within a year, they would ALL fail within a year.
The true cost includes the launch costs and power costs. Over-engineering is why we have the Voyager craft going where "nothing from Earth has gone before" to paraphrase NASA.
The true cost includes the launch costs and power costs. Over-engineering is why we have the Voyager craft going where "nothing from Earth has gone before" to paraphrase NASA.
They would be Micro Satellites that could fit in the palm of your hand and be launched with much less expense than what was being envisioned here. 
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Hard to believe how much computing power $25 will buy you. Once someone figures out a nice way for all these computers to talk to each other, then they can be added to lots of devices to make them a bit more useful.
I'd be careful sending up $25 computers into space. Any launch is very expensive and relying on a computer that is not designed to put up with the demands of space is just asking for trouble.
I'd be careful sending up $25 computers into space. Any launch is very expensive and relying on a computer that is not designed to put up with the demands of space is just asking for trouble.
I believe they will be relevant one day. ARM processor based systems aren't powerful enough to run full OSes or applications like Illustrator, AutoCad, etc. So, what will have to happen is for the apps to meet the ARM based systems half way. The ARM based systems will increase in power and the apps needing monster resources will scale down to run if the market demand is there.
There probably is many uses for them now but as is with tablets, they're not going to replace full computers for a long time.
There probably is many uses for them now but as is with tablets, they're not going to replace full computers for a long time.
A 700MHz ARM CPU is many times more powerful than 486 CPUs so I would bet it is perfectly capable of running AutoCad (even if not a recent version).
1. Employers that would use Autocad don't rely on a version made 20 years ago. Are you willing to stake anything on your claim?
2. Employers that use Autocad do not want people with 20 year-old skills, which would be outdated as well.
3. If Adobe Flash ran fairly well on 486s and helping to make Flash a welcomed, unifying standard at the time, then why can't ARMs? (Granted, Flash came out in 1992, one year before the earliest Pentium era, but nobody whined about Flash back then...)
2. Employers that use Autocad do not want people with 20 year-old skills, which would be outdated as well.
3. If Adobe Flash ran fairly well on 486s and helping to make Flash a welcomed, unifying standard at the time, then why can't ARMs? (Granted, Flash came out in 1992, one year before the earliest Pentium era, but nobody whined about Flash back then...)
Employers?! Flash?! 20 years old versions/skills?! Did you post in the wrong discussion?
Glib generalizations = not the best way to do everything, unless the goal is to steamroller.
One day, even ARM might get there... but not today, and there's a time and a place. Anybody who thinks one solution is good for all the masses and beyond may as well take a blue cylinder, a mallet, and try to shove it into a square-shaped opening that's half its radius... it won't fit, but some think it can.
One day, even ARM might get there... but not today, and there's a time and a place. Anybody who thinks one solution is good for all the masses and beyond may as well take a blue cylinder, a mallet, and try to shove it into a square-shaped opening that's half its radius... it won't fit, but some think it can.
I can't disagree or agree, until the "why" is fully fleshed out - pros, cons, repercussions, combating existing stigma against disposable equipment and ramifications on environment, and scores of other factors...
Or just shift it? So far, most low cost computers have relied heavily on more expensive backend computers.
Hence the spike in data usage and irate customers...
If the iPhone 4s is so awesome, for example, how come all it can do is a mundane task of ADC (analog to digital conversion) to some farm, where the work is done there? Sounds like a bait-and-switch, and until the media reported the spike in data usage, who knew upfront what Siri was all about?
Not to nitpick Siri, but your analysis is spot-on. The general trend is to virtualize and eliminate distributed computing, reverting to the cool 1960s with the "eggs in one basket" philosophy... which was kinda why distributed computing took off.
Then again, lots of people back in the day knew how to navigate DOS and even program simple BASIC. Try getting someone spoon-fed with today's lazy GUIs to do anything and all they will do is complain...
If the iPhone 4s is so awesome, for example, how come all it can do is a mundane task of ADC (analog to digital conversion) to some farm, where the work is done there? Sounds like a bait-and-switch, and until the media reported the spike in data usage, who knew upfront what Siri was all about?
Not to nitpick Siri, but your analysis is spot-on. The general trend is to virtualize and eliminate distributed computing, reverting to the cool 1960s with the "eggs in one basket" philosophy... which was kinda why distributed computing took off.
Then again, lots of people back in the day knew how to navigate DOS and even program simple BASIC. Try getting someone spoon-fed with today's lazy GUIs to do anything and all they will do is complain...
On what its used for. The Raspberry Pi is powerful enough for lots of uses, and in particular learning about IT.
Yup.
That is the point here.
The argument about moving costs is a red herring.
That is the point here.
The argument about moving costs is a red herring.
From here on out, I see NO point in having all in one desktop computers built anymore (of course this Rasberry Pi only has the CPU power of a 300Mhz Pentium). You should be able to buy small portable screens (preferably touchpad) separately, and hook up your choice or horsepower of processor..........the market should be just screens, and integrated cpu/gpu/ram/i_o units. that's it.
Where do you think all the content is generated from, right now?
That's right. On equipment that needs to run faster than a puny ARM device, by people who have time-based deadlines. You try being a manager and giving them some ARM devices and see what happens. I'll get the popcorn.
And please don't tell the market what to do. It prefers telling people what to do, so it won't like being questioned.
Especially small businesses, if they are valued. Anybody reading the TOS of cloud providers may not like the conditions, questionable security, what happens to the customer's data if the provider goes out of business (a valid question given our shaky economy) and your mindset says utterly nothing about redundant/local storage, and - of course - intellectual property ownership or co-opting of said IP.
There are so many factors involved in this.
And, no, I am not against certain areas being replaced with these simple devices. But they are not a cure-all or panacea for every conceivable situation. And content creators (the stuff that gets compiled for consumption on the ARM-based toys) are the ones who know best... (of which I am not, but then I am in college and learning how to be, so I've seen the difference firsthand...)
That's right. On equipment that needs to run faster than a puny ARM device, by people who have time-based deadlines. You try being a manager and giving them some ARM devices and see what happens. I'll get the popcorn.
And please don't tell the market what to do. It prefers telling people what to do, so it won't like being questioned.
Especially small businesses, if they are valued. Anybody reading the TOS of cloud providers may not like the conditions, questionable security, what happens to the customer's data if the provider goes out of business (a valid question given our shaky economy) and your mindset says utterly nothing about redundant/local storage, and - of course - intellectual property ownership or co-opting of said IP.
There are so many factors involved in this.
And, no, I am not against certain areas being replaced with these simple devices. But they are not a cure-all or panacea for every conceivable situation. And content creators (the stuff that gets compiled for consumption on the ARM-based toys) are the ones who know best... (of which I am not, but then I am in college and learning how to be, so I've seen the difference firsthand...)
Where was this lauded as a panacea? What planet are you even from?
And content creators don't compile anything, as they are not developers. Code is compiled, not "content".
That's like saying that pastry chefs know best about dietary issues.
And content creators don't compile anything, as they are not developers. Code is compiled, not "content".
That's like saying that pastry chefs know best about dietary issues.
You are not going to be able to run web pages (And certainly not run HTML5) on such a small device. Even if we ignore the fact that the current crop of browsers like to eat 100 mb of RAM just to display a blank page, web tech is super inefficient and slow. Always has been.
And if that device encountered a flash website, then what?
I just threw out my folks 1.6 ghz machine because it wasn't powerful enough to even render google results as you type, when it tried, the system froze repeatedly. (Firefox 3.6) It even had 2 gigs of RAM and a 256mb AGP video card... It couldn't even play netflix anymore, the frame rate was less than 2 per second.
So its probably going to struggle online, so maybe it will be a word processor?
The problem with that, is if you want a word processor, you want a printer. Linux support for printers is not up to par and I suspect such a stripped down version will have lots of issues with drivers. It's not like these devices are running Mint.
So word processing could be trouble (maybe).
What is left? Maybe paint some pictures on it in a basic image editor? You can probably watch mpeg movies, however DivX and related will probably struggle as those codecs are CPU heavy. If our old machine is any indication, Netflix may not work well either.
This is all speculation of course. But isn't the lack of power and Linxux two of the big reasons Netbooks essentially failed.
And if that device encountered a flash website, then what?
I just threw out my folks 1.6 ghz machine because it wasn't powerful enough to even render google results as you type, when it tried, the system froze repeatedly. (Firefox 3.6) It even had 2 gigs of RAM and a 256mb AGP video card... It couldn't even play netflix anymore, the frame rate was less than 2 per second.
So its probably going to struggle online, so maybe it will be a word processor?
The problem with that, is if you want a word processor, you want a printer. Linux support for printers is not up to par and I suspect such a stripped down version will have lots of issues with drivers. It's not like these devices are running Mint.
So word processing could be trouble (maybe).
What is left? Maybe paint some pictures on it in a basic image editor? You can probably watch mpeg movies, however DivX and related will probably struggle as those codecs are CPU heavy. If our old machine is any indication, Netflix may not work well either.
This is all speculation of course. But isn't the lack of power and Linxux two of the big reasons Netbooks essentially failed.
I had the 2nd generation asus eee pc running 900Mhz pentium and only 1gb ram with Windoze XP....the darn thing was a BRICK. Like what happened with your folks' computer...instead of throwing it out, I loaded Ubuntu netbook edition on it. Lo and Behold, IT NEVER CRASHED AGAIN! Browser included. so a lot of it has to do with the OS. BTW, the eee that i had, only allowed 4GB for the OS partition....still no problem with Ubuntu.
Historically speaking, Windows has ALWAYS been bloaty compared to competing platforms at that given time. (XP was a hog compared to 2000 Pro...) MS's philosophy has been to put up as little as possible, as early as possible, to retain market share... and then fix things, if deemed profitable to do so...
Vista was an abomination, and Windows 7 has problems too (anybody with a dual monitor system, regardless if they're using the base OS or adding SP1) will instantly note the poorly-implemented "power save" feature where the second monitor turns black (but the monitor's status LED shows full power, not sleep mode... oops...) It's more of a mess to fix certain registry issues as well, due to adding a "profile list" into the registry to ensure validation of local user profiles... pity that, if this is for security reasons, it's still possible to rummage around the entire /users folder when one logs in and notices they're now using a "temp" account as well... Security isn't something you want to dole out to end users by saying "Help us do better by letting Windows automatically submit anonymous reports..."
It's sad when open source can upend a closed source paradigm. Microsoft has no excuse and Vista and Win7 have shown the level of bloat skyrocketing compared to previous versions. And, from many end users' POV, they see no difference. Just the usual icons (whether they look like glass or toddler toys); they don't see or care for any new functionality...
Vista was an abomination, and Windows 7 has problems too (anybody with a dual monitor system, regardless if they're using the base OS or adding SP1) will instantly note the poorly-implemented "power save" feature where the second monitor turns black (but the monitor's status LED shows full power, not sleep mode... oops...) It's more of a mess to fix certain registry issues as well, due to adding a "profile list" into the registry to ensure validation of local user profiles... pity that, if this is for security reasons, it's still possible to rummage around the entire /users folder when one logs in and notices they're now using a "temp" account as well... Security isn't something you want to dole out to end users by saying "Help us do better by letting Windows automatically submit anonymous reports..."
It's sad when open source can upend a closed source paradigm. Microsoft has no excuse and Vista and Win7 have shown the level of bloat skyrocketing compared to previous versions. And, from many end users' POV, they see no difference. Just the usual icons (whether they look like glass or toddler toys); they don't see or care for any new functionality...
Would I be correct in inferring that Slayer_ is at least a couple of decades younger than I am? As somebody who started using the Web in the 90s on an IBM XT with 640k b RAM and a Powerbook 100 with a lavish 1MB, I'm quite sure that "web tech" is not intrinsically resource-hungry. Oddly enough, we could not only wordprocess but even edit and lay out whole books on those machines, not to mention handle databases and spreadsheets.
Now I'm using a 1GB netbook and it's perfectly adequate to most purposes (as long as one doesn't try t run too many programs at once) including the latest versions of browsers with Flash and other plugins, and sometimes dozens of tabs open at once. The pages that eat 100MB before they show anything are the ones running a ton of third-party data-gathering scripts or a lot of extraneous/bad coding. Web pages don't *have* to be loaded with crap, any more than operating systems or other programs need to be. Linux distros run the gamut from "beta and only for geeks" to "efficient and simple enough for anyone." Lack of power isn't much of an issue when resources aren't being gobbled up by the operating system and you don't need to run the greedier kinds of programs (e.g. MS Office) while you browse.
I've downloaded what's needed to run a virtual Raspberry Pi on the netbook, though I haven't used it yet. The idea of a computer the size of a pack or cards as powerful as a Pentium III still boggles my mind but at my age the notion of carrying one, a roll-up keyboard, a USB hub and a couple of cables instead of a five-pound laptop that won't fit in my purse is decidedly attractive. I've already fallen for PortableApps on a USB key and find they can do just about anything. The one real problem I do have is buggy Flash, and that's going to disappear soon, I suspect, in favour of better ways of delivering video.
Now I'm using a 1GB netbook and it's perfectly adequate to most purposes (as long as one doesn't try t run too many programs at once) including the latest versions of browsers with Flash and other plugins, and sometimes dozens of tabs open at once. The pages that eat 100MB before they show anything are the ones running a ton of third-party data-gathering scripts or a lot of extraneous/bad coding. Web pages don't *have* to be loaded with crap, any more than operating systems or other programs need to be. Linux distros run the gamut from "beta and only for geeks" to "efficient and simple enough for anyone." Lack of power isn't much of an issue when resources aren't being gobbled up by the operating system and you don't need to run the greedier kinds of programs (e.g. MS Office) while you browse.
I've downloaded what's needed to run a virtual Raspberry Pi on the netbook, though I haven't used it yet. The idea of a computer the size of a pack or cards as powerful as a Pentium III still boggles my mind but at my age the notion of carrying one, a roll-up keyboard, a USB hub and a couple of cables instead of a five-pound laptop that won't fit in my purse is decidedly attractive. I've already fallen for PortableApps on a USB key and find they can do just about anything. The one real problem I do have is buggy Flash, and that's going to disappear soon, I suspect, in favour of better ways of delivering video.
of power, from the client-side to the server side.
There are advantages, if people are cognizant of implementation and not acting like a herd of lemmings to what one or two hand-picked sources try to shovel.
Users used to Office 2007 and 2012 might not like reverting, when they use real-time font previews and other functions that are CPU-heavy... and a web-based UI for online spreadsheets, etc, isn't fully "there" yet. (IMHO, YMMV.)
Flash isn't going away, BTW - it's the only platform with DRM. Companies like DRM... but h.265 is poised to get DRM by 2013 (from what I've read, but my knowledge on that codec is spotty... all I currently know is, Adobe got in early with DRM, to keep Flash viable for a bit longer, so take the DRM claim with a pinch of salt...)
There are advantages, if people are cognizant of implementation and not acting like a herd of lemmings to what one or two hand-picked sources try to shovel.
Users used to Office 2007 and 2012 might not like reverting, when they use real-time font previews and other functions that are CPU-heavy... and a web-based UI for online spreadsheets, etc, isn't fully "there" yet. (IMHO, YMMV.)
Flash isn't going away, BTW - it's the only platform with DRM. Companies like DRM... but h.265 is poised to get DRM by 2013 (from what I've read, but my knowledge on that codec is spotty... all I currently know is, Adobe got in early with DRM, to keep Flash viable for a bit longer, so take the DRM claim with a pinch of salt...)
I wish more people doling out negative votes would share their mindsets...
Low-end devices will be able to process HTML5 and some graphics processing (the number of 3D games shows these low-end devices do have SOME muscle, at least for qualified and controlled conditions... until the new version comes out that runs sluggishly, because they are now programming for the latest devices and not all customers upgrade at the same point -- SOME conscientiousness to backward compatibility is not unfair...)
Would I do professional photo editing or image manipulation? No way. A high-end laptop made in 2009 struggles with Photoshop for a ~15MP, 300DPI image that can be enlarged to 24x36. Today's ARM-based gadget would crumble.
Needs vs situations.
Oh, Flash came out around 1992 - back when the 80486 processor was out, and nobody griped about it. Actually, enough people liked it and what its job was (to unify a viewing experience, something no version of HTML (including 5, look it up) has been able to do because the browser makes are incapable of sticking to a unifiedstandard. HTML5 already is fragmented, and it's not going to get better until the companies can be bothered to regulate themselves and each other. Good luck. And, again, a quick web search already has a number of sites telling of the state of HTML5 and fragmentation...
For office situations (web browsing, even marginal Flash playing, word processing, the basics), thin clients and ARM have a place and there is some logic involved. But it's not worthy of ubiquity. Not for a number of years, yet.
Low-end devices will be able to process HTML5 and some graphics processing (the number of 3D games shows these low-end devices do have SOME muscle, at least for qualified and controlled conditions... until the new version comes out that runs sluggishly, because they are now programming for the latest devices and not all customers upgrade at the same point -- SOME conscientiousness to backward compatibility is not unfair...)
Would I do professional photo editing or image manipulation? No way. A high-end laptop made in 2009 struggles with Photoshop for a ~15MP, 300DPI image that can be enlarged to 24x36. Today's ARM-based gadget would crumble.
Needs vs situations.
Oh, Flash came out around 1992 - back when the 80486 processor was out, and nobody griped about it. Actually, enough people liked it and what its job was (to unify a viewing experience, something no version of HTML (including 5, look it up) has been able to do because the browser makes are incapable of sticking to a unifiedstandard. HTML5 already is fragmented, and it's not going to get better until the companies can be bothered to regulate themselves and each other. Good luck. And, again, a quick web search already has a number of sites telling of the state of HTML5 and fragmentation...
For office situations (web browsing, even marginal Flash playing, word processing, the basics), thin clients and ARM have a place and there is some logic involved. But it's not worthy of ubiquity. Not for a number of years, yet.
It wasn't even powerful enough to power the suggestions from google...
Flash was just hopeless. It could play flash from flash 7 and older, but flash 8 and newer it crumbled under the load.
Flash was just hopeless. It could play flash from flash 7 and older, but flash 8 and newer it crumbled under the load.
Don't led HypnoToad72 stroke your ego, he's just exploiting you for his own misguided idiocy.
He's peddling ignorance, you see. He subscribes to the idea that Technology should be opaque, inaccessible to users except through the UI, because he's dumb enough to think that stupidifying the world will (a) work and (b) serve to shore up US IT-workers wages...
All it will do is give the Corporate Overlords that much more of a grip on all of us. They can then freely make development-capable machines more expensive (by shooing all the normal users onto tablets, thus running demand for stand-alone machines into the ground).
Then, when they've ensured that the machines that developers need will cost tens of thousands of dollars (again), they can complete their monopoly on tech.
And of course, with machines that expensive, the monkeys doing the coding become far less important, especially since said monkeys won't be able to do their job without the corporation providing the hardware (try negotiating wages then).
His pro-ignorance standpoint is rotten to the core.
Now, that being said, read the About Us section of the Rasperry Pi site; this is a pro-OpenSource ideal, it is NOT about replacing tablets or whatever, it's about running the kind of programs that work JUST fine on low-end machines... vi for instance. It's about letting kids play with the bare metal, just like how you and I learned tech back in the day. Nowadays kids only get access to entirely pre-chewed technology that cannot teach them anything. Raspberry Pi is about stopping that.
And about empowering poor people to stand up to the corporocracy.
That said, have you considered that your 1.6ghz machine was maybe in poor shape, was poorly designed or was running the wrong OS and programs? If nothing else it can run Oldgames just fine.
He's peddling ignorance, you see. He subscribes to the idea that Technology should be opaque, inaccessible to users except through the UI, because he's dumb enough to think that stupidifying the world will (a) work and (b) serve to shore up US IT-workers wages...
All it will do is give the Corporate Overlords that much more of a grip on all of us. They can then freely make development-capable machines more expensive (by shooing all the normal users onto tablets, thus running demand for stand-alone machines into the ground).
Then, when they've ensured that the machines that developers need will cost tens of thousands of dollars (again), they can complete their monopoly on tech.
And of course, with machines that expensive, the monkeys doing the coding become far less important, especially since said monkeys won't be able to do their job without the corporation providing the hardware (try negotiating wages then).
His pro-ignorance standpoint is rotten to the core.
Now, that being said, read the About Us section of the Rasperry Pi site; this is a pro-OpenSource ideal, it is NOT about replacing tablets or whatever, it's about running the kind of programs that work JUST fine on low-end machines... vi for instance. It's about letting kids play with the bare metal, just like how you and I learned tech back in the day. Nowadays kids only get access to entirely pre-chewed technology that cannot teach them anything. Raspberry Pi is about stopping that.
And about empowering poor people to stand up to the corporocracy.
That said, have you considered that your 1.6ghz machine was maybe in poor shape, was poorly designed or was running the wrong OS and programs? If nothing else it can run Oldgames just fine.
But that's about it. I would have installed Linux on it, but I already know from a previous attempt on that hardware that Linux doesn't like the Sis graphics chip.
But considering just how much faster the i3 they bought is, it wasn't worth trying to maintain that old POS.
I still don't think desktops will disappear. I think they will make a come back as people need to store more data, they will come back as home servers instead.
But considering just how much faster the i3 they bought is, it wasn't worth trying to maintain that old POS.
I still don't think desktops will disappear. I think they will make a come back as people need to store more data, they will come back as home servers instead.
X-Com UFO Defense is orsum! 
Add in Master of Magic, Darklands, Daggerfall, Buck Rogers etc. etc.
It's not like these things got any less cool just because we have more clock cycles to play with now.
And the big benefit of keeping a small machine for the old games is that it's a matter of time before we can't run them on newer machines. 64 bit processing is already a lot of distance to cover.
Too bad about the no-good chips... that's what I kinda expected too, that there'd be some kind of incompatibility. Wouldn't be like you to not know to try a lighter OS.
Add in Master of Magic, Darklands, Daggerfall, Buck Rogers etc. etc.
It's not like these things got any less cool just because we have more clock cycles to play with now.
And the big benefit of keeping a small machine for the old games is that it's a matter of time before we can't run them on newer machines. 64 bit processing is already a lot of distance to cover.
Too bad about the no-good chips... that's what I kinda expected too, that there'd be some kind of incompatibility. Wouldn't be like you to not know to try a lighter OS.
The last few years there have been a lot of cheap computing devices proposed, but I have yet to see one for sale. When I can buy one and it is actually in my hands, and if it actually does something useful and has a display as good as my phone then I'll believe it. If it is just a cheap game platform for the little kiddies then it's not even worth the $25. Can it do email? Render web pages? Write (and print) a letter? Track my checkbook? Remind me of appointments? Oh yeah, my phone can do that, and much more. I'll bet this device can't.
This thing has been reported on the webs like 4 EVAH, and it's coming out in a couple of weeks. Head on over to their site and lurk the forums, and then talk.
BTW, the $35 model will do everything you mention, and more, and doesn't cost more than 10% what your iWHATEVER can do.
BTW, the $35 model will do everything you mention, and more, and doesn't cost more than 10% what your iWHATEVER can do.
those generic computers that are cheap but not fitted to properly make a single function will likely fail. Instead there are already a plethora of devices built on the same principles, featuring a single-chip hardware, and come communication ports, that are already prepared to perform very well a single function. Look at most external multimedia disks! They are equivalent except that they come with an additional disk. And if people want, they can turn it themselves as well to run other functions (there are many projects like this, for example using the Western Digital external storages). The cost is not significantly higher than the price of the hard disk alone.
But I doubt that there's a future if such limited machine is not prepackaged to perform well, our of the box, a useful function. Notably because these specs do not contain any decent storage (if you have to plug an external USB drive on it, you've lost the interest of the small box, and the solution is not just less practical, uses more space and cabling, and becomes also more costly to buy).
As a generic computing device, the lack of storage (as well as a very small RAM amount) will definitely put such device out of market for today's interactive applications on the Internet: most standard packages, even those built for Linux, won't run on it without severe tweaking of their functionalities (otherwise, there won't be enough Flash space to store the application, or to run it).
To be really useful, such device should also include wireless plugs (allowing the use of a cordless mouse and keyboard, with Wifi or Blutooth). May be you could throw the Ethernet RJ11 plug, but such device will find a niche market with enough interoperability only if it has wireless connections. A single USB will not be enough if it also requires using an additional USB hub.
But a single USB will be enough if the device has a decent 2.5" hardisk storage, one slot for DRAM (compatible with 4GB), a WiFi N controler and antenna. In this scheme then, the Ethernet remains optional, notably if the USB port is compatible with USB 2.0 ar least (or better with USB 3.0, on which there's ample enough bandwidth to support a tiny USB-to-Ethernet adapter, as well as a wireless video adapter that you'll plug on your TV, if your TV is not already equipped as a multimedia player through the WiFi connection to your home Wireless hotspot).
Such device could then be used as an extender for your smartphone, brought within your luggages, using your smartphone or your tablet via WiFi for the user interface of the builtin player, or anything in your neighborhood that has some wireless Internet capability. It could also offer computing capabilities to your existing computer (running maintenance tasks, or helping to render a scene in your game)
But I doubt that there's a future if such limited machine is not prepackaged to perform well, our of the box, a useful function. Notably because these specs do not contain any decent storage (if you have to plug an external USB drive on it, you've lost the interest of the small box, and the solution is not just less practical, uses more space and cabling, and becomes also more costly to buy).
As a generic computing device, the lack of storage (as well as a very small RAM amount) will definitely put such device out of market for today's interactive applications on the Internet: most standard packages, even those built for Linux, won't run on it without severe tweaking of their functionalities (otherwise, there won't be enough Flash space to store the application, or to run it).
To be really useful, such device should also include wireless plugs (allowing the use of a cordless mouse and keyboard, with Wifi or Blutooth). May be you could throw the Ethernet RJ11 plug, but such device will find a niche market with enough interoperability only if it has wireless connections. A single USB will not be enough if it also requires using an additional USB hub.
But a single USB will be enough if the device has a decent 2.5" hardisk storage, one slot for DRAM (compatible with 4GB), a WiFi N controler and antenna. In this scheme then, the Ethernet remains optional, notably if the USB port is compatible with USB 2.0 ar least (or better with USB 3.0, on which there's ample enough bandwidth to support a tiny USB-to-Ethernet adapter, as well as a wireless video adapter that you'll plug on your TV, if your TV is not already equipped as a multimedia player through the WiFi connection to your home Wireless hotspot).
Such device could then be used as an extender for your smartphone, brought within your luggages, using your smartphone or your tablet via WiFi for the user interface of the builtin player, or anything in your neighborhood that has some wireless Internet capability. It could also offer computing capabilities to your existing computer (running maintenance tasks, or helping to render a scene in your game)
See the Raspberry Pi site. It's not a game platform--it's a tool, and pretty versatile at that. However, the unit is a computer, not a smartphone. (There will probably never be a smartphone for $25 because people make too much money from the $500 ones.)
Think of it as a very small desktop: there's no built-in screen or keyboard or printer but you plug it into them and it works. The operating system is Linux and you can use dozens of Linux programs chosen to suit your needs. Some printers aren't very Linux friendly, I gather, but others are; modern displays and HDTVs should work fine. Anyway, the original purpose was to make something inexpensive children could learn to program on and then create their own new uses for--not just North American kids with affluent parents, either. You may not need or want this but there are a lot of people who would find it useful.
Think of it as a very small desktop: there's no built-in screen or keyboard or printer but you plug it into them and it works. The operating system is Linux and you can use dozens of Linux programs chosen to suit your needs. Some printers aren't very Linux friendly, I gather, but others are; modern displays and HDTVs should work fine. Anyway, the original purpose was to make something inexpensive children could learn to program on and then create their own new uses for--not just North American kids with affluent parents, either. You may not need or want this but there are a lot of people who would find it useful.
Ditto for people with college degrees: more of us = lower wages.
There's nothing wrong with education... until its cost is so obscene that the jobs requiring one that pay so little render it impossible to catch up, get ahead, or get anywhere in the end...
Sorry to digress, but I think there is an ulterior motive and that's why middle classes - in any number of countries - are starting to flounder.
There's nothing wrong with education... until its cost is so obscene that the jobs requiring one that pay so little render it impossible to catch up, get ahead, or get anywhere in the end...
Sorry to digress, but I think there is an ulterior motive and that's why middle classes - in any number of countries - are starting to flounder.
Increase supply of workers and wages will go down...
The same goes for people with college degrees. More of us = lower wages. The last I recall, do people like enduring pay cut after pay cut? Really?
There's nothing wrong with education... until its cost is so obscene that the jobs requiring one that pay so little render it impossible to catch up, get ahead, or get anywhere in the end... meanwhile, gamblers can write off every last cent in bankruptcy. Students and others who are well-meaning continue to get shafted.
Sorry to digress, but I think there is an ulterior motive and that's why middle classes - in any number of countries - are starting to flounder.
The same goes for people with college degrees. More of us = lower wages. The last I recall, do people like enduring pay cut after pay cut? Really?
There's nothing wrong with education... until its cost is so obscene that the jobs requiring one that pay so little render it impossible to catch up, get ahead, or get anywhere in the end... meanwhile, gamblers can write off every last cent in bankruptcy. Students and others who are well-meaning continue to get shafted.
Sorry to digress, but I think there is an ulterior motive and that's why middle classes - in any number of countries - are starting to flounder.
The 'base of a satellite' model is a bit far fetched. As a lab computer/thin client in education, it could have legs. There are schools today using Linux desktops with students. Some have been doing it for years. Something like this, at $100 after a keyboard and screen, could go far. And at $25, there is no troubleshooting, there is toss and replace.
And when it comes to Micro Satellites it's quite interesting.
Col
Col
True, smart phones can do just about anything now....I just recently got a ereader that not only lets me read books but goes online with full web browser, reads Office, gets my email, plays games, plays movies, music, calendar, calculator, lots more I haven't even played with yet....it cost on sale $59. Ok, so it is only 7in. No camera. but it does have it's own display, so I guess it is better than the $25 computer. My thing is, the internet really is a very wide world. And for those who cannot afford more than $25 for their kids to be able to find out about all kinds of things on the web, it is a beautiful thing. It will get information to the world in lesser countries than the USA. I think its great!
That's pretty much the story here. I live in Mexico, and the average monthly salary is about $400 US. My wife teaches English to college students here and cumputer engineering students can't even afford their own computers. Maybe, now they will.
Doesn't make for a green planet if everything down to drywall is made to help erode electronic circuitry... (okay, I half-digress but there is a reason.)
Maybe these thin client, centralized devices will have longer longevity. On paper that sounds nice, but in reality somebody will see "opportunity", whittle something down, and then get a bonus for ingenuity because people are making return purchases due to the lower quality. (like smartphones- newer apps run sluggishly on 2 year old devices. Is 2 years really a fair cutoff point for support? Even Microsoft has shown far longer support terms for product updates...)
And the way the US is going, because of globalized wage devaluation, US college students (as will everybody in the "developed" countries) end up in the same third world conditions. (Maybe globalization wasn't well thought-out, or maybe somebody will change the economic structure to let workers do good work and prosper while letting globalization be about expansion instead of migration. That is the more evolved and ethical approach.)
Maybe these thin client, centralized devices will have longer longevity. On paper that sounds nice, but in reality somebody will see "opportunity", whittle something down, and then get a bonus for ingenuity because people are making return purchases due to the lower quality. (like smartphones- newer apps run sluggishly on 2 year old devices. Is 2 years really a fair cutoff point for support? Even Microsoft has shown far longer support terms for product updates...)
And the way the US is going, because of globalized wage devaluation, US college students (as will everybody in the "developed" countries) end up in the same third world conditions. (Maybe globalization wasn't well thought-out, or maybe somebody will change the economic structure to let workers do good work and prosper while letting globalization be about expansion instead of migration. That is the more evolved and ethical approach.)
The website is well worth a visit. http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs
I'll mention a few highlights from the fact page:
Has composite video out (TV) and audio, an I/O interface, and a SD card slot.
The article had me thinking I could have a use for this (Open VPN server), the FAQ had the old geek experimenter in me moving this to the wish list.
Be sure to read the About Us to understand the why behind this device.
I'll mention a few highlights from the fact page:
Has composite video out (TV) and audio, an I/O interface, and a SD card slot.
The article had me thinking I could have a use for this (Open VPN server), the FAQ had the old geek experimenter in me moving this to the wish list.
Be sure to read the About Us to understand the why behind this device.
Technology has become a commodity (thanks a LOT, Steve!!), and users have become consumers.
We need more stuff like this, more LEGO Mindstorm too, more challenges for the fledgling nerdlings! Otherwise the future in technology will belong to an elite skull and bones clique.
Imagine if the Programmer is the Lawyer of the future, the few in the know, who (ab)use their secret knowledge to further their own causes...
Hell no!
We need more stuff like this, more LEGO Mindstorm too, more challenges for the fledgling nerdlings! Otherwise the future in technology will belong to an elite skull and bones clique.
Imagine if the Programmer is the Lawyer of the future, the few in the know, who (ab)use their secret knowledge to further their own causes...
Hell no!
"Upton said that as bottom-end machines grow in power, consumers will become increasingly unwilling to pay top dollar for a premium device."
I was very glad to see this story in my inbox this morning. But it's a shame that stories like this aren't more common on the tech web-sites. Advertising dollars set the agenda for what we get to read, and so much of the low end stuff, even the best of it, goes under covered in favor of stuff we hear about WAY too often.
I was very glad to see this story in my inbox this morning. But it's a shame that stories like this aren't more common on the tech web-sites. Advertising dollars set the agenda for what we get to read, and so much of the low end stuff, even the best of it, goes under covered in favor of stuff we hear about WAY too often.
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