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A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

bbenchoff.github.io

101–110 of 408 posts

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#101
post #7

This is nice. This is a simple, straightforward design, and a reasonably convenient form factor. Two biggest limitations are RAM and wireless interfaces, or rather lack thereof. This thing has less RAM than my router (admittedly a $70 box), and has neither WiFi nor BT. It does not seem to have many GPIO pins, too. With the amount of RAM installed, it's mostly a handheld terminal, and maybe a handheld console with emu…

Surely an ESP32 should be able to run Linux. Then you would get Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. After all Linux used to run on 486, BSD ran on 386.

Kind of: https://hackaday.com/2021/07/21/its-linux-but-on-an-esp32/

Main issue with Linux on an MC is lack of MMU, though YMMV

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Loving it! What orange website could they be talking about? In case that's a serious question: what website has an orange theme, and an aggressively enforced rule against editorialising submission titles?

Ever since I've found that I can change the color of the top bar in my profile, the site has been every color but orange to me. :D

Yeah I changed it to green but the orange Y in the top left-hand corner drives me nuts.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#103

It seems the author is now redirecting the blog post to a static image, presumably to screw with HN even more: https://github.com/bbenchoff/bbenchoff.github.io/commit/9e77...

no, I'm just testing something out. I changed it back. Yes I test in prod.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the title previously? I'm not sure I understand the significance of the current title.

Some people really hate Hacker News for no intelligent reasons that I can tell.

They usually hate it because of the people who post here

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#107
post #75
post #7

This is nice. This is a simple, straightforward design, and a reasonably convenient form factor. Two biggest limitations are RAM and wireless interfaces, or rather lack thereof. This thing has less RAM than my router (admittedly a $70 box), and has neither WiFi nor BT. It does not seem to have many GPIO pins, too. With the amount of RAM installed, it's mostly a handheld terminal, and maybe a handheld console with emu…

Enough for Tmux, busybox, SSH/Mosh, Lynx, Gopher, NNTP, IRC over bitlbee, music and video playing over Bluetooth speakers, PDF readers (fbipdf, fbpdf2), epub readers (unzip+lynx script), on the go coding...

Would you really want to code on this tiny screen though? I guess some people would, but you'd probably be a lot more comfortable even on a 12" or 10" laptop/netbook.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#108
post #30
post #14

A display mounted on a flat surface between your hands seems like a ready path to neck trauma.

You mean, like a smartphone or a portable console ?

No, much worse, because you are not able to lift it up in front of your eyes while typing.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#109
post #105

I'm wondering if we can use the same principle to design a miniature cell phone: can only text and make phone calls, very small screen, small keys, etc, using cheap components.

Yes, then sell it to minimalists for $300: https://www.thelightphone.com/

Wow the price point is way above. I'm thinking about the mini phone in the movie Taken 2. I actually found a website to purchase a year ago but couldn't find it right now.
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