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A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

bbenchoff.github.io

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

#121

Post by jethro_tell »

only4here wrote: post #50
nine_k wrote: 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…

> neither WiFi nor BT I understand having WiFi, it'd be great for a small device like this. But why would we need Bluetooth? It only has 32MB of RAM so I doubt you could get any music running on it.

A standard mp3 runs about 1MB per minute. You should really only have to buffer a couple seconds if you're streaming. If you try to keep a 4 second buffer your going to be somewhere between 40 and 70kb (this thing also has an SD card so you could keep a much shorter buffer if it was local.)

It really doesn't take much else, you'd need a tcp stack where most of the memory usage is buffers. Maybe 15-30 kb, and you'd need to load some player into mem as well.

There are tiny embedded devices all over that have music running on them. I've seen lightbulbs and light switches that can stream music.

Idk why everyone thinks it takes 500mb to play an MP3. Maybe because the vast majority of compute power these days seems to go to all the shit the app puls in to sell ads and native programs are all just electron apps but it really doesn't have to be like that for most functions of a computer.

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

#122

Post by billiam »

ant6n wrote: post #113
hungryforcodes wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.orangepi.org/ ? Pretty much a possible competitor. I have several OrangePi boards...and they run linux and cost me around $15.

More powerful, but no keyboard and display.

Said the guy or gal typing on a keyboard and reading the response on a display. Solved problem?

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

#123

Post by Kye »

CyberRabbi wrote: post #120
undecisive wrote: post #25

> I’m changing the title of this page just to screw with mods on the orange website Loving it! What orange website could they be talking about? I wonder what would be achievable, around the $15 mark WITHOUT needing a minimum order of 1000? (Presuming access to a 3d printer and a reasonably cheap PCB fab company)

What is the recent trend of website users not using the actual names of the websites they use? >the orange site >the bird site Are these pet names? Is this passive aggressive contempt? Or is this an inside joke that I don’t get?

Adding dramatic flair is a timeless hobby. Like most things, it gets shorter with time.

It's basically:

That den of capitalist hubris, the Mart of Wally

For a new era.

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

#124

Post by jethro_tell »

smallerfish wrote: post #19
nine_k wrote: 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…

As long as wifi over USB is supported, why overcomplicate the core hardware? Sell a dongle as an add on option and make a little profit from it.

Because the point of something like this would be to be completely self contained. A shell in your pocket.

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

#125

Post by utopcell »

undecisive wrote: post #25

> I’m changing the title of this page just to screw with mods on the orange website Loving it! What orange website could they be talking about? I wonder what would be achievable, around the $15 mark WITHOUT needing a minimum order of 1000? (Presuming access to a 3d printer and a reasonably cheap PCB fab company)

For q1, nothing: shipping would be more than that.

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

#126

Post by vidarh »

whatshisface wrote: post #98
addaon wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ars Technica basically does this (with two headlines), since the Conde Nast acquisition. Drives me nuts, and makes a significant portion of the post-article discussion incomprehensible.

There's something so hilarious about the idea of an HN thread full of people who only read the title, while the website is A/B testing ten different titles.

I'm looking forward to the GPT3 generated titles using a prompt that involves something along the lines of "Given this excerpt of the HN discussion: .... This is the most amusing title: ..."

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

#128

Post by tombert »

ansible wrote: post #116
tombert wrote: post #69

This reminds me (in a good way) of the GPD Win computers. Obviously smartphones are cool, I have one, I like it, but it annoys me that in some senses they're still not as good as a Windows 98 laptop from 24 years ago. Their version of MS Office isn't as intuitive, there's not the same level of programming language/compiler support, on iOS you're restricted to the App Store, etc. The GPD Win was the first time I saw a…

I've tried to do work on various pocket-sized computers over the years (HP LX100 palmtop, Motorola Q, HTC G1, Samsung Sidekick 4G) and various netbooks and such. The most productive device I've had is an Acer Chromebook. For me it is the typing speed, and having a nearly full-sized keyboard makes a huge difference. Adding an SSH client (though you can instead install the Linux subsystem) allows me to access my remote…

I am on the train a lot (probably too often considering COVID), and often am forced to stand up, basically eliminating any laptop that requires a lap.

The GPD Win has been great because I can hold it and type with it with my thumbs, not wholly dissimilar to a smartphone, but I have full Windows 10 running on there. It's definitely not for everyone, but for me it's been a lot of fun to hack on Pico-8 during a two hour train delay two years ago.

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

#129

Post by numpad0 »

only4here wrote: post #50
nine_k wrote: 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…

> neither WiFi nor BT I understand having WiFi, it'd be great for a small device like this. But why would we need Bluetooth? It only has 32MB of RAM so I doubt you could get any music running on it.

iPod had 32MB RAM and mostly for cache...
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