Earlier quoted context omitted.
I find out-of-date used Chromebooks are available for $50.
Can I buy a lot of 20 of them? All in the same model and in the same rough shape?
A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
301–310 of 408 posts
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#302Earlier quoted context omitted.
Completely an aside: USB dongles piss me off; specifically the Logitech Mouse USB dongles: Why the heck hasnt a single manufacturer included the USB Dongle radio IN the mobo? So with slim laptops you have few USB ports. I currently am typing this on an HP Omen flagship gaming laptop... It has ONE USB-C port, which is under-powered (I have a USB-C Hub, that requires an external USB-C Power source... so I have to plug…
> Why the heck hasnt a single manufacturer included the USB Dongle radio IN the mobo? USB radio dongles are not standardized, that's what Bluetooth is for. (There used to be a Wireless USB standard but it was never widely adopted, and it has fallen out of use altogether.) There are USB-C power bricks that also work as hubs, so you're not wasting your only USB-C port.
Ive never purchased anything but Logitech, to ensure all of my mice work, so they are pretty standardized to me.. but again I may be a minority in this opinion...
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#303Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Ah, yes. If you're standing, then something much more compact makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't mind seeing something with the same form factor as the GPD Win3, but using a relatively low-power processor for better battery life. I suppose that wouldn't drop down the price enough to make it desirable to most of the target market though.
As I understand it, battery performance can be somewhat configurable on these, eg by adjusting BIOS settings for thermal controls to keep the CPU throttled.
If you don't mind the lack of gaming controls, they have some Pentium N6000-based models. The P2 Max (2022) with this claims 8 hours continuous 1080p playback.
Still expensive though - would be great to see a more terminal-focused version with a lower power CPU and screen for a few hundred, and presumably a battery life measured in days.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#304This is super cool. I'm going to have to "make my own Linux SBC" at some point, just to be able to say I did it. It was something I always wanted to do as kid after hearing my dad's stories of designing and building computers with his uncles in the 70's and 80's from parts catalogs.
Admittedly, having the whole system on a single package for the most part makes this decidedly simpler. Up until this point the hardest thing for me was doing the SoC DDR3 traces in KiCad. They're remarkably less forgiving than PCIe, but I guess that is the curse of modern RAM chips not using differential IO. That and figuring how how to solder BGA. Making my first attempt with some cheaper FPGAs and a hotplate pretty soon.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#305Suppose you have all the parts and a workbench, how long would it take to assemble one unit from start to finish?
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#306Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which devices? Unlike an RPi, this thing has a screen, a keyboard, a sleek case, a battery compartment. What are other devices that have these all, and cost, say, under $40?
These little game things are $40. I have one. They use an old style removable cell phone battery and have a screen that isn't great (320x240 though similar to the one described in the article). It runs linux but Lamentably I don't think its easy to install your own version. https://powkiddy.com/products/powkiddy-v90-3-inch-ips-screen...
If you haven't already, please do yourself a favor and check out the Miyoo custom frimware for the v90 - https://github.com/TriForceX/MiyooCFW
It makes a fun little device that much better. Plus it's a good starting point if you want to try doing your own Linux stuff on it.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#307Like the idea. Reconsider the keyboard. If we presume the target users are other than first-world, the likelihood of only have one hand or missing fingers increases significantly. The keyboard becomes very cumbersome. (source: found out the hard way when brought toys that require two hands or all fingers to play with, in worn-torn countries.)
Do you mean the keyboard being split across the screen would be hard to use for those people?
yes. will have a hard time kbding on split keyboard while looking at the screen,which is directly under their hand movements.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#308I loved hackaday back when I was in undergrad :) Very inspiring to see cool projects like this.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#309> 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?
> the orange site
This one isn't new to me. My old boss used to call it that.
Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15
#310Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm old so I'll just say that my Amiga 500 had 512KB of RAM, and it played really cool music!
You had 512KB? I had 64KB. If the machine booted to BASIC, it had exactly 28815 bytes free. I could play music. Not waveforms, but MIDI-level.
An MSX machine?