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VIA launches $49 Android PC

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Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#41

Post by ovi256 »

haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

I'd suggest the cheapest Dell desktop box. Or even the cheapest Dell server.

It will be a magnitude order more costly though, both in acquisition price and electricity.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#42

Post by EwanToo »

haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

I'm using a beaglebone running Ubuntu, it's a brilliant little box, cost £55.

There's the pandaboard too, which is more powerful with hdmi output

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#44

Post by haberman »

ovi256 wrote: post #41
haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

I'd suggest the cheapest Dell desktop box. Or even the cheapest Dell server. It will be a magnitude order more costly though, both in acquisition price and electricity.

Dell makes ARM machines? Do tell. I already have headless build bots for x86 (new Mac Mini) and PowerPC (old Mac Mini), which are perfect in form factor for this. I specifically want an ARM machine to add to them.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#45

Post by haberman »

EwanToo wrote: post #42
haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

I'm using a beaglebone running Ubuntu, it's a brilliant little box, cost £55. There's the pandaboard too, which is more powerful with hdmi output

Does it reliably boot headless? If it does I'll order one before the ink dries on this comment.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#46

Post by EwanToo »

haberman wrote: post #45
EwanToo wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm using a beaglebone running Ubuntu, it's a brilliant little box, cost £55. There's the pandaboard too, which is more powerful with hdmi output

Does it reliably boot headless? If it does I'll order one before the ink dries on this comment.

Yes, it's been very reliable for me. It ships with angstrom Linux, but it's trivial to install Ubuntu.

I've got it hosted in a collocation rack now, so it had better stay reliable :-)

I've written a short blog post about it http://www.ewanleith.com/blog/956/my-60-arm-server

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#47

Post by iRobot »

mjb wrote: post #37
iRobot wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 1989 I ran a Unix system with 1000 users on hardware less powerful than this, why this kind of horse power cannot run something as simple as a web browser says more about the inefficiencies inherent in current operating systems and programming methods than they do about the hardware.

> as simple as a web browser says more about the inefficiencies inherent in current operating systems and programming methods than they do about the hardware. No. This is simply not true, at least at the extreme you are suggesting. What I have open on my quad-core 8GB RAM desktop right now: two Eclipse sessions; One emacs server, with about 20 client windows; Firefox, with 30+ tabs; 20 or so console sessions; five PD…

http://www.menuetos.net/

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#48

Post by haberman »

EwanToo wrote: post #46
haberman wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it reliably boot headless? If it does I'll order one before the ink dries on this comment.

Yes, it's been very reliable for me. It ships with angstrom Linux, but it's trivial to install Ubuntu. I've got it hosted in a collocation rack now, so it had better stay reliable :-) I've written a short blog post about it http://www.ewanleith.com/blog/956/my-60-arm-server

Awesome, I'm totally getting one, thanks! Also appreciate learning about nmon, which looks nifty.

(Still do wish I could jailbreak my AppleTV though. That is one sexy piece of hardware.)

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#49

Post by DanBC »

rbanffy wrote: post #23
Derbasti wrote: post #11

This somehow lacks all geek-appeal to me. It looks like a regular mother board. Not interested. The raspberry pi on the other hand looks cool . Strange.

It depends on what you intend to do with it. My mom's computer is due for an upgrade and she would probably be happy with a beefier version of this machine. Swapping the motherboard should be trivial enough and the PC would continue to look familiar, at least. She's used to Ubuntu and she couldn't care less about the ISA the machine is running. Moving to Android could prove an interesting experience, but I suspect ma…

Yes, these machines are nearly ready. They need a little bit more stuff, and some nice cloud stuff set up.

Put them in a little box, bolt them to the back of a nice monitor and they're great for most people.

Re: VIA launches $49 Android PC

#50

Post by grannyg00se »

haberman wrote: post #39

I just want an ARM box that I can run headless in my closet and keep on all the time to use as a build bot. First I bought a SheevaPlug ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SheevaPlug ) but that fried itself before long. Next I bought an Efika MX Smarttop ( https://www.genesi-usa.com/store/details/11 ), which works ok, but doesn't always boot reliably (I boot it headless most of the time, so can never get to the bottom of…

Isn't this a perfect use case for Raspberry Pi?
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