An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation • Hacker News Board

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#11

Post by jiggy2011 » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:21 PM UTC

jkot wrote: post #6

And people pay $80 for this? ARM device from China will be cheaper, smaller,more power efficient and will run Ubuntu just as fine. > 2.8Ghz P4 or better CPU (pentium 4 is very very green) > 80GB SATA HD (spin it yeah, Ubuntu comfortably fits to 5GB) > VGA port ???

x86 still has more software available and the option to run Windows.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#12

Post by Sanddancer » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:22 PM UTC

smhenderson wrote: post #4

All the specs say "or faster", "or more", etc. but I can't see a way to change the specs on purchase. Their common questions does have this question: "Can I upgrade the hardware in it?" with the answer being "Absolutely, hack away! We have had folks put solid state drives in, or take the drives out all together..." So maybe they just mean it's capable of being upgraded but they don't do it for you at point of sale.

They're a remanufacturer, and probably work with a lot of off-lease computers and the like. The $89 price point suggests they're taking 7-8 year old dells and the like, testing them to make sure they work, and putting them in a snazzy new case. So, some machines may be loaded with new ram, some may have faster processors, etc. It's a bit of a lottery, but with a nicer warranty than the 90 days you get with most off-lease stuff.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#13

Post by eam » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:22 PM UTC

blueatlas wrote: post #7

I don't see a WiFi option. My first thought was to use this for our stand-up desks which may or may not be near a wired port.

Based on the photo, it seems it has plenty of USB's, you can probably just purchase a WiFi adapter.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#14

Post by pmontra » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:23 PM UTC

jkot wrote: post #6

And people pay $80 for this? ARM device from China will be cheaper, smaller,more power efficient and will run Ubuntu just as fine. > 2.8Ghz P4 or better CPU (pentium 4 is very very green) > 80GB SATA HD (spin it yeah, Ubuntu comfortably fits to 5GB) > VGA port ???

Plenty of TVs and monitors still have a VGA port, so that's not a surprise. Furthermore this is basically a PC from 10 years ago and not a top notch one (I'm looking to HD, CPU and network card - I had a laptop with 10/100/1000). It's interesting that you can still run a 2014 OS on that hardware. There is probably some value in using an Intel chip instead of an ARM one even if I bet that most Linux software runs on ARM too (all my Linux boxes are x86_64).

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#15

Post by pjc50 » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

udev wrote: post #10

Amazing price point. Are the computer parts refurbished? Otherwise I wonder where do you get 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, and other older components at good prices these days? Usually, parts get cheaper as the become replaced by newer versions, but then become expensive again.

Yes, they're clearly reused parts from PCs that have been end-of-lifed by corporates.

Edit: If you're in the UK and happen to want a supply of EOL computers, I suggest Morgan Computers, e.g. http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/14905/HP-Eli...

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#16

Post by vittore » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

Funny we where doing something similar but giving it away for free to school kids in Trenton.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#17

Post by proveanegative » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

udev wrote: post #10

Amazing price point. Are the computer parts refurbished? Otherwise I wonder where do you get 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, and other older components at good prices these days? Usually, parts get cheaper as the become replaced by newer versions, but then become expensive again.

>Amazing price point.

Is it really? It seems in line with eBay/Craigslist prices for similar hardware, expect for the "remanufactured" part.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#18

Post by Sanddancer » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:26 PM UTC

udev wrote: post #10

Amazing price point. Are the computer parts refurbished? Otherwise I wonder where do you get 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, and other older components at good prices these days? Usually, parts get cheaper as the become replaced by newer versions, but then become expensive again.

Yes, they're refurbished/remanufactured, hence all the at leasts, etc in their specs.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#19

Post by fifthesteight » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:30 PM UTC

JosephRedfern wrote: post #5

dangerlibrary wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those of us who don't know: why would they need to steer clear of PowerVR graphics chips?

from disclaimers import IANAL I'm not sure, but it could be something to do with: http://libv.livejournal.com/26972.html . Basically, proprietary PowerVR graphics chip driver source was leaked. Anyone who has read the leaked code is considered "tainted" and is unable to contribute to the open-soruce, cleanroom implementation alternative PowerVR drivers. It generally makes it difficult for ANYONE to develop open-sourc…

holy hell an active livejournal link. that's amazing. i thought G.R.R.Martin was the only remaining user.

Re: An $89 remanufactured Ubuntu workstation

#20

Post by zerohm » Mon, Mar 02, 2015, 4:30 PM UTC

proveanegative wrote: post #17

udev wrote: post #10

Amazing price point. Are the computer parts refurbished? Otherwise I wonder where do you get 2GB RAM, 80GB HDD, and other older components at good prices these days? Usually, parts get cheaper as the become replaced by newer versions, but then become expensive again.

>Amazing price point. Is it really? It seems in line with eBay/Craigslist prices for similar hardware, expect for the "remanufactured" part.

Try getting all those old parts to a facility, test them, assemble a consistent product, and get it out the door. Their efficiency in doing that is their value proposition.