$25 Computer runs Linux

Cool idea, but I'll bet you a nickel that the real price will be more like $49 -- and I could easily see as high as $99 -- if they ever actually start selling the things to the public: They're just not going to have the volumes, initially, to get the price down to $25 and still pay their own bills, in my estimation

Honestly, if their goal is to provide "ultra-low-cost computers for use in teaching computer programming to children... both in the developed and developing world," I think they'd be better off purchasing some of the millions of laptops that businesses cast off every year as they upgrade, wiping their hard drives, installing Linux, and using those instead -- the companies have depreciated them anyway, so they can afford to sell them for, e.g., $25, and I'm sure many would love the opportunity for a little good P.R. as well. ...plus this gets you a power supply, keyboard, pointing device, and LCD all in one, whereas these neeed to be purchased separately with the USB key shown.

For *hobbyists* it's a *very* neat device, though! -- Look at how well Arduinos and Beagleboards have done!

---Joel

"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away."

--Tom Waits :)

It's a complicated problem.

Raspberry pi knows that the kids will never see *anything* that is likely be diverted by adults for their own use. Their USB/HDMI ARM board is much less likely to be 'repurposed' than would a fully featured notebook.

Donated machines are guaranteed to be 'three of these, two of those, twelve of (Oh NO!) these. An unnecessary maintenance nightmare, yes?

I concur, doctor. Hopefully there is an easy way to expand and connect it to many different peripherals.

That is a very reassuring trend indeed. :)

--Winston

It definitely implies more maintenance -- you can't just take one image and duplicate it on each and every hard drive -- but there is value in learning how to configure/install software across various different models of PCs as well. I.e., perhaps they could have the older kids deal with that problem?

Perhaps, though I detect a little 'mission creep' here. :)

I'm enthusiastic about Raspberry pi's teeny little computer as a learning tool to the exclusion of a conventional notebook because of the increased likelihood that it would remain with the students and that if the absolutely worst (probable) thing happened, the whole platform is replaced Very Cheaply.

The small size of the Raspberry pi computer is far less intimidating; easier to store and carry than a conventional notebook.

I'm pleased that the instructors can become extremely competent with a *relatively* simple platform and not be distracted from supporting the students by notebooks that were 'gotten rid of'.

Good on them!

--Winston

You just have to carry a keyboard, mouse, 15" LCD monitor, wall wart for power.

Yup, just as compact.

In a laptop you do not get to see the computer, here its front and center.

But, the cpu does not a computer make.

A user need to see the output and see the input.

But, with the camera, the computer gets to see you. ;-) (Hmmm, maybe that's the goal)

hamilton

Dick Tracy Wristwatch.

Joel Koltner wrote:

...but only if they put $0-cost software on those (the way the HeliOS Project in Austin does).

(Those folks have several standardized GNU/Linux images and aren't greatly bothered by the onesy-twosey nature of donations.) ...and quite some time back HeliOS completely stopped messing with M$ junk.

The ultra-portability angle seems the selling point of these $25 things. Taking your assignments and work and apps home with you in your pocket seems like the way things should be done in the 21st Century. {image of Elroy Jetson goes here}

No one should confuse this gadget with an iMac or laptop. To get it going you have to: # Plug it into a powered USB hub. # To that hub, connect

1) a USB keyboard 2) a USB mouse 3) a USB NIC or USB WiFi dongle if connectivity is desired 4) any additional USB storage device you want 5) other USB toys??

#Connect the other end of the gadget to an HDMI device (and good luck if the rest of the family is watching MASH reruns.)

uuuummmm, 1984

(...)

Once the work area is set up with peripherals, it's a matter of snapping in the USB and HDMI connectors. Shouldn't take more than say, seven seconds?

--Winston

Good observation. I wonder what the throughput to and from the USB HD drops to after all those brethren are teamed up with it.

Still looks interesting. Let's buy 50 of them and set up a tiny supercomputer.

Call it a "Well ARMed Midget Computer".

Umm, 1984? Yer an idiot. It is not even out yet, idiot. It is a video transceiver. Show me even ONE that works from "1984".

Folks do that NOW with their cell phones, but are too vane and blind to be able to drop to a wristwatch sized display.

And hell, if yer going there, then it would be Willy Wonka.

ptops

HD

If it gets used as a modular basis of several consumer products like cheap DVR units or video game systems couldn't scales of economics allow it to stay modular and allow some of the same units to be diverted for educational use and replacement spare parts for the consumer products?

ie Get Mass Production scale of economics by using it in several products?

The ARM processor is already used in millions of consumer devices and washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc.

You are not behind the curve, you never were with it, and have been guessing ever since. Must have been those years of spousal abuse that kept you from having time for more noble human pursuits.

Is that the USB-Hub'y looking thing on the right side of the picture? Nifty!

--Winston

Skyhook (C) power supply......

RL

Supposedly, all working off the 9V battery....

Especially like that red wire wandering off towards the monitor.

Are the six connections to the processor assembly for field programming?

Might get more serious responses with a preliminary paper spec.

Is that a web camera? Funny priorities in that budget.

RL

(...)

I see a rectangular box roughly the size of a 9 V battery but it has a USB connector on one end. Sound interface? I dunno about that but the computer, keyboard and mouse are powered from USB.

(...)

I think this is more in the way of a conventional 'press release'. They are fishing for contributions.

Just an illustration of what *could* be done. Nothing wrong with that!

--Winston

Found it! Network interface. That red cable is an RJ-45:

--Winston

Its a USB to Ethernet device. 10BaseT old style.

Looks like a standard camera, that would be used inside of a web camera.

Yes, more information would be nice.

My SWAG:

The powered USB hub shows the keyboard and mouse plugged into the top. The Ethernet box below that on the left side. The host port of the cpu board plugged into the port next to the power into the hub. ( USB hubs always have a single dedicated host input)

I would like to know what the 6 wires are for soldered to the top of the board. The silkscreen states TP21, TP22 and GND.

hamilton

PS: My guess is this is faked.