Gumstix

I've got a Gumstix, but I don't think it is suitable for your application. What resolution do you need?

Leon

I've read Leon's response and have lightly browsed gumstix.com and gumstix.org .

Is there a modern low cost dedicated word processor with keyboard, display, printer port, and *ABSOLUTELY NO POSSIBLE* internet connectivity?

Obviously I'm looking to support a very niche market.

The buzzword of what I'm looking for is "assistive technology". The client is 14 YRO 7th grade ADHD student who meets all known possible definitions of "at risk" child.

The problem is that the industry aims to provide a broad spectrum solution. That is not always acceptable.

Comments or inspiration welcome. My email is real.

Thank you.

Taken literally, that's rather obviously impossible. PLIP exists, so printer port ==> possible internet connectivity. You might have to consider an electronic typewriter instead.

Other than that, the way to avoid internet access is by keeping the net away from the machine, not the machine away from the net. I.e.: no phone, no digital cable in the room, and use a machine that doesn't support wireless networking. Any pre-PCI PC would qualify quite nicely: WLAN via ISA is sufficiently rare to be considered non-existent.

I think there are ethernet adapters that can plug into a parallel printer port and I know there are adapters for a USB port so that pretty much excludes anything running an OS.

I suggest finding a piece of legacy hardware such as a dedicated word processor/electronic typewriter for your ap.

... snip ...

Sure. Any PC with no modem and no ethernet port. Mount Linux and something like Openoffice. Then physically remove the CD and the floppy. Maybe also any USB access. All you leave is the parallel printer port, and maybe a serial port for your own convenience.

Parallel printer port? Never seen TCP/IP over PLIP? Nope, can't have one of those.

pete

Well my partner runs the computer network at a scholl with over 200 computers, and for the children with dyslexia and other problems the ability to have a keyboard to type rather than write the notes was originally filled by laptops. This gave all sorts of problems - breakages, programmes loaded that should not be, and worst of all the atrtup and shutdown problems at the beginning and end of 50 minute lessons.

They now use a cheaper TEXT only input keyboard device with about 8 lines of text, some rudimentary spell check, multiple file saving, direct print to USB printer and USB download to Word automatically if required for files to saved on computer network (assignments etc.,). The brilliant thing is they run off of 3 AA batteries that have MANY hours of life can be mains adapter run, auto shut off and resume EXACTLY where they were when shut off. They are a HELL of a lot more rugged than laptops.

Look at

That is always the case - one size fits all.

The school in question has students from 11 to 18 years old and these are seeming to be adopted well by the students as NOT looking like they are worth stealing etc..

They are not expensive comapratively.

I'm not sure, but maybe the wrong assumptions have been made here.

When you say absolutely no internet possible are we talking its not possible the for the candidate to plug in a modem or similar or are we talking of a candidate that has the ability or contacts or...to get what could fundamentally be only a circuit board connected?

Tom

Resolution, hmm, well to be honest I haven't really though of a minimum, I have previously been looking at other X Scale and SBC units where it wasn't that much of a problem.

Certainly shouldn't be needed 1280, 1024 I guess would be the max. 800 possibly even 640 would suffice.

Maybe throwing the net wider would help, if anyone comes across this post who knows about X Scale or SBC's I'm really not looking for much, don't need high speed processor, don't need smashing graphics, sound might be worth considering. What is an absolute requirement is it must not be a desktop - long story?! Oh and it needs to be, well as close to bomb proof as you might consider, intended market are not careful citizens. Oh and of course cheap as possible, not talking a few quid/dollars, bot preferably not several hundreds either.

Tom

Tom

The noPC is a small LPC2148 based SBC where you can plug in standard peripherals. It is designed for use with VGA monitors, especially LCD types. It is designed for industrial environments but I'm not sure if it can handle kids :)

Maybe this is suitable, maybe it's not. I haven't tried to interface to USB printers but this should be possible.

what about

Alex

Without floppy, network, or CD how is the bad guy going to get any network software on there? Of course if you let him loose with pliers, screwdrivers and components for an extended period of time he can break in anywhere.

Point taken. I meant that it should not be too easy to connect to the Internet. The units that Paul Carpenter refers to seem compatible with that goal. This is one of those cases where *lack of connectivity* is a plus.

That's the general idea. I'll have to take a close look. They took a slightly different approach than I might have. It may have advantages.

Looking at them triggered a memory of what may had been influencing my thoughts -- the dedicated word processors such as Wang. Is there such now using modern technology? They were a screen, keyboard, and printer port.

Yes and No, the printer port could be USB with limited USB printer support builtin. Some of the more glorified electronics typewriter'esque devices are small dedicated systems with simple LCD display and limited comms ability, several builtin programmes and USB/IR printer support. So ther is no internet or network stack built into the device or that can be added.

Or for that matter an old Palm device with external keyboard, has very limited ability for internet access, so don't get them the modem. printing has to be done via more circuitous routes.

-- Paul Carpenter | snipped-for-privacy@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk PC Services GNU H8 & mailing list info For those web sites you hate

USB is easily an order of magnitude worse than a parallel port, in that regard. USB means one can connect a USB WLAN stick, analog modem, ADSL/cable modem, or just for the heck of it, a mobile phone. And that's only the immediately obvious options.

Doesn't need a terribly special modem --- has IrDA and a serial port already. I'm almost sure I could use my S55 GSM phone to bring my Palm m500 into the net, if I cared to try.

....

They have seen

These are basic wordprocessors with limited screen size, funcion key swapping between files, saved as you go. The printer port is normally USB on some IR on others. USB for PC connection if required.

They don't have all the flexibility of most wordprocessors (colour, myriads of fonts ...) but allow quite a few functions and other functions like calculator etc. from a menu key.

Not on the device I had in mind and put up the URL for as it ONLY supports USB printers from its host port, its slave port can only be used to connect to another host for file upload as a disk device.

USB is only as good as the software on the host, if the host ONLY supports printers then nothing else works, even pen drives do not work, that has been tested.

You seem to assume that the USB host port means any software can be setup have a look at

-- Paul Carpenter | snipped-for-privacy@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk PC Services GNU H8 & mailing list info For those web sites you hate

Another point that should have occured to me earlier. The USB port on a device could be quite effectively disabled by either epoxying a plug into the socket or internally cutting the connection.