On Jul 31, 2011, at 10:18 PM, RussellMc wrote:

> ARM Raspberry Pi   An ARM Linux box for $25.htm
     :
> The expected price is $25 for a fully-configured system.

1) I'll believe it when I see it.

2) It sounds like they'll be using a BOGO-like model where "real =20
users" will be paying more to subsidize the cheap "charitable" =20
versions.  I don't think I like that model.

2a) I have developed an increased level of respect for products that =20
manage to support a "real" distribution model and still manage to be =20
affordable ("Arduino" being a good example, I think) rather than =20
products that depend on charitable direct distribution (and who knows =20
what other sources of income) to achieve unrealistically low prices.

3) I have my doubts that this class of computer is a "good thing" for =20
computer education.  It's too "big" to support with an arduino-like =20
model, and too "small" to run standardish desktop sofwtare (only =20
256M!)  There's an interesting paradox that I see, where the less =20
computer knowledge you have, the more modern a computer you need.  Joe =20
Hacker may find a ChipKit Max32 running 2.8bsd, Forth and BASIC really =20
cool, but Sam Simple better have that 4G W7 system than all the =20
current press/help/etc is "supporting."  (and Sue Student needs it to =20
have Java and Scheme and Perl and Visual C# and all those other =20
"expensive" development tools.)  OLPC has the same sort of problem.  =20
It seemed like a a pretty good idea at the time, now it's mostly a 4-=20
year old laptop architecture that runs a subset of the stuff that =20
people expect their computers to do.

4) I'd rather see a project to better support 'something' on all those =20
legacy systems (desktops, cell phones, infrastructure, even appliances =20
and toys) that currently end up in landfills.  Seems that a 1GB 1GHz =20
Pentium3 x86 system is essentially "trash", but is still more likely =20
to be useful than that 256MB 700Mhz ARM.  The software effort isn't =20
any larger for legacy exiting HW than it is for new, unique HW.  =20
Probably less, if you can run old software.  (Of course, shipping and =20
power costs become relevant as well.  Maybe.)

BillW

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