
Vending Machine Dispenses MacBooks for Student Use - dwynings
http://newsblog.drexel.edu/2013/01/04/vending-machine-dispenses-macbooks-for-student-use/
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secure
That seems pretty cool, provided the computers are cleaned regularly and one
has a workflow which is sufficiently non-local.

Here are the primary reasons which always keeps me from using our university’s
computer pool’s computers:

1\. Horribly dirty keyboards.

2\. Horrible keyboards.

3\. The computers are outdated (as in: really slow).

Given these points are avoided — which comes at a cost for cleaning and up-to-
date hardware — the offer is attractive to me.

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sharkweek
I also love the concept, but I'm curious how they'll handle user security --
How would they prevent key-logger installation or something of the sort.

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rtkwe
The same way it's handled on all other university computers I assume. There's
no saving on the hard drive because they are wiped between uses and a new
environment is setup each logon. That's the way it's handled at my university,
looking from the outside I'm not part of the IT dept.

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stevenrace
Neat.

I suppose this uses the 'Security Slot/K-slot' and pushes it out of the foam
receptacle (via a solenoid) when a purchase has been made? Returning would be
reverse, checking continuity with the lock cable when it's inserted...and
maybe a RFID tag inside the case to detect the laptop ID?

I've been spending a good amount of time thinking about networked bikesharing
locks, so that's my guess at how this works:

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meaty
Well that puts a higher price on stolen student id cards!

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tomschlick
Not if the university applies a pin/password system.

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meaty
Having been a university student and knowing the types who circle around on
campuses, they'd just beat it out of you.

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Jun8
But, assuming saving to HDDs aren't allowed, why handout MBPs rather than
chromebooks? You can get four of them for the price of one Mac Book.

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btian
More applications on Macbook for one. It probably includes those installed on
desktop iMac that the university has (e.g., MS Office, Matlab, Strata etc.)

I'm not from Drexel but in my university, computers are configured to
automatically mount network drive that I can save files in.

Chromebooks are nowhere as capable as the Macbooks.

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ericcumbee
more capable yes, but are they good enough? for most college students
(excluding CS,IT, Engineering etc)i would say yes and like someone said 4
Chromebooks for the price of 1 macbook. from what i have done with Google Apps
and Chromebooks, i would say the chromebook is probably a better fit out of
the box for this use case than a Macbook.

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rayiner
Not having MS Office is a dealbreaker. It's not a matter of being able to do
what you need on Google Docs, it's lack of perfect MS Office compatibility
with back/forth revisions, track changes, etc.

Also, why exclude engineering? Drexel has pretty big engineering, science, and
math departments. And I'd imagine some of the softer majors like business,
accounting, etc, still need their own software.

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jaredsohn
> why exclude engineering?

I think the grandparent post was saying that engineering students (as well as
those for other named disciplines) may have a need for non-webbased software
that a Chromebook wouldn't adequately satisfy.

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rayiner
Right. My point is that they use the library too.

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ericcumbee
I'm not saying use chrome books exclusively, buy chromebooks for the english
1101 term papers and macbooks for engineers.

so instead of buying 2 macbooks, you've bought 4 chromebooks and a macbook for
the same price.

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mey
I wonder how they manage patching, resetting and general maintenance of the
devices being rented.

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arscan
This is basically the equivalent of a computer lab (remember those places? me
neither)... but you happen to be able to take the computer with you instead of
being stuck in a seat. I assume they will use whatever management tools they
use in those labs.

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dfxm12
I'm not so sure. The article states that Drexel is the third school on the
East Coast to use such a kiosk. Another option is that whoever provides the
kiosk takes care of maintenance as well.

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arscan
Right, I imagine that the WHO is different. But the what/how (i.e. what
software they use, how the machines are configured, etc) is probably pretty
darn similar. Really, how is it different than a session in a computer lab,
except that the person picks up (and eventually returns) the computer, instead
of sitting in the lab? Why reinvent the wheel here?

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dfxm12
It's a question of ownership & service contracts. The article is light on
details.

If the school owns the laptops, and whoever provides the kiosk only provides
kiosk (and not the laptops) you might very well be right. However, I imagine
whoever runs the kiosk is also "renting" the laptops to Drexel, and Drexel
pays (via a support contract) for that company to keep the machines in working
order.

Plus, if it is the latter, there's no guarantee that the group that runs the
computer lab even had any say in this. I The library is a separate entity from
from the computer lab/help desk.

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arscan
I don't think we are disagreeing here. When asked the question "how are these
maintained", I was providing a technical answer (with similar tools that labs
use) and you are providing a business answer (by outsourcing). Both are valid
answers, and appropriate perspectives for HN.

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dfxm12
I'm saying both are possible answers but we can't know because the article
doesn't have enough details.

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clauretano
I wouldn't at all feel safe walking around their campus at night carrying any
expensive electronics, so this is a fantastic idea.

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wasd
I would have loved this when I was in college. Even though I studied
mathematics, I needed my computer for everything. I got all my books in
digital format (for a significantly lower price or free) and typed my homework
in LaTeX. I lived 30 minutes walking from campus so by the end of my senior
year my back was killing me.

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sethist
I wonder how physical security is handled. Losing a student ID is a not too
uncommon for college students. Without someone checking to make sure the
person holding the ID matches the picture on the ID, what is going to stop
someone from finding/stealing an ID and using that to "borrow" a laptop from
this machine?

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tomschlick
I would guess there is an ATM like pin code that you would have to enter.

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laurentoget
what was wrong with putting desktop machines in the library which you can
check out by, you know, sitting at the desk, and which are hard to steal
because they are bolted to the furniture?

what exactly are we maximizing here? the amount of money spent by the
university?

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nacs
Are you really asking why someone would want to use a laptop instead of a
desktop?

Students could take it off campus to their home or use it anywhere outdoors
within campus, take it to some other location off campus.

Also, Macbooks are < $1k with an educational discount. How is it a waste of
money to make 12 more computers available to students that can be used
anywhere on/off campus?

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rmk2
Assuming _every_ student has a laptop anyway[1], this basically caters "to
students who don’t want to carry a laptop while walking late at night from
their dorm or off-campus housing to the library".

What's the point of getting one "for five hours of use" to take it off campus
or home _if you have a laptop off campus or at home_?

What dire need exactly does this solve? Put computers in the library for
people who, well, work in the library. If you want to work elsewhere, _do_
bring your own.

[1]: And I know of _no_ student who does not own a laptop[2]

[2]: Cue anecdotal evidence of that _one_ person of a student body of
thousands of people without their own laptop...

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phdp
If you have ever walked in the area where drexel students live, you probably
wouldn't want to carry your laptop from your home or dorm to campus. I didn't
go there, but I lived nearby.

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rmk2
Mhm, it makes somewhat more sense to be able to borrow one at the university
if security is indeed a concern. I still wonder why it has to be a laptop,
though, since desktops (and maybe communal working spaces[1]) seem to fit the
bill just fine.

[1]: The University of Edinburgh for example has workspaces called "pods" with
a big screen and a desktop that allows for a group of students to work
together and display relevant files/work on the big screen.

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pavel_lishin
> I still wonder why it has to be a laptop, though, since desktops (and maybe
> communal working spaces[1]) seem to fit the bill just fine.

You can't take a desktop with you. Sure, you can go to the computer lab, and
there will probably be enough computers that you can sit next to each other,
and you can probably talk quietly enough to not disturb anyone else around
you.

You definitely can't take a desktop with you to class. I've tried.

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rtkwe
NC State installed those a little while ago too. Haven't used them personally
but they seemed pretty nice and very convenient.

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afeezaziz
Nice! I would love for computers to be more of a commodity!

