

Invasion of the Tiny, Linux-Powered PCs - Tsiolkovsky
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/75259.html

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ams6110
_Post PC Era will begin in earnest when the functionality that we currently
see in the home computer is replaced by numerous small appliance-type devices_

The truth is that large numbers of home PC owners don't really want a computer
for everything a computer can do. They want to be able to do email, surf/shop,
maybe play games and stream movies, without having to deal with a lot of
"geeky" system stuff. This is why iPads are doing so well at replacing
computers in homes.

 _Other devices we're already seeing include "the oven that you can turn on
with a text message, the espresso machine that you can control with a text
message, home security systems and cars that can be controlled from your
smartphone_

Here I disagree. When I want to make a pizza, I want to walk up to the oven,
turn a dial to 425, done. I do NOT want to send a text message to my oven
telling it to turn on. This whole idea of "smart" appliances seems to me to be
pushed by people who don't actually use appliances.

~~~
bornhuetter
> This is why iPads are doing so well at replacing computers in homes.

Are they? Do you have any stats on this? I don't know anyone who has a tablet
and no computer. I know a guy who briefly considered buying at tablet with no
computer, but ended up buying a laptop instead.

~~~
3pt14159
They replace people's second computer, not their first.

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jiggy2011
This has always struck me as inevitable. People always joke about "the year of
the Linux desktop", implying that there must at some point be some head to
head battle with Microsoft that must be won.

In reality Linux is more like a treacle , slowly moving through the computing
world filling in gaps and commoditizing everything it touches.

If you already have the guts of a system for free, it moves the value
elsewhere which currently seems to be in providing user experience or
"service" computing.

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freehunter
Is it me, or is this article just segments of what basically amounts to the
comments section of a Slashdot article? It seems like everyone who is quoted
is referenced as a "Slashdot blogger".

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6ren
cotton candy: $199, 1.2GHz dual A9, quad Mali400 GPU, 1GB (comparable to iPad
3, I think) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Candy_%28single-
board_co...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Candy_%28single-
board_computer%29)

MK802: $74, 1.5GHz single A8, single Mali400, 512MB
[http://www.aliexpress.com/product-
fm/563764893-Freeshipping-...](http://www.aliexpress.com/product-
fm/563764893-Freeshipping-MK802-Mini-PC-Mini-Android4-0-dongle-android-IPTV-
google-tv-smart-android-box-allwinner-wholesalers.html) (NB: many websites
give 1.5GHz/Mail400, but not listed on the device's own site...)

~~~
ajross
Not to dump on the ARM love, but you can get Intel Cedar Trail boards which
compete really well on performance and price (especially if you need RAM) with
those offerings. And of course have the advantage of being plain old PCs:

[http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXD2700MUD-Dual-Core-Mini-
ITX-M...](http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXD2700MUD-Dual-Core-Mini-ITX-
Motherboard/dp/B006ZN4S22/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_7)

~~~
joshu
The second one is a complete machine, not a motherboard...

~~~
ajross
True enough. Embedded devices are never 1:1 in feature sets. So you'd have to
add a $10 DIMM and a $20 power supply. And then you'd have the choice between
a $74 stick based on an unknown SoC ("Allwinner A10" apparently is a single
1GHz A8) with minimal software support and a $110 dual core 1.6GHz Atom with
8x the RAM. And it runs Ubuntu/Fedora/SuSE/Mint (hell, even windows if you're
into that) out of the box.

I'm not dinging the ARM stuff really, just pointing out that for a lot of
these "cheap computer" applications the best choice is often just a PC.

~~~
joshu
Indeed. The ARM stuff is hobbyist only, now. I wouldn't want to run production
stuff on one.

People really think super tiny machines are very very amazing. I wonder if
it's a discontinuity in value perception.

The Atom probably uses a bunch more power, though.

(Personally I am fond of x86 SBCs such as PCEngines Alix, since they run
normal OSs, like you said.)

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patrickk
It's not Linux but somewhat related: the Always Innovating HDMI dongle. They
were talking about a price point of $80 for Android 4.0 on a dongle that plugs
into your tv HDMI slot.

Any idea where these will be available?

Would it be possible to make a DIY version of this (it doesn't have to be as
small or as attractively packaged, just that it would be great to have those
functionality now). Would make a fantastic hardware/software hacker project.

Edit - link: [http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/01/always-innovating-hdmi-
an...](http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/01/always-innovating-hdmi-android-ics-
dongle-hands-on/)

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toemetoch
overview of different systems:

<http://elinux.org/Development_Platforms>

