

Richard Stallman bestows blessing upon open-source crowdfunding site - walterbell
http://arstechnica.co.uk/information-technology/2015/07/founder-of-gnu-bestows-blessing-upon-open-source-crowdfunding-site/

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mark_l_watson
I am surprised that some hardware manufacturer has not decided to mass produce
a free software laptop with no binary blobs. There are probably enough Linux
enthusiasts in the world to make an adequate market. Something like the
Chromebooks, with a libre boot system and a libre Linux distribution. I am
looking for some mid-sized scrappy electronics company to step up to the
plate.

~~~
dottrap
I personally haven't seen anything that suggests the numbers can clearly
currently work, though I'm not in the hardware business.

The numbers needed to make hardware mass production viable are still high from
what I've seen. You can look Apple's struggles with PowerPC and IBM because
despite selling millions of computers every year, the number was barely
interesting for IBM to invest in continuing the line. Valve's Steam Controller
prototypes were done using 3D printers and interesting discussions of how
expensive a mass production mold system surfaced suggesting the kinds of
numbers that were needed to make it viable.

There was an interesting article I saw in the past week dispelling myths about
'you' and manufacturing, emphasizing that Chinese factories are generally not
desperate for your small orders. They are looking to make sure their capacity
is always being utilized by looking for large partners they can build long
term, stable, relationships with.

Ignoring the problem for a moment that some "Linux enthusiasts" may still be
swayed by other laptops due to competitive prices (lower prices or bundled
stuff), availability (I need my laptop delivered today, not next month), or
other features of competitors (aesthetics, weight, thinness, battery life,
etc), you still have to deal with the problem that every user will probably
want different features...different video card, different CPU, different
storage. All this customization weakens the ability of mass production to win
out. Now you start looking like the specialized PC market like the gamer
laptops which charge premiums for their niche. Then the "Linux enthusiasts"
have even more pressure to buy a more mainstream laptop because of the price
differential. And unlike the gamer market (or the Apple market), there isn't a
clear history of "Linux enthusiasts" willing to pay a premium for stuff.

Finally, the current profit numbers for the PC industry look bleak for the
long term. Demand is declining. But even if demand stayed flat, gross margins
are shrinking. This is a tough business to be in, let alone get into.

