Re: If you could design a $300 homecomputer today, what would you choose?

[graham@aledrinker.co.uk (Graham)]

> For the sake of argument let's suppose you could design a next generation
> $300 homecomputer. The goal is to make a userfriendly machine for general
> use and for hobbyists. How would such a system look?

I may be late to the thread, but anyway...

I don't think that people will be willing to pay $300 for an appliance
(as such a computer would be). You have to look at what the current
market wants. There are a million and one Internet boxes (the Bush
Internet TV is one at �79, or about $100) that do Internet, email,
etc. Not much use for writing a letter or playing games though.

Assuming that you have been given a Government contract to make sub
$300 boxes for poor people to enable the Internet revolution and
increase education,etc (a realistic modern aim?) then what would you
want?

Integration is the name of the game. So is simplicity. It won't have a
DVD drive, but it will have a CD drive. It won't have a 40GB HD, but
it might have end of line never-sold 5~10GB HDs. It will have built-in
modem and ethernet. It will have built-in graphics and audio. It must
display to a TV, but a monitor is an option. Expansion ports kept to a
minimum (4 USB, no serial, parallel, etc). Internal expansion not
necessary. CPU power needs to be adequate, not good.

If you are building 1m boxes, you would sign a contract with
Asus/ABit/etc to get low end motherboards with the features that you
want only, in the form factor that you want. Use a cheap processor (in
quantity, the Via C3 would be good - I bet you could get 600MHz C3
processors in quantity for ~$25 each). Integrated motherboard would be
$40 with a $15 chipset (SiS630) and minimal components. Hard drive
would be ~$50. CD ~$20. No floppy.

Motherboard (+modem, network, audio, graphics): $40
Processor: $25
Hard Drive: $50
CD: $20
Case (custom): $20
Keyboard: $5
Mouse: $5

As for the operating system - a free one would make sense, however a
simple for dummies interface should be employed. The Linux kernel
could be used, with a graphical interface that lets the user run
applications and set up the device, but isn't a scary UI. Big icons on
the screen, one for each application. Basically the Palm launcher I
reckon. Modified applications could be used that didn't prompt the
user about where to save the document, but just saved it safely, and
when you wanted to open a document, it would just show the user the
list of documents that they had previously created. Disable downloads
from the Internet except from the device makers, where new apps can be
downloaded only (use a special tool, perhaps).

On the other hand, just use a Pace Digital TV set-top box, with
built-in PowerVR technology (a la Dreamcast). As non-digital TV will
be eradicated in about 6 years anyway, why not lever a device that
everyone will need in their house at one point or another?

Graham