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Hardware Software Linux

HP Thailand Sells $450 Linux Laptop 310

Posted by michael from the tco dept.
greyrax writes "The revolution has begun! Seems that the Thailand branch of HP is selling Linux-based laptops for $450. The government of Thailand is now talking to Dell Thailand about a similar arrangement."
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HP Thailand Sells $450 Linux Laptop More

HP Thailand Sells $450 Linux Laptop

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  • Woah, HP Thailand? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:57PM (#6027539)
    When did HP buy Thailand? What's next? MS Canada?

  • Article seems a little short on details. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Chris_Stankowitz ( 612232 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:59PM (#6027551)
    What kind of laptops? How many of these were they selling (as many as people would buy or a fixed number)? Can Anyone buy one? Can I buy one over the internet? Would I want to buy one? The list goes on. Anyone have any links to know the answers to any of these questions?

  • Hmmmm. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by The Bungi ( 221687 ) <thebungi@gmail.com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @05:59PM (#6027555) Homepage
    $450? I somehow doubt this is a particularly excellent piece of hardware. I mean, even accounting for the "M$ tax" as it were (which is negligible when applied in bulk OEM licenses anyway) and considering that it's difficult to find a decent laptop for under $800... well, I think this is kinda fishy.
    • Yep... totally agree, except the M$ tax should not apply to a linux loaded laptop (I think you misspoke on that point). Besides, doesn't the latest Zaurus go for roughly that price?

      Hmmm... full laptop versus a palmtop with a teensy weensy keyboard (yeah, yeah... I know they're for different applications... just making an inappropriate comparison).

    • Re:Hmmmm. (Score:3, Informative)

      by Archfeld ( 6757 ) *
      looking at the Thai equivalent of $450.00, in a country that sponsors manufacturing in a heavy way. It is not outside the realm of possibility. The machine that you and I can get assuming M$ Government ever allows them in the western world will include many surcharges and a profit margin at about 1000%, which accounts for the $800 price tag you are reasonably quoting.

      • Re:Hmmmm. (Score:3, Informative)

        by The Bungi ( 221687 )
        in a country that sponsors manufacturing in a heavy way

        Well, that would be another matter. The article says:

        The notebooks are being sold as part of a push by Thailand's Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) ministry to offer the public affordable PCs.

        ... which means the hardware is subsidized, I guess. It's not very clear.

        M$ Government ever allows them

        Spare me the party line, bud. I was wondering what kind of quality hardware in a laptop package one can expect for under $500, that'

        • I was wondering what kind of quality hardware in a laptop package one can expect for under $500,

          Hehe, do what Google do. If you buy enough of them, you'll be fine :)

        • well a little research bud and now ya know, party line or not :)

          TGIF and have a good weekend and holiday all Cheers

    • Re:Hmmmm. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by steve_l ( 109732 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:09PM (#6027651) Homepage
      Big hardware costs in a laptop are display, HDD and CD (say $25) /floppy ($5), plus CPU and memory.

      a pure linux laptop can get away with a lower power CPU, less HDD and by the CNET report, the CD. That leaves display.

      The nice thing is that not only can they get rid of the MS tax, but they can include a full suite of tools: gimp, OpenOffice.org, evolution, and at a price point that you cannot do legally with a windows box (of course, you can get all the windows stuff illegally at discount rates in Asia: Redhat CDs sell for the same as Windows Server CDs, $5 or so).

      The interesting thing is the network effect: if lots of people start to use linux distros, then it makes sense for even people with $$ to use it, offices to use it, etc, as it is what everyone will understand. And if one developing country follows the Open Source path, it can set an example to others.

      Something to watch, perhaps.

    • Seems right to me (Score:5, Interesting)

      by frovingslosh ( 582462 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:11PM (#6027667)
      I just bought an HP notebook a few months ago (here in the U.S., where I couldn't avoid the M$ tax). Since then I've seen another HP notebook with a faster Athlon and bigger hard disk (40 gig vs. 30 gig) for the same $850 I paid. Considering that HP will build the systems with 20, 30 or 40 gig drives, will put a 14.5 inch rather than a 15 inch screen, give a choice of CPU, and will sell it with a DVD drive rather than the DVD/CDRW drive I got, it certainly makes sense that you can get a decent Linux notebook for this price, although I would expect a 40 gig version with a DVD/CDRW drive and a hot processor to certainly be more. But HP could well sell decent notebooks here at that price too if they dropped the M$ tax.

    • Right you are (Score:5, Informative)

      by OECD ( 639690 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:14PM (#6027699) Journal

      Right you are, according to this CNet article [com.com]:

      The government is subsidizing the cost of the hardware...

      Sorry folks, I don't think the Thai government is going to pony up for the rest of us.

    • Don't buy Thai (Score:2, Offtopic)

      by knobmaker ( 523595 )

      Maybe this is a dopey consideration, and I'm just a soft-headed idealist, but I no longer buy anything made in Thailand, if I can help it.

      Here's the deal: In February, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced that in three months, Thailand would win the war on drugs. When the attempt officially ended, according to the Associated Press, 2,274 Thais had been killed. The government said that only about 35 of these killings were committed by the police, in justifiable self-defense, but the Thai people an

    • Re:Hmmmm. (Score:3, Informative)

      by osguru ( 656504 )
      You have to realize that in Thailand $450 is 18,550 Baht - which by Thai standards is about 2 months rent for a pretty small apartment in the city.

      You could get all the bells and Whistles with a laptop such as DVD, Wifi, etc... but chances are you will never use any of it if you are a Thai native (no AP's anywhere, they watch VCD's, etc...)

      Which is why Internet Cafe's are all the rage in Thailand - cost is 1 Bhat per minute (0.02 cents USD).

      Thailand is still a developing country, espically in the techn
    • Well we start with your $800 price tag, now we chop off $140 for oem XP Pro, tht takes us to $660, now we take another $105 off because it's a bulk sale (now $555), and probably slack import taxes and some of the hardware is probably being manufacturered there thus having no import/export tax at all. Chop another $105 because there are no support costs (now $450).

      I dunno about you, but those numbers don't sound too fishy to me, actually if anything it sounds kinda high.
      • $140 for oem XP Pro

        Would you like to show us where you got that price from, and whether or not Dell and HP pay that kind of money per XP license?

        Thanks.

    • Re:Hmmmm. (Score:3, Informative)

      by Farang ( 552254 )
      "Fishy" is right. This story is a lot less about computers than it is about Thai politics, which is why so many posts are expressing puzzlement, confusion, and comments that are off target.

      The current prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra (pronounced more or less Toxin Sheen-ah-waht, and yes, we got the joke a long time ago) is a populist who got his start in politics by somehow talking someone in the military junta that was running the country at the time into giving him a monopoly on mobile pho

  • Asia is the current battleground (Score:5, Insightful)

    by caluml ( 551744 ) <slashdot&spamgoeshere,calum,org> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:00PM (#6027556) Homepage
    All the posturing and buying senators that Microsoft can do in the US, and Europe will have no effect when China, and India come online in a big way. Especially for governments suspicious of Windows, and the possibility of backdoors.
    • I agree with you that Asia is the current battleground, however bribing is sooo much easier done in poor countries like India or China. The only difference is that the bribing in the US is done in open view (see Republican election funding).
  • Resell these for ~$500 or so and I know a lot of people would eat this up on this side of the pond.
    • Wow, $50 profit per laptop! Lesse, I could probably stuff a couple dozen into my luggage (have to pad the luggage well, of course, as luggage handlers are not typically gentle). So 24*$50=$1200! That's almost enough for airfare one way! Here I come, Thailand...
      • I'd be tempted. I bet you could sell them for more like $650 in the US if the hardware isn't to shabby. Especially if while your there you make them dual boot between Linux and pirate copies of XP. I have a couple cousins just entering college and their parents would love to see a $650 laptop. About $800 is the best deal I've found for new non-shitty laptops locally.
      • have to pad the luggage well

        Pad Thai?
  • Just imagine the shipping costs if you have to send it back for service!

    • Shipping (Score:2, Informative)

      by cqpalzm ( 564996 )
      I work in HP support, we cover shipping both ways. The user never has to pay a dime for it unless they want it overnight.

  • With support? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by cruppel ( 603595 ) * on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:00PM (#6027568) Homepage

    Hmm now that's what caught my eye. I believe they said

    ...the ministry has agreed to take on service and support issues related to the PCs.

    This could get interesting... I know Wal-Mart sells headless Linux boxes for $200 but the only people that buy them are guys who already run Linux. The support could persuade a LOT more people into using Linux.

    • Actually, your statement about Walmart's sale of the linux machines is entirely faulty. They've sold quite well to lower income customers who can't afford to pay the microsoft tax. You don't really think Walmart would be carrying something with such low margins that only caters to such a tiny portion of the market, do you?

      If you question this, check out some of their press releases about the boxes.

  • Hehe (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ignorant Aardvark ( 632408 ) * <cydeweys@noSpAm.gmail.com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:00PM (#6027570) Homepage Journal
    VIVE LA REVOLUTION!

    Ohhh crap, I'm gonna get flamed ... better put freedom in there somewhere to make it okay ...

    VIVE FREEDOM REVOLUTION!

  • I was going to say something... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by craenor ( 623901 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:01PM (#6027572) Homepage
    Witty or funny here...but you know what, that is just a helluva deal. You don't find that many Linux based portables as it is, and finding one at this price would be great.

    Now how about spreading the love to those of us in U.S.?

  • the revolution? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:01PM (#6027578)
    The revolution has begun!

    Shoot. . . I work for the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. . . should I be concerned?

  • Specifications (Score:5, Informative)

    by Captain Pooh ( 177885 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:01PM (#6027579)
    Cnet.com [com.com] has the specifications on the laptop.

    800MHz Intel Celeron processor

    128MB of RAM

    20GB hard disk

    • Re:Specifications (Score:3, Interesting)

      by jdray ( 645332 )
      That's plenty more than the 300 MHz Celeron I'm using for my desktop at home. And I have few complaints about it. And my 300 MHz laptop, running XP of all things, isn't terribly bad, either.

    • Re:Specifications (Score:4, Interesting)

      by GMFTatsujin ( 239569 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:17PM (#6027711) Homepage
      Rock out. That is precisely *twice* the specs of the laptop I'm running Gentoo on now. This would be a sweet little upgrade for next to nothing (as far as laptops go).

      I'd be very interested to see what the peripheral options for this box are. For example:

      * Wireless networking capability?
      * PCMCIA slots? Media card slots?
      * Docking station?
      * Battery type and life?

      Another nice spec to have would be the internals. Since they're putting linux on it, I suppose we can all assume that they are using compatable hardware :) I guess the question is, exactly how cheap are the bits inside, and are the drivers open?

      GMFTatsujin

    • Re:Specifications (Score:5, Informative)

      by Mr. Sketch ( 111112 ) * <<moc.liamg> <ta> <hcteks.retsim>> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:20PM (#6027739)
      You forgot one more important spec:

      No CD-ROM or floppy drive.

      However, they will be selling a 'high-end' version with CD-ROM for ~$600.
      • Who needs a floppy or CDrom? All important apps would probably be pre-loaded. File transfers would be done over network/internet. Oh yea, and the floppy died 5 years ago, didn't you hear? :)
    • No CD - bummer.
      What they still don't say is the screen size, resolution, battery life, ports, 802.11, etc.

      Makes me wonder.

  • It's about time. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by RedCard ( 302122 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:02PM (#6027587)
    It's about bloody time.

    This is what linux is best for, after all - low cost hardware made to run just as fast as the new stuff via the application of a good, stable, OS. Also the fact that this allows HP to cut M$ out of the picture completely. An OS is really the only computer component that can be had free, and I see no reason why this couldn't be done on this side of the ocean.

    How long before Walmart (a company that I usually loathe) starts selling a super-low-cost lindows laptop? I'd sure buy it! (Or have they released one already?)

    • "This is what linux is best for, after all - low cost hardware made to run just as fast as the new stuff via the application of a good, stable, OS."

      I am afraid that the most visited page on Microsoft Thailand website will soon be "How to remove a Linux partition and create a NTFS one instead"

      • Even so, Microsoft's only workable response to this is to make Windows harder to install without a license, a move which will anger paying customers. Microsoft can't hardly sue Thailand.

        Microsoft's other option is to turn Windows into a loss leader for other goods and services. If Windows were free (as in beer) Linux would lose much of its appeal.

        • Microsoft's other option is to turn Windows into a loss leader for other goods and services.

          <humour>Like a dealer giving first hits for free?</humour>

          If Windows were free (as in beer) Linux would lose much of its appeal.

          Linux still has appeal as you wouldn't need to buy lots of the other softwre that MS would still be selling. Although you still have the option to buy commercial software if you wish, of course.
          NB I run MS oses and linux, my choice is to migrate to linux as I can. That means as

    • First thing I'd do in a case like that is wipe Lindows and put a real Linux distro in...maybe Knoppix, maybe Mandrake 9.1.

      A bit more info on this Thai HP laptop: base model doesn't come with an optical drive. (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, etc) For a bit more, you get a CD-ROM. Unfortunately a computer without an optical drive is kinda crippled.
    • Try http://idot.com. They have customizable laptops starting at $799. I've done business with iDot before and it's been an overall good experience.

  • I love this... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Stephonovich ( 601356 ) <stephonovich AT ... h-online DOT com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:03PM (#6027588) Homepage Journal
    I love this comment:
    Additionally, with the rampant amount of piracy in Thailand, users could easily purchase the low-cost PCs and install pirated Windows software on them.
    It just isn't something one usually sees on a news site... Almost as though it's advocating piracy. (ALMOST, Future Flamers...)

    (-:Stephonovich:-)

    • Re:I love this... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bstadil ( 7110 )
      And forcing you to pay for Windows that your are not planning to use is kosher?

      If most people put windows on those machines it would actually work to MS' advantage as they thereby manage to maintain the file format lock in.

      Good news is that machine is a little underpowered for XP and is has no Cd, meaning it is so not so easy to "switch" for Joe Sixpack or whatever Joe is called in Thailand.

  • I heard that Mr. Gates was fit to be Thai'd when he heard about this...

    Yeah, my work day is done.

    • Upon hearing the news, Mr. Gates starting swirling into a giant Thai-phoon, quickly engulfing some of his troglodytes, but not the beefy Mr. Ballmer. He is like stone and stood his ground, for that is why the call him STONE MAN!!!
  • Anyone know the specs on this bird? I have a ole Toshiba laptop with an 8086 and 320x200 B&W LCD, MS-DOS 2.11 embedded for less than this. No hard drive, through, floppy only. A 720K floppy, that is.
    • Sounds a lot like my old toshiba, only it had... dammit a 286 or maybe something less, it had 2 megs of ram but the only thing you could do with the memory in excess of 640 was make a ramdisk... old DOS embedded on ROM, maybe 3.1 or so... just a floppy. That was actually quite a nice machine, great for writing in the park.
  • 1. Find wholesale friend in Thailand
    2. Import said cheap laptops
    3. Remove evidence of thai-stuff from laptop
    4. ?????
    5. PROFIT!!!!!

  • The Thai keyboard isn't a problem... (Score:5, Funny)

    by MerryGoByeBye ( 447358 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:07PM (#6027636) Journal
    ...as long as you're a good Thaipist. ducks
  • ...or will this revolution not be televised?

    -R
  • The government of Thailand is the real force behind this move. That is an interesting development, has Microsoft ever taken on a government before? (I'm kidding) I wonder who has more cash?

    The fact that Linux has no licensing fee does give these machines a competitive advantage, especially if the user intends on puchasing a pirated copy of Windows. In fact, this government-sponsored initiative also gives an advantage to the software pirates, i.e., it gives them a new market. Hmm, is this a good idea? Is there any fair way to avoid this? Or is it that Microsoft creates their own disadvantage here by way of their licensing policies and fees?

    The bulk of the TCO for these machines is assumed to be end user support. Really? If you install a kernel especially suited to the hardware on the laptop, I'd think support would be down. I've struggled very hard with Linux (Debian and Slackware) over the years, but it's always been over hardware issues. Once I learnt enuff Perl to do stuff, use of the Linux environment has been natural and intuitive for me.

    In Windows, I am still a stranger in a strange land. I still can't get Windows to do what I want it to do on a regular basis, but hardware setup is usually pretty smooth. If I had been wise enough to ask someone smarter than I to build my kernel for each Linux box I have deployed, I would have spent WAY less time and money on support for them compared to the Windows machines. Is my experience so unique as to be counter to the conventional wisdom? How did the Thai Ministry conclude that they must anticipate higher support costs?

    • Pirated Windows??? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by psxndc ( 105904 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:27PM (#6027796) Journal
      When was the last time you tried running a version of Windows on an 800MHz Celeron with only 128MB RAM? I wouldn't worry about pirates using these for XP. :-)

      psxndc

    • The fact that Linux has no licensing fee does give these machines a competitive advantage, especially if the user intends on puchasing a pirated copy of Windows.

      Grr.. Why do people assume that everybody is going to want to wipe Linux and load Windows?? With these boxes flying off of the shelves as fast as HP (and possibly other manufacturers in the future) can make them, There's going to be a large pool of Linux support companies popping up all over the place. You've already got the tools you need to ru

    • hardware setup is usually pretty smooth

      Case in point:

      We just got some new desktops for the office. None had OS as we were replacing old gear.
      I installed, redhat 9, on mine, networked it with my old box, set up an scp to transfer by home dir, went for coffee. Applied all os patches from rhn, installed the nvidia drivers, so I can play quake. Done, total time ~3 hours.

      The competition?

      Day 1: Installed win2k, had some issue with license key, hunted around for key, gave up, went to warez. Finished i
    • Actually, the Thai government has been putting money into linux for a long time. About four years ago, I remember several big competitions for Thai fonts. The ministry of culture(?) is worried about the loss of the Thai language-- the thai web was looking very english back then.

      Even if pirated copies are "free," it's in the government's best long-term interests to promote a Free solution, so piracy doesn't get in the way of trade treaties.
  • That's $450 for the laptop and $1,500 for the return airfair to Thailand.

    At least I get a free trip to Thailand out of it.

  • Siamese laptops (Score:4, Funny)

    by earthforce_1 ( 454968 ) <earthforce_1 AT yahoo DOT com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:19PM (#6027728) Journal

    Do they have a two headed display?

    (Sorry, couldn't resist)
  • Using Linux over Windows really isn't what is making these laptops much cheaper (though yes the MS tax is gone now). The reason these laptops are this cheap is because the Thai government is subsidizing (sp?) the cost of the hardware, creating a "peoples computer." So nothing really new here in the world of competition, just something one government like any other could do.
  • When the heck is HP and Dell gonna sell laptops with Linux in the US...

    Never I guess....

  • You hear that? (Score:3)

    by TedTschopp ( 244839 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @06:29PM (#6027802) Homepage
    That was the sound of the 800lb gorilla in the corner getting smacked upside the head. Ted Tschopp
  • . Additionally, with the rampant amount of piracy in Thailand, users could easily purchase the low-cost PCs and install pirated Windows software on them.

    "This could make Microsoft tremble in its boots," Ma said. "What you've got is a blank canvas in which the user can paint any color he wishes whether that's officially licensed Microsoft software or pirated software."

    Or you could run Linux on it... ...
  • Well in all seriousness, I suspect it has, now that HP have let Linux out of the bottle and onto the Laptop in Thailand, I expect it won't be too long till they release it elsewhere, and other manufacturers will wnat a piece of this pie.

    I for one can't wait as I'd like to sell a good well supported Laptop with a good OS, and HP tech support has always had an excellent reputation.

    I think in a coupla years time when the suits have had time to play around with their Linux laptops, they won't be so unhappy to

  • The low cost notebook is nothing new (Score:3)

    by zakezuke ( 229119 ) on Friday May 23, 2003 @07:32PM (#6028139)
    Somewhere around here I have a compaq contura aero.. a whopping 486sx/33 with 4megs of ram. Sub standard sub sized screen that can't be used in the light of day, sub notebook.

    In about 1993 or so, it was one among many sub $1000 notebook computers... pretty spiffy back then. I think I paid like $250 or mine at some point, as it was a 486 sx after all.

    In 2003, it is a hunk of junk, not worth my bother and effort to get more ram to make a basic linux install bearable, but never the less the unit did have some charm to it at the time.

    But I saw the areo being a good thing, dispite it obvious flaws. While it didn't change the world, it was indeed an afordable laptop.

    This is the problem that I see with any sorta budget solution, esp with laptops. A simple lack of standardization tends to make them not nessicarly the best option in the PC world. Though, goverment sponcered involement in actually laying down the specifications for a people's laptop could actually change this, i'd hope.

    While yes a celeron 800 is indeed substantal, there will always been a need to upgrade at some point, if Thailand actually thought about this, and actually demanded future expantion in the form of motherboard removal and replacement, I can see this as being increadabily cool. Dispite the fact that my laptop has it's issues, i'd invest a few bucks in a motherboard upgrade if it was a viable option, dispite it crappy sub sized screen.

    The linux side of things, well i'm not all that sure it will pan out the way we expect. Older slashdot artical said something about the "war" between microsoft and linux, and in cases where it looks like microsoft might loose to linux, they would give away licenses. Don't get me wrong, I hope that Thailand would beable to say to the world, "Fuck you, we don't pirate anymore, we're using this free thing over here".

  • I really like the IDC quote... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by pjrc ( 134994 ) <paul@pjrc.com> on Friday May 23, 2003 @07:33PM (#6028142) Homepage Journal
    ...where Byran Ma is quoted saying:

    What you've got is a blank canvas in which the user can paint any color he wishes whether that's officially licensed Microsoft software or pirated software.

    Why is it so hard to imagine that users will simply just use whatever comes with the machine? As long as it works, and even if it occasionally crashes or doesn't work in some way (eg, the long sordid history of a certain monopoly vendor)., they'll probably never bother to go to the considerable trouble to reformat and install 'doze.

    Especially since the machine doesn't include a cdrom or floppy drive.

  • Just a point, if people buy laptops or computers at that price with Linux, then it had better be as easy to use as some of the zealots here are claiming. Otherwise, it could earn itself a bad reputation. Ppl might assume Windows costs more because it's better.

    I'm not a big fan of Linux, but I do wish it success.

  • The truth. (Score:5, Informative)

    by devapoj ( 83412 ) on Saturday May 24, 2003 @01:51AM (#6029586) Homepage
    Hey - no fair! I submitted this story last week and it got rejected. Oh, well... might as well fill everyone in on the details! The Laptop (as initially planned) is to be supplied by one of HP's key suppliers, but not itself HP branded. Well, at least the initial one was. The units have yet to be delivered (within 45 days of the end of this month says the fineprint in the contract), and frantic discussions are going on behind the scenes to source a better one. After all, a 800MHz VIA is pretty puny and the total lack of floppy / CD at that price point is pretty headache inducing.

    Right now there's a tendency to go for one of ECS's Desknotes instead and throw in an external battery pack! There are a pile of different vendor's laptops at the government agency involved undergoing evaluation as we speak. To the best of my knowledge, there have been discussions with representatives from most of the local manufacturers (HP/Compaq is very big in the Thai market), as well as representatives from VIA flying in, but nothing with Dell.

    As of Friday, the number of units "reserved" has topped 100,000. That's both laptops and the 1GHz Celeron Desktop which sells for 10,900 Baht or about 250 US$. Oh, did I mention that these units are not subsidised? The only monetary help given by the government is really in the low-cost loans (0.25% BELOW MLR) given to those who plan to purchase these machines through two state-owned banks.

    The target is for 1 million of these inexpensive PCs to be sold by the end of the year. That's one million linux boxes in a market which normally sells 600,000 a year. The Thai government is also putting the finishing touches on launching an inexpensive internet account thinggy for up-country folk at 1 Baht an hour in order to get these people online.

    The responsible agency (website only in Thai unfortunately) is Thailand's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology [ict.go.th]. Support and delivery of these inexpensive PCs is through Thailand's Communications Authority of Thailand [cat.or.th]. An actual link to the project page of these inexpensive computers can be found here [ict.go.th].

  • How cheap is cheap? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by melonman ( 608440 ) on Saturday May 24, 2003 @06:15AM (#6030108) Journal
    If you can pick up a pirated version of XP on the market, next to the durians, for $3, how much of a price advantage does Linux have?

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