Low-Cost Board Runs Linux, Google Apps 152
An anonymous reader writes to mention that hardware hacking enthusiasts can now get their hands on the guts of the Everex TC2502 Linux PC for just $60 (USD). The compact x86-compatible "gOS Dev Board" offers a lightweight Linux-based OS designed for use with Google Apps. " Along with a Firefox browser supporting the Google toolbar, gOS includes local productivity applications, such as OpenOffice.org. However, its main goal is "coherently packaging Google Apps to give users the idea that they can use Google as their main environment," explained Paul Kim, of Everex. "
The Artist Formerly Known as "Thin Client" (Score:4, Insightful)
aka: Thin Client
Coming soon to a handset near you! Oh, wait...
I don't get it (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"dev board" ? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ya, that was my problem with the piece too, no reason for it to be on linuxdevices since it is just another Via Mobo+CPU deal, this time blown up to the MicroATX form factor instead of the Mini-ITX VIA normally prefers. $60 for Mobo and CPU is OK I guess but not especially newsworthy.
"Devel" board to me implies something to develop for an embedded 'target'. What is the target system this board aims at? A PC running an x86 Linux isn't embedded computing. It isn't new, interesting or different. Linux on x86 is now mainstream. A decade ago a commercial outfit pushing Linux systems would have been newsworthy.
Re:I don't get it (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I don't get it (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyone truly deserving of the label 'geek' already has all of that stuff laying around from previous machines. I know I've got a 20-pin PC Power & Cooling PSU just itching to get back in the game, and some old DDR2 RAM as well. They're crying out, I tells ya!
Hahaha Dev Board... whatever... (Score:4, Insightful)
"This is not a "low-cost board running Linux"... this is "a run-of-the-mill PC that can run Linux". And you're kidding yourself if you think that you cannot buy the same motherboard cheaper by going around these wily marketeers. What joke... and a slashvertisement. Buy Everex! Google in Everyone's Home!
Let's see what it DOESN'T have... This is like, seriously, 2004 tech here...
1) No gigabit.
2) Questionable AGP chipset
3) See 2 - No PCIe, given this is AGP.
4) VGA? At least not CGA...
5) Lots of legacy I/O ports no one cares about.
If you think you cannot by a BETTER motherboard for $60 is... well... I want some of whatever it is that you're smoking.
Re:I don't get it (Score:4, Insightful)
Most of the alternatives people have posted that are similar in price have some advantages and some disadvantages. None seem to be clearly and unquestionably "better" in every way, just different and in the same general ballpark. So perhaps its not outstanding, just another low-cost option that's well supported in Linux. Which, unsurprisingly enough, is somewhat interesting to a substantial part of the Slashdot crowd.
Micro-ATX, actually.
I suppose that we should be suspicious of Linux, too, then...
Re:That's a smoking deal (Score:2, Insightful)
You'll need a heat sink. Avoid installing >1 DIMM. Does that qualify as 'close'?
This board doesn't compete with an Athlon 3200 on performance/cost, it does however blow it out the water on efficiency. I want a router/firewall box and having it running 24/7/365 means the electricity adds up and the Athlon ends up far more expensive. I don't have the exact figures but when I worked this out for my parents file server we found that it was cheaper over 2 years to swap their 2Ghz Durion that they already had (cost £0) for a MiniITX very similar to this (cost ~£120).
Basically if I could get one of these in the UK for ~£40 ($80) I'd buy it without a second though.