Comments on: The $100 PC: How do we get there?

Steve Ballmer says the world needs a really cheap computer, but Mike Ricciuti warns that cheap doesn't come easy.

[davearonson]

How? Used, with Linux!

The $100 PC has been available for many years now, and is perfectly usable for the most common tasks. Take a PC that's a few steps (okay, leaps) behind the latest and greatest. For example, a PII/450 with 128M RAM, a 10G disk, a graphics card of that era, and a modem. That should all be available for well under $100, including keyboard and mouse. Sure, it's way too slow to run typical modern MS bloatware. However, there are alternatives.

Install Linux (free and much less bloated) and Mozilla (also free). Then you're ready to do all that most people use their PCs for: email and websurfing. Need more, like office tools, games, development tools, etc.? There are tons of free software out there for the downloading, in every conceivable category, much of it high quality. (Yes, not all is high quality, but neither is all commercial software.)

In fact, this would mean that the people would be even less likely to pirate Ballmer's (or indeed anybody's) software, but I still don't think he'll like it. ;->

The expensive part is the monitor. If they're willing to settle for 15", those can be had dirt cheap nowadays too.

[David Arbogast]

You seem to have no experience with this...

I have dual-boot RedHat/Win2K box which is a K6-2, 500MHz with 512MB RAM and a 128MB video card. To suggest that Linux is better on these less powerful system is a complete and absolute joke. In order for Linux to perform anywhere near as well as Win2K on this box, I had to strip out about 80% of its "features." CLI with Lynx and SSH. yay. That'll sell for $100. Or not.

Great for the $100 computer

Its great to have a $100 computer for developing countries how about for people who have low incomes here in the USA? Not everyone has millions of dollars and can buy some of even the lower end machines available. Call me poor if you want to but seriously low cost pc's need to be offered here too.

Here comes new XP PC at $100

I am running small education center in HongKong. I bought the box named OfficeStation (or called PC Expanion) to enable my P4 PC to support 5 users through this unique multiuser dummy terminal. They called Windows over IP... anyway, now I have 5 station (total I paid $650) running XP Home no problem. it is very interesting product.. check it out www.ncomputing.com I don't know it is available to other countries yet.

a little problem

Did you also purshase a Multi-user license for whatever version of Windows that you are using?

If NOT you are using it in an ILLEGAL way and therefor per the "End User Agreement" your "License" is VOID.

This requirement also goes for almost every piece of software that you are running on the "HOST" machine even if you will NOT be sharing it with mult-user, read your "Software Products? End User License Agreement" carefully including the one that comes with your OS.

Now if you where using Linux or BSD and www.ncomputing.com support using there product on such OS' you wouldn't have the License problem except for the rare case involving a some Comercial software packages.

Kernel tuning?

Out of the 1 billion people using computers in 2010, how many
of them are interested in kernel tuning? Out of that number,
how many of them have time to tune a kernel? I would love to
tune my kernel, and to read about how kernels work, and to
program a driver, but the time I would need to do that stuff is a
luxury that I rarely have. Ditto the luxury of trying out every
distribution of Linux that is released.

We ran w2k on about 50 pentium IIs with a max of 64 MB of
RAM with few complaints. Opening the help system for the
GNOME desktop on a system like that takes something like 5
minutes. OpenOffice.org Writer would probably cause the case
to explode. This isn't the fault of Linux, but the fault of the
GNOME people and the fault of OpenOffice.org. But that doesn't
make a difference to the market, which is not made up of
tinkerers like you and me! They want something that works
right away without problems.

[davearonson]

Let the tuning begin! (sorry, couldn't resist....)

By 2010, or even by now, I wouldn't be at all
surprised if someone came out with a distro
containing a kernel tuned specifically for
low-performance machines. One needn't try them
all, just find the appropriate one. Yes, that
may be difficult for individuals, but if people
in the First World are so concerned about the
digital divide with the Third, surely some
charity can take the time to find it.

If opening GNOME help, even on a P2 w/ <= 64M,
takes anything near 5 minutes, I suggest that
something was drastically b0rkened with the
install.

Granted, OpenOffice is bloatware. It's the
biggest Linux offender I can think of. However,
1.1 is MUCH faster than 1.0, and of course
abiword is still faster.

If they want something that works right away
without problems, as the ad said, "get a Mac!"
B-)

Dump Windows, of course

Nobody needs Windows on a PC. You can get Linux for nothing.
And where I live, the price of used CRT monitors has gone to zero - you can't give them away. People want flat-panel monitors.

[LANjackal]

Answer: Linux

MS won't be giving up the Windows cash cow anytime soon. Open source is the only viable route to truly cheap PCs.

[npwindham]

$179 Computer Is Already Here

Go to Fry's Electronics in Arlington, TX. They sell fully functional computer towers ("Quality PC" Brand Name) for only $179. It comes with.
1. AMD Athlon 1800 Processor
2. 10/100 Network Card
3. Dial Up 56K Modem
4. Keyboard
5. Speakers
6. Integrated Video Graphics
7. 128mb Ram
8. 40 Gig Hard Drive
9. Windows Like Linux Operating System
10.Mouse

Pick up an old CRT monitor for $20 at a garage sale and boom, you got your $199 computer setup. I'm sure if you scaled back hardware to even lessor specs than those a company could sell a brand new full system for $150 or less right now without any real innovation required.

If that doesn't work, then just sell all those third world countries our 5-10 year old computers that we no longer have use for. If nothing else it would help them figure out how to blow us up faster. LOL

Windows Timesharing for Reduced Costs Strategy

In order to maintain its near-monopoly as technology costs decline, Microsoft should expand its current XP/Office capability for serial logons to become full, multi-user timesharing so that multiple users can simultaneously share a single PC and network connection.
Yes, this technology is already available (Applica) and exists for Linux as well (HP 441 and iBox).

100 dollar computer

The $100.00 computer is not the problem. The software piracy is caused by the cost of software. If you start adding up.
$100.00 Computer
$149.00 OS
$199.00 Student Teacher Office
$59.00 Anti Virus
$59.00 Printer

as you can see the $100 computer is now costing about $550.00 of which only $159.00 is hardware the rest is software. So I would think this would increase piracy. The reason what really gets peoples goat every where is saying what we need is a $100.00 computer but that does not include the extra costs or actual costs to purchase.

Hec my totals did not even include Internet connection prices and cost of modems for broadband.

It would be nice for once when the said $100.00 computer that was the actual cost.

a way to save most of the cost

Well I have a way to save 300 of more of your cost right at the start.

100.00 Computer hardware
$149.00 OS Linux based FREE
$199.00 Student Teacher Office Open Office FREE
$59.00 Anti Virus FREE personal setups
$59.00 Printer Hardware

OS For some possible FREE choices check out either <http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php> or <http://distrowatch.com/>

For "Office Software" one possible FREE replacement for M$-Office {or student version} is Open Office, it can read and write most M$-Office type files.

"Anti Virus" there are free anti-virus software packages out there for personal use, plus Linux based OS currently don't have anywhere near the problems with such software.

Also included with any Linux based OS is full FIREWALL support built in.

cheap pc side effect....

console every where!

[GoPatriots]

PC Expanion is here in the US

Hi all,

I think there's alot of confusion about the $100PC comment. Yes, we can find older PCs for $100-200 or a new one without XP OS at Fry's. But, this PC Expanion is totally different from what we are imagining besides the person in Hong Kong who actually is running the units live.

Anyway, according to www.doublesight.com, PC Expanion is a non hardware based unit that allows users to expand an EXISTING PC to share its resources to up to 10 PC Expanion stations that actually work like a separate and secured PC. So, in other words, take this PC EXpanion, connect it to an existing PC (via network router), then the PC Expanion turns into another PC. Of course you need to attach it to a monitor, KB and Mouse but thats basically it.

Imagine, a small business owner doesnt need to purchase 5 separate PCs but now only has to purchase 1 PC and 4 PC Expanions. Im not sure about the total cost at the end of the day, but Im sure its cheaper to purchase the PC Expanions vs 5 traditional PCs.

Anyway, I just picked one up from COMPUSA here in San Diego. So, I will update later once I get it up and going.

ps. the cost was $199.

[GoPatriots]

Got it up and running.....cool

Guys, this is amazing! I had a rough time during install but called there tech support and got up and going within minutes during the call. Well, first, its not really a TRADITIONAL PC. Theres no CD-Rom, USB ports, etc. It's a plain black box.

So, basically, I installed the software on my already exisitng PC. Then I installed my PC Expanion to the network router and bamm!!! my PC Expanion was a mirror imagine of my exisitng PC. But, the PC Expanion is a totally separate and independent PC from the host PC. I login separately and I can surf the net while my other computer is doing something different. We both can go into Excel or Word at the sametime without having any delays. Really cool!!

I can see this product being popular with small offices in which they already have an existing base of PC's that needs to be replaced or upgraded. Instead of buying 10 or 20 new traditional PC's, all you have to do is buy 10 or 20 PC Expanion to replace your old PCs. Security is good because no-one can remove data from your PC Expanion. Only the host PC can add or remove information. Negative, is that I cannot play 3D games.....no big deal. I will just play on my host PC and let my mom-dad use the PC Expanion for excel stuff or internet surfing.

[hodad66]

Expanion User

I was looking for a way to expand my broadband connection. All of the "e appliances" had stopped selling & I didn't need another computer. I found the Expanion at TigerDirect by accident.... what a great tool! Easy setup, connected to a 2.4 P4 w/1 gig. Works fantastic. Now my girlfriend & I can both be connected... at $199 it's the perfect answer :)

[scottostanek]

Expanion User : Industrial Outdoor Application

We have 2 remote tank farms that our process control software runs, but were so far away from the control center that operators in those areas were using radios to call in requests to a (busy) person in another area. We could not put full PC's out there --open sided warehouse-- due to heat and weather.

Instead put up a Rubbermaid closet with an Expanion, LCD monitor. $5 mouse and $20 Virtually Indestructible keyboard. Expanion logs _into_ the main pc so whatever software is setup to run for all users _works_ for the expanion user. You need only run the setup disk on the host pc, get its ip address and set an ip for the expanion itself. Create another userid for them to log into and assign any permissions. Done. It handles 106 degree temps much better than a regular pc. Mind you, the whole station cost less that $1k to put up compared to $7-10k investment for a blockhouse and a pc station.

Only drawback I see is it supports PS/2 keyboard and mouse only and only has one monitor output.
But it is only $200