• 2007
  • March
  • 22
  • Seems the hardware has advanced? (More RAM and Flash, more powerful processor...)

Seems the hardware has advanced? (More RAM and Flash, more powerful processor...)
Written by on in Young Coders.


It seems that the hardware specification for the laptop has been quietly expanded. The specs page now lists the processor as the Geode LX, which includes a floating point processor and both L1 and L2 cache. The memory also specs as 256MB (up from 128) and the storage as a 1GB flash drive (up from 512). Neat. That brings the laptop within spitting distance of my sister's current desktop machine (which is admittedly a bit out of date, but is a perfectly "normal" and "functional" desktop machine).

Which reminds me, we don't seem to have a spreadsheet planned for the laptop? Seems like something lots of children would like to have.

Oh, had an interesting idea for first-world distribution; for some huge company (or group of companies) that needs enormous amounts of "geek" work done: purchase 1 million laptops, then offer the laptops at 1 laptop per 80 hours of given work (or something like it). The value (and coolness) of the laptop is so far beyond the price at full volume that you could likely get programmers and sysadmins to go for the deal and get thousands of dollars worth of services per $140 investment. Sure, there'd be a risk, but it'd be interesting as an experiment.

Comments

  1. Tim

    Tim on 03/27/2007 4:40 a.m. #


    Yes, just yesterday Istra (nearly 2 now!) was grabbing my leg and saying "Spreadsheet! Spreadsheet, Poppy! Spreadsheet! Spreadsheet! Spreadsheet!" Until I set her up with a spread sheet to keep her quiet.<br />
    <br />
    Oh no, wait. Now that I think of it it was "blanket", not "spreadsheet". Sorry. (Actually "banket"... but no need to be pedantic, surely.)

  2. Mike Fletcher

    Mike Fletcher on 03/27/2007 11:01 a.m. #


    Yes, being 2 now the words are probably synonymous for her, so no need for pedantry ;) ?<br />
    <br />
    I'm thinking more along the lines of the 12-16 year olds who are still somewhat under-served by the software on the machine in its default image. I certainly found uses for spreadsheets long before I hit 16 (then again, I was coding software at age 7).<br />
    <br />
    Some of these children will be helping to run farms, businesses or household budgets. Having something that lets them sum columns of numbers, set up basic equations and the like would be useful IMO.<br />
    <br />
    Spreadsheets can be fun!

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