India launches its first cheap PC
-
Actually I do development on such system. Right Here in Canada with KDE and Genome. with 700 MHz PIII- 15 inch Monitor and 256 MB RAM. I run Redhat 8.0 as the production system/ development system. Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 ww.keencomputer.com
-
And I feel proud!! :cool: -- LuisR
Luis Alonso Ramos Intelectix - Chihuahua, Mexico Not much here: My CP Blog!
Luis Alonso Ramos wrote: And I feel proud!! -- LuisR :confused:
-
I am going to guess that this is also a *public reaction* and demand = supply test. If the public says, "Hey cool, just what I needed I'll take 10,000,000." Then they did a very good job on the spec and hats off to them. I certainly think that it's a very solid configuration. I'm running a couple of 750's here with 256 megs of RAM and they are runnning servers with ease {Okay, maybe not ease. Certainly not any problems though.} On the other hand it's a great entry point. It will give them a chance to see how many people want upgrades right off and it allows quite a bit of flexibility. I think this was a wise choice to come in low and get a reaction. If they sell em' fast and need 1,000,000 more in a week then they did a good job. If people want lots of upgrades then they have a business case for diversity. They can then offer low-mid-high configurations to meet everyones needs. Give this some time Nish. It will stir into the pot on it's own and in the end the recipe should be satisfying. If they screw it up royally better to do it with cheap stuff than boxes that are going for $2500 ($US) a pop. I should mention that I have 7 mini-pc's that are 1.2 gig boxes running 384 megs of RAM. They have no trouble doing 95% of what I ask them. This will be a good thing for your people and your country. Give it a chance. Also, what manufacture would not comply when hearing, "Hey, I'll give you more money for a higher end configuration." This will all work out. Thank God they didn't decide to MAC's instead of PC's. The entry point price would be about $3500 ($US) and no software at all. :omg:
I know you can't become if you only say what you would have done and you'll miss a million miles of fun." - Len Work hard, play hard. Don't forget who you are and don't forget where you're from. Do all these things well and you won't have to wonder where you are going.
code-frog wrote: Thank God they didn't decide to MAC's instead of PC's. The entry point price would be about $3500 ($US) and no software at all. :-D
-
And I feel proud!! :cool: -- LuisR
Luis Alonso Ramos Intelectix - Chihuahua, Mexico Not much here: My CP Blog!
Luis Alonso Ramos wrote: And I feel proud!! -- LuisR LOL - you replied to the wrong thread. Got me confused intially as I hadn't seen the geek-test thread :-)
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4735927.stm[^] Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user. SPECIFICATIONS Processor - 1 GHz Memory - 128 MB RAM Hard disk memory - 40 GB Monitor - 15-inch colour At present, India has 15 million computers and five million net connections. The government wants to increase the number to 75 million computers and 45 million net connections by 2010. 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. And 128 MB Ram????????? Most people have graphics cards with double that much memory. 40 GB is probably ok for a low-end PC. And yeah 15" monitor goes well with the rest of the config. The PC comes with Linux installed and XP starter edition ia available for an extra amount (not mentioned at all as you can see)! I think this totally sucks. I would love India to have more computer users, but when the rest of the world is trying to break the 4 Ghz mark, it totally sucks that we are trying to sell cheap 1 GHz PCs. The manufacturer bastards probably intend to clean up in a big way through mass sales. To call this "IT development" is dumb and inaccurate! :mad:
Nishant Sivakumar wrote: I think this totally sucks. I disagree. In the first place, Aam aadmi doesn't have enough money to dole out for dual core processors with gigabytes of memory and oodles of disk space and powerful graphics cards. Secondly, he doesn't have to. The average user is not going to compile a .net project with a bajillion lines of code. He's not going to play the latest FPS game. He just wants to get that document printed, and to email his friends. Heck, he might even be *reluctant* to do that. Don't assume everybody is a techie as you or I. :) Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
-
Looks like the Govt. and this specific company have a deal. They'll probably be selling 10,000 to 30,000 computers and that'd give them a really good profit. Hmmm! :suss:
WTF? No, I mean, WTF? :wtf: Of course they have a deal! How else would they be able to sell them? Of course they will make a profit. That's what they're there for! Or am I missing the point? :~ Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
-
Touche! 5. :-D Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
-
Nishant Sivakumar wrote: I think this totally sucks. I disagree. In the first place, Aam aadmi doesn't have enough money to dole out for dual core processors with gigabytes of memory and oodles of disk space and powerful graphics cards. Secondly, he doesn't have to. The average user is not going to compile a .net project with a bajillion lines of code. He's not going to play the latest FPS game. He just wants to get that document printed, and to email his friends. Heck, he might even be *reluctant* to do that. Don't assume everybody is a techie as you or I. :) Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Aam aadmi :confused: Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: The average user is not going to compile a .net project with a bajillion lines of code. He's not going to play the latest FPS game. He just wants to get that document printed, and to email his friends. My dad (non-techie) uses Word and Excel, IE and Outlook, and also a custom StockMarket software which requires that he is VPN'd to a server in Bombay. He has a P-4 2.4 GHz laptop with 512 MB Ram now and he is very happy. Until 6 months ago, he had a P-3 1.6 laptop with 128 MB Ram and used to complain that everything took ages to load. I assume that the majority of non-techie home-users would have requirements similar to my dad. So why start them off with a slow PC? It'd be a bad investment in the long run and only serves to make HCL richer in a big way. Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Don't assume everybody is a techie as you or I. I never did! :-)
-
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Aam aadmi :confused: Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: The average user is not going to compile a .net project with a bajillion lines of code. He's not going to play the latest FPS game. He just wants to get that document printed, and to email his friends. My dad (non-techie) uses Word and Excel, IE and Outlook, and also a custom StockMarket software which requires that he is VPN'd to a server in Bombay. He has a P-4 2.4 GHz laptop with 512 MB Ram now and he is very happy. Until 6 months ago, he had a P-3 1.6 laptop with 128 MB Ram and used to complain that everything took ages to load. I assume that the majority of non-techie home-users would have requirements similar to my dad. So why start them off with a slow PC? It'd be a bad investment in the long run and only serves to make HCL richer in a big way. Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Don't assume everybody is a techie as you or I. I never did! :-)
Aam aadmi is a Hindi term meaning 'common man'. Like the Americans say Joe Sixpack, I think. Or is that Regular Joe? I did some thinking since I posted that message and I have to concede 128 MB is a tad too less. 256 should do the job. :) Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
-
With the amount of money wasted on IT programs in the government sector... it probably would be. ;P
Ðavid Wulff Audioscrobbler :: flickr Die Freiheit spielt auf allen Geigen (video)
-
I don't think it's so bad. Even if they use Linux at least they can use web and email applications (which is what most people want as a priority IMHO). Those who want XP can pay the extra (or I would imagine use a pirate copy). The important thing is to get those people online.
fakefur wrote: I don't think it's so bad. Even if they use Linux at least they can use web and email applications (which is what most people want as a priority IMHO). This is the first thing you said in the past few days that I strongly agree :) I see dead pixels Yes, even I am blogging now!
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4735927.stm[^] Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user. SPECIFICATIONS Processor - 1 GHz Memory - 128 MB RAM Hard disk memory - 40 GB Monitor - 15-inch colour At present, India has 15 million computers and five million net connections. The government wants to increase the number to 75 million computers and 45 million net connections by 2010. 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. And 128 MB Ram????????? Most people have graphics cards with double that much memory. 40 GB is probably ok for a low-end PC. And yeah 15" monitor goes well with the rest of the config. The PC comes with Linux installed and XP starter edition ia available for an extra amount (not mentioned at all as you can see)! I think this totally sucks. I would love India to have more computer users, but when the rest of the world is trying to break the 4 Ghz mark, it totally sucks that we are trying to sell cheap 1 GHz PCs. The manufacturer bastards probably intend to clean up in a big way through mass sales. To call this "IT development" is dumb and inaccurate! :mad:
You could by a similar speced PC on e-bay for less than a quater the price. Rip off!
"Je pense, donc je mange." - Rene Descartes 1689 - Just before his mother put his tea on the table. Shameless Plug - Distributed Database Transactions in .NET using COM+
-
WTF? No, I mean, WTF? :wtf: Of course they have a deal! How else would they be able to sell them? Of course they will make a profit. That's what they're there for! Or am I missing the point? :~ Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Of course they have a deal! How else would they be able to sell them? Of course they will make a profit. That's what they're there for! Or am I missing the point? The point is that HCL is making a huge profit by selling computers that aren't worth even 5K. [when produced in mass]
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4735927.stm[^] Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user. SPECIFICATIONS Processor - 1 GHz Memory - 128 MB RAM Hard disk memory - 40 GB Monitor - 15-inch colour At present, India has 15 million computers and five million net connections. The government wants to increase the number to 75 million computers and 45 million net connections by 2010. 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. And 128 MB Ram????????? Most people have graphics cards with double that much memory. 40 GB is probably ok for a low-end PC. And yeah 15" monitor goes well with the rest of the config. The PC comes with Linux installed and XP starter edition ia available for an extra amount (not mentioned at all as you can see)! I think this totally sucks. I would love India to have more computer users, but when the rest of the world is trying to break the 4 Ghz mark, it totally sucks that we are trying to sell cheap 1 GHz PCs. The manufacturer bastards probably intend to clean up in a big way through mass sales. To call this "IT development" is dumb and inaccurate! :mad:
Nishant Sivakumar wrote: 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. My PC at home is an old cobbled together recycled P-3 (650mhz!!) - I spent about £100 on it, once I'd given it a licensed copy of XP (which takes it to roughly the cost of the Indian budget PC) Ok, it's got 640mb of memory, which seems to keep it ticking away nicely, but it does all the jobs we need it to (runs Open office, mozilla, email, Paint Shop Pro, and even VS Whidbey when I find some time to get a bit of development work done) In my experience, (With Windows anyway) if you're just doing general officey things, the CPU speed doesn't really matter a jot (but it's the stat that's always advertised) - Having lots of memory will make an XP machine far more responsive One day I'll buy myself a nice new shiny top of the range computer, but right now I've just bought a house, so there are far more important things to buy) -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!
-
Aam aadmi is a Hindi term meaning 'common man'. Like the Americans say Joe Sixpack, I think. Or is that Regular Joe? I did some thinking since I posted that message and I have to concede 128 MB is a tad too less. 256 should do the job. :) Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Aam aadmi is a Hindi term meaning 'common man'. Like the Americans say Joe Sixpack, I think. Or is that Regular Joe? I've heard people say Joe Smith. I didn't recognize your phrase as Hindi, else I'd have guessed what it meant. I thought Aam Aadmi was the name of some guy :-( Nish
-
You could by a similar speced PC on e-bay for less than a quater the price. Rip off!
"Je pense, donc je mange." - Rene Descartes 1689 - Just before his mother put his tea on the table. Shameless Plug - Distributed Database Transactions in .NET using COM+
Giles wrote: You could by a similar speced PC on e-bay for less than a quater the price. Rip off! Yep - that's what it is - a rip-off!
-
Nishant Sivakumar wrote: 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. My PC at home is an old cobbled together recycled P-3 (650mhz!!) - I spent about £100 on it, once I'd given it a licensed copy of XP (which takes it to roughly the cost of the Indian budget PC) Ok, it's got 640mb of memory, which seems to keep it ticking away nicely, but it does all the jobs we need it to (runs Open office, mozilla, email, Paint Shop Pro, and even VS Whidbey when I find some time to get a bit of development work done) In my experience, (With Windows anyway) if you're just doing general officey things, the CPU speed doesn't really matter a jot (but it's the stat that's always advertised) - Having lots of memory will make an XP machine far more responsive One day I'll buy myself a nice new shiny top of the range computer, but right now I've just bought a house, so there are far more important things to buy) -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit! Buzzwords!
benjymous wrote: - Having lots of memory will make an XP machine far more responsive But I suspect that the motherboard they are using for the cheap PC won't support a lot of RAM - it'll probably be a really outdated one. Maybe I should call up a dealer and ask if I can have more RAM - I wonder what his/her answer will be.
-
Vikram A Punathambekar wrote: Of course they have a deal! How else would they be able to sell them? Of course they will make a profit. That's what they're there for! Or am I missing the point? The point is that HCL is making a huge profit by selling computers that aren't worth even 5K. [when produced in mass]
Aaaargh! Of course they want to maximize their profit! :| Sorry, it's been a tough 2 weeks. :) Cheers, Vikram.
http://www.geocities.com/vpunathambekar "You still have the coolest name on CodeProject." — David Wulff to me.
-
KDE and Gnome on a 128mb computer will be painful regardless of the processor speed. It just isn't enough memory for a modern desktop environment. If they had 256mb as some have said then I agree it would work fine. But then so would XP AFAIK.
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4735927.stm[^] Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees ($225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user. SPECIFICATIONS Processor - 1 GHz Memory - 128 MB RAM Hard disk memory - 40 GB Monitor - 15-inch colour At present, India has 15 million computers and five million net connections. The government wants to increase the number to 75 million computers and 45 million net connections by 2010. 1 GHz???? WTF! It's probably an obsolete P-2 or a P-3. And 128 MB Ram????????? Most people have graphics cards with double that much memory. 40 GB is probably ok for a low-end PC. And yeah 15" monitor goes well with the rest of the config. The PC comes with Linux installed and XP starter edition ia available for an extra amount (not mentioned at all as you can see)! I think this totally sucks. I would love India to have more computer users, but when the rest of the world is trying to break the 4 Ghz mark, it totally sucks that we are trying to sell cheap 1 GHz PCs. The manufacturer bastards probably intend to clean up in a big way through mass sales. To call this "IT development" is dumb and inaccurate! :mad:
My 1GHz Celeron with 256MB still works just fine. For an entry level machine, which this is pitched as, this setup is OK. It will get people into computers and let them explore a bit without costing too much. This how a lot of companies first get into a market. I'm guessing if things go well they will expand the higher end of their product line. BW
Meanwhile, behind the facade of this innocent looking bookstore...
[
Discovering BPI