Flutterby™! : Bump in the Cable

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Bump in the Cable

2006-09-22 14:55:21.22088+00 by ebradway 2 comments

Jerry Pournelle always spoke of the computer eventually becoming just a bump in the cable between the keyboard and the monitor. It's been a while since the limiting factor in designing laptops has been the size of the display, keyboard and batteries. But now I think the general-purpose computer is getting down there: GumStix has a new linux-based 200Mhz computer with 64MB of RAM, a Compact Flash slot and 10/100 ethernet that's quite a bit smaller than most network printer servers I've seen. I know 200Mhz and 64MB of RAM seems kind of paltry but when you consider that a scant 12 years ago, a web server for a medium-sized ISPs was quite a bit smaller. (BTW: Here's a fun list to feed your war-dialer!)

[ related topics: Free Software broadband Open Source Invention and Design History Current Events Archival ]

comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2006-09-22 15:06:10.670223+00 by: Dan Lyke

Hey, it even has the Society of Independent People on that list!

#Comment Re: made: 2006-09-24 04:45:21.089156+00 by: baylink

Wow, history.

I personally knew most of the people on their 727 list, and quite a number of the sysops on the older half of the 813 list (pre-split). We all ate breakfast together on Sunday's, you see.

The bigging out of the Internet is not entirely a good thing; I understand why other minorities want to *continue being* minorities... regardless of what they say in public.