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If I ever find the time to mature KnightOS [1] to a state that's usable for the classroom, I hope to make my next project a calculator whose hardware is open so

If I ever find the time to mature KnightOS [1] to a state that's usable for the classroom, I hope to make my next project a calculator whose hardware is open source that can be sold for much cheaper, running KnightOS. [1] http://knightos.org http://knightos.org

mcphage 11y ago
So, say you accomplish that. You create a calculator that you can sell for (let's say) $40, that blows the TI-84 out of the water. I believe in you, I think you could do that. And say you're successful, and get some traction against the network effects discussed in the article. You start to threaten TI's money printer. What do you suppose that TI will do? They charge $140 for the calculators, but because they can, not because they have to. So what will you do when they drop their price to $30? Or $20? Because they can, and that's why nobody bothers making any big moves in the market. It looks like TI would be easy to undercut on cost, but trust me—no matter how cheaply you can make your calculator, they can make their cheaper.
- Sir_Cmpwn 11y ago
  I know. I've heard this speech before. I can't compete on price at that point, but then I've won anyway - TI is no longer gouging the market. I don't think that they'd immediately shift, either, which gives me time to establish a foothold and keep the market competitive.
  - mcphage 11y ago
    I mean, I'm all for that. If you can get them to drop their prices, you'd be a hero to a huge swath of the country. People could all donate 1% of the money you save them, and we could easily build a giant gold statue of you :-) So go for it, and I'll cheer you on :-) As I've said elsewhere, I really hate TI as a company. (I did the math after posting that... a life sized solid gold statue of a human would cost about $47 million, so if you save $100 per person, for 47 million people—that seems doable).

mcphage 11y ago

So, say you accomplish that. You create a calculator that you can sell for (let's say) $40, that blows the TI-84 out of the water. I believe in you, I think you could do that. And say you're successful, and get some traction against the network effects discussed in the article. You start to threaten TI's money printer. What do you suppose that TI will do? They charge $140 for the calculators, but because they can, not because they have to. So what will you do when they drop their price to $30? Or $20? Because they can, and that's why nobody bothers making any big moves in the market. It looks like TI would be easy to undercut on cost, but trust me—no matter how cheaply you can make your calculator, they can make their cheaper.

Sir_Cmpwn 11y ago
I know. I've heard this speech before. I can't compete on price at that point, but then I've won anyway - TI is no longer gouging the market. I don't think that they'd immediately shift, either, which gives me time to establish a foothold and keep the market competitive.
- mcphage 11y ago
  I mean, I'm all for that. If you can get them to drop their prices, you'd be a hero to a huge swath of the country. People could all donate 1% of the money you save them, and we could easily build a giant gold statue of you :-) So go for it, and I'll cheer you on :-) As I've said elsewhere, I really hate TI as a company. (I did the math after posting that... a life sized solid gold statue of a human would cost about $47 million, so if you save $100 per person, for 47 million people—that seems doable).