7 ms·

I think I am missing something. 349 is pretty big price tag, I don't think it is low-cost. I had a lot of examples and reasons lined up in here, but I think I

by DocG 13y ago

I think I am missing something. 349 is pretty big price tag, I don't think it is low-cost. I had a lot of examples and reasons lined up in here, but I think I am missing something. But what? EDIT: I think I am missing the part where you are making it black and white clear what makes your system different and why is it good deal for that kind of money. At the moment, I can see it why it would be worth the money. Good luck anyway:)

shanpc 13y ago
Thanks! :) Am copy-pasting a reply posted to another comment about the price point... =============== We wanted to price it below $300, but were a bit nervous since Indiegogo/Kickstarter take about 10% including the payments system (Amazon/PayPal), so we're pricing it safe. We'll certainly try to provide the best hardware we can at the price we can get it - who knows, maybe we can throw in an i3 processor or 128 GB SSD! Also, we are pricing it below most of System76/ZaReason offerings - I think if you look at Dell/HP offerings at the same price range, they provide similar specs. But if we get the volume we need, we should be able to get much better hardware.
- DocG 13y ago
  Thanks for the reply! i3 processor or 128 GB SSD it would be worth it probably! But still, for me it wouldn't be low cost. But in the other hand, I do not live in US. And I confess, I am not familiar with how popular is System76 and similar machines. Although, I will say. For 200 euros I get Atom netbook from my local shop, with 50-100 dollar investment I can update to meet your current specs(ram+ssd). So Only difference I see, is that you have ubuntu preloaded. But you do not have screen included. I think it would be good offer if I would get full deal within 349. Screen, where the PC is built in, keyboard and mouse. It should be hassle free for any grandmom for her internet machine. Nevertheless, I wish you good luck. You have become further than most of us, making real difference. I can only talk, you really did something :)
  - hubtree 13y ago
    I like what you are trying to do here. Pre-installed ubuntu isn't much of a value add for me, but I could see how it could be for some. I wish the video focused more on the box itself, it looks really nice, but there isn't a lot of time to see it. I would love to see a device that caters a little more to the mainstream that runs linux out of the box. I wish your team the best of luck.
  - shanpc 13y ago
    Thanks for the feedback and support! :) (Sorry for the late reply, looks like HN was throttling us for posting too many replies.) Yeah, we really want to do a low-cost netbook or a full-fledged ultrabook with Ubuntu, but this is not within our capability at the moment. But we have built this desktop you see in the video, and if we show enough demand, might be able to convince a manufacturer to work with us to do a low-cost netbook with Ubuntu pre-installed. But let's see how it goes! :) At least we'll be able to show there is interest in having Ubuntu or Linux pre-installed on machines, and a larger manufacturer can take the ball and run with it.
davis_m 13y ago
I'm also not sure how this differentiates itself. I can buy a barebones machine from Dell for $300 with similar specs (2Ghx Celeron, 4Gb RAM) and add a 32GB SSD from Newegg for $50, and that gets me a keyboard and a mouse. What does ordering it through this indiegogo get me, other than Ubunutu being pre-installed? I can certainly do that myself, and the Dell would be a lot easier to upgrade in the future if I ever had the need.
- shanpc 13y ago
  Absolutely. But do remember that Dell and other vendors pre-install commercial operating systems (hint, hint!) on all their devices, and you are filling coffers for an anti-Linux company even if you overwrite it fully with Linux. There aren't really that many vendors selling pure Ubuntu/Linux machines out there. Having said that, we're not aiming to become one such vendor. We are just trying what we can to ignite the pre-installed Linux computer market, not eke a profit out of this.
  - benjamincburns 13y ago
    > [D]o remember that Dell and other vendors pre-install commercial operating systems (hint, hint!) on all their devices, and you are filling coffers for an anti-Linux company even if you overwrite it fully with Linux. I'm with you on this in most respects, but you and I are in a very, very tiny minority. For the rest of the world this isn't a value proposition. > we're not aiming to become one such vendor So you're not going to be around to support this, then? > We are just trying what we can to ignite the pre-installed Linux computer market, not eke a profit out of this. If you're looking to make a statement, commit! Build something sustainable that benefits your customers. Don't just "eke a profit out of [it]," find a way to make gobs and gobs of money selling Linux machines in a very public way.

by DocG 13y ago

shanpc 13y ago

Thanks! :) Am copy-pasting a reply posted to another comment about the price point... =============== We wanted to price it below $300, but were a bit nervous since Indiegogo/Kickstarter take about 10% including the payments system (Amazon/PayPal), so we're pricing it safe. We'll certainly try to provide the best hardware we can at the price we can get it - who knows, maybe we can throw in an i3 processor or 128 GB SSD! Also, we are pricing it below most of System76/ZaReason offerings - I think if you look at Dell/HP offerings at the same price range, they provide similar specs. But if we get the volume we need, we should be able to get much better hardware.

DocG 13y ago
Thanks for the reply! i3 processor or 128 GB SSD it would be worth it probably! But still, for me it wouldn't be low cost. But in the other hand, I do not live in US. And I confess, I am not familiar with how popular is System76 and similar machines. Although, I will say. For 200 euros I get Atom netbook from my local shop, with 50-100 dollar investment I can update to meet your current specs(ram+ssd). So Only difference I see, is that you have ubuntu preloaded. But you do not have screen included. I think it would be good offer if I would get full deal within 349. Screen, where the PC is built in, keyboard and mouse. It should be hassle free for any grandmom for her internet machine. Nevertheless, I wish you good luck. You have become further than most of us, making real difference. I can only talk, you really did something :)
- hubtree 13y ago
  I like what you are trying to do here. Pre-installed ubuntu isn't much of a value add for me, but I could see how it could be for some. I wish the video focused more on the box itself, it looks really nice, but there isn't a lot of time to see it. I would love to see a device that caters a little more to the mainstream that runs linux out of the box. I wish your team the best of luck.
- shanpc 13y ago
  Thanks for the feedback and support! :) (Sorry for the late reply, looks like HN was throttling us for posting too many replies.) Yeah, we really want to do a low-cost netbook or a full-fledged ultrabook with Ubuntu, but this is not within our capability at the moment. But we have built this desktop you see in the video, and if we show enough demand, might be able to convince a manufacturer to work with us to do a low-cost netbook with Ubuntu pre-installed. But let's see how it goes! :) At least we'll be able to show there is interest in having Ubuntu or Linux pre-installed on machines, and a larger manufacturer can take the ball and run with it.

davis_m 13y ago

I'm also not sure how this differentiates itself. I can buy a barebones machine from Dell for $300 with similar specs (2Ghx Celeron, 4Gb RAM) and add a 32GB SSD from Newegg for $50, and that gets me a keyboard and a mouse. What does ordering it through this indiegogo get me, other than Ubunutu being pre-installed? I can certainly do that myself, and the Dell would be a lot easier to upgrade in the future if I ever had the need.

shanpc 13y ago
Absolutely. But do remember that Dell and other vendors pre-install commercial operating systems (hint, hint!) on all their devices, and you are filling coffers for an anti-Linux company even if you overwrite it fully with Linux. There aren't really that many vendors selling pure Ubuntu/Linux machines out there. Having said that, we're not aiming to become one such vendor. We are just trying what we can to ignite the pre-installed Linux computer market, not eke a profit out of this.
- benjamincburns 13y ago
  > [D]o remember that Dell and other vendors pre-install commercial operating systems (hint, hint!) on all their devices, and you are filling coffers for an anti-Linux company even if you overwrite it fully with Linux. I'm with you on this in most respects, but you and I are in a very, very tiny minority. For the rest of the world this isn't a value proposition. > we're not aiming to become one such vendor So you're not going to be around to support this, then? > We are just trying what we can to ignite the pre-installed Linux computer market, not eke a profit out of this. If you're looking to make a statement, commit! Build something sustainable that benefits your customers. Don't just "eke a profit out of [it]," find a way to make gobs and gobs of money selling Linux machines in a very public way.