Fwd: Small Form Factor PCs

[Chris O'Connell]

Yeah, sorry about the Windows question,  I figured I could tap into
the knowledge of the group.  I recently purchased a pair of the Genesi
Smarttops that run Ubuntu for another small "appliance" type project I'm
creating.  I love Linux too, but sometimes it's not the right fit for every
job/project.

The Genesi boxes would be a perfect solution, except that due to the
processor being ARM based I don't think I could install my OS of choice for
this particular project.

The name of the software is HomeSeer.  HomeSeer allows for the control of
everything from light switches, thermometers, fans, electrical outlets,
cameras, thermostats... etc, all through one central administration system.
 My friend who has been experimenting with Homeseer says there are some
Linux alternatives, but none work as well or as reliably as the Windows
software.  There's been some talk about virtualizing this software, but IMO
that's just one more thing to break.

So again, sorry about asking for a Windows specific solution, but my
question is really more about a small form factor than an operating system
specific computer.

Thanks for the feedback!  I'll check out the links you sent me.

--Chris



On Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 2:17 PM, Mark Woodward <markw-FJ05HQ0HCKaWd6l5hS35sQ at public.gmane.org> wrote:

>  On 06/13/2011 08:28 AM, Chris O'Connell wrote:
>
> 1)  This is something I would like to productize eventually.
>
> If this is so, an up-front investment in sing Linux will be make your life
> much simpler.
>
>  2)  Preferably Windows XP or Windows 7.
>
>
> Ok, so it isn't too specifically Windows. Depending on I/O requirements it
> may be possible to use Linux with Wine.
>
>
>  3)  That's what the home automation software runs on.  I didn't write it.
>
> Which software is it? Is it for X10 hardware or something else?
>
>
>  4)  I want something small with maybe 2GB ram, 16GB of storage, hard
> wired 100MB ethernet (or more).  I want something prebuilt (IE, I don't want
> to have to assemble myself).
>
> There are a lot of these systems available. The embedded market has some
> keep and small PC type computers.
>
>
>  The FIT-PC seems to be pretty good, but it's price preloaded with Windows
> on it ($500 is the cut off point).  This little start up project is going to
> cost me at least 1,000-1,200 with all the accessories.
>
>
> There are a lot of small systems available, here's two
>
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Athlon-1-5GHz-Barebone-System-ZBOXHD-AD01/dp/B0043DMPTO
>  http://www.mini-box.com/Car-PC-Automotive-Computing-Solutions
>
> Chris
>
>
> One last postscript. IMHO and this being a Linux/UNIX mailing list, you
> should really try to go Linux on this. It opens up far more possibilities.
> I'm not sure what home office automation software you are using, but I'd be
> quite surprised if there were not an equivalent system on Linux. Then, when
> you productize, you don't have to buy a Windows license for each unit.
>
> Also, there are a bunch of guys on this board that are really smart, and I
> bet we'd have a bit more emotional investment in helping you succeed if you
> weren't using Windows :-)
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 4:06 PM, Mark Woodward <markw-FJ05HQ0HCKaWd6l5hS35sQ at public.gmane.org>wrote:
>
>> On 06/12/2011 10:31 AM, Chris O'Connell wrote:
>>
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: Chris O'Connell<omegahalo-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>
>>> Date: Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 11:49 PM
>>> Subject: Small Form Factor PCs
>>> To: blu<discuss-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org>
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a very small form factor computer to install some home
>>> automation software on.  The software is not very resource intensive.
>>>  Here
>>> are the key requirements for the system:
>>> 1.  Must be able to power back up  without human intervention if power to
>>> the unit is lost.
>>> 2.  Should be small and less energy intensive than a regular PC.
>>> 3.  I would like it to be less than $500.
>>> 4.  Must be capable of running Windows (so either an AMD or INTEL cpu).
>>>
>>> Can anyone make any suggestions about what might work well for me?  I was
>>> looking at the Dell Zino, but am unsure if a better option exists.
>>>
>>  I know I replied once already, I want to ask a quick couple questions.
>>
>> (1) Is this a on-off or do you intend to productize your system?
>> (2) What version of Windows? You can use Wince.
>> (3) umm, why Windows?
>> (4) What do you expect for $500, a full PC or just the components. $500
>> is, IMHO a very generous number.
>> (5) If this is a one-off, I have a VIA-800 miniitx motherboard with 512M
>> of ram and an IDE compact flash adapter that makes a neat little
>>  pseudo-embedded disk-free system that was removed from my robot last year.
>> I could probably let it go for $100 bucks with a standard ATX power supply.
>>
>>
>> With regards to #1, if you are going to product-ize this, you may want to
>> consider a lower cost platform such as ARM.
>> With regards to #3 and maybe #1, unless there is a REALLY specific need,
>> Windows is a very poor platform for this type of application.
>>
>> Also, take a look at www.mini-itx.com
>>
>>
>
>