Re: Re: MISC personal computers

[Lonnie.Reed@xxxxxxxxxxx (Lonnie Reed)]

I agree, build it for the geeks, and don't worry much about marketing 
(at least at first) If people want it, fine. if they don't fine. At
least I will have it and I won't have to listen to my pc's fan anymore! ;-)
Well i hope it doesn't have any moving parts. (I might have to make an
exception for a hard drive,) but would rather avoid that too if possible...
If there is a well documented open source OS, that others could easily write 
applications for, then it would probably take on a life of it's own.
-lon



>dirnfir,dirnfir@usa.net writes:
>>    Does anyone think that a personal computer with a MISC CPU would
>>would popular?  That is, a machine designed for home use, with a GUI, a
>>Forth-based OS, and all.  I guess what I am asking is: could MISC one
>>day supplant the PC as the dominant computer in the home? :) I am very
>>interested in this subject.
>
>
>Yes, but only if done so within a relatively short span of time.  Electronic
>typewriters are now word processors that can perform functions that
>previously required a computer.  Telephones, pagers and other communication
>devices are gaining Internet functions, which previously required a computer.
> I imagine one day your microwave may even have a built-in recipe database. 
>The result is that, in the not-so-distant future, the demand for what we now
>label a "personal computer" is going to be less than what it is today.  Many
>people that today have a computer for surfing the web will one day have
>dumped that computer in favor of their telephone/web browser or cable TV/web
>browser.
>
>Of course, to completely reverse what I've just said, if there were a
>compelling reason for a personal computer, people would still buy them.  One
>compelling reason would be price.  If a computer can perform many functions
>and have a lower cost than purchasing these independent "modules" (i.e. web
>surfing TV, pager with eMail, microwave with database), then people would buy
>it.  This naturally leads us to the another compelling reason, software. 
>There needs to be quality software for a personal computer, and it needs to
>be easy to use.
>
>I would suggest that a MISC PC needs to be available at under $250.  A
>sub-$500 MISC PC would likely not fly.  A used Mac or Windows-based PC can be
>purchased for that price, and with the rapid turnaround in technology, a
>sub-$500 used machine is still fast-enough for the average user.  Plus, there
>is widely available software for it.  People will gravitate to what they
>perceive to be better or more flexible rather than what is.  As proof of
>this, just compare the marketshare of Windows-based PC versus the Apple
>Macintosh.  All the software the average user will ever use or need is
>available for the Mac, but more people buy the Windows PCs because there are
>more programs available for it, even though they'll never use 99% of those
>programs.  Plus, their friends have PCs, they use them at work, etc.  We
>should learn this lesson, because MISC PCs will face the same prejudice.
>
>An open source operating system for the MISC PC is unimportant.  This only
>attracts the computer geek population, and there are not enough of them to
>sustain a platform.  The average home user, the person that has no interest
>in compiling or writing modifications to the operating system, is the target
>audience.  That is, of course, if the goal is to become the dominant home
>computer.  If the interest is only in selling a few hundred or few thousand
>MISC PCs, then target only the geeks.  You'll be the next NeXT; geeks will
>love and adore you, and no one else will care.
>
>But, on the other hand, you do need to target the computer geek market to get
>the momentum going.  But, you entice them with hardware, not software.  What
>is needed is an open hardware design for MISC, a MISC motherboard.  Something
>anyone can build.  Something the hardware geeks can build themselves, and
>something the software geeks can buy from the hardware geeks.  The objective
>of the open hardware design is to make available a completed motherboard to
>the software geeks, so that they can simply plug in RAM, hard drive,
>keyboard, mouse and monitor and start writing the software for it.
>
>The MISC hardware design should be easily expandable.  Users should be able
>to add additional CPUs as easily as they can now add RAM.  Ideally, a MISC PC
>should be plug and play and hot-swappable.
>
>Once the hardware is in the hand of the software geeks, sure, some can get
>together and write an open source operating system for it.  But, the ones
>that will get the momentum going are those that will write a commercial
>operating system for it, and the ones that will write the software for that
>commercial operating system.  If a MISC PC can be sold for $250 (and still
>have a good profit margin), you can bet that the people writing the
>commercial operating system and applications for it will market the heck out
>of it.
>
>And, for those that want the open source operating system, they can buy the
>hardware, download LinuxMISC (or whatever) from the Internet and install it
>on their MISC PC.  Everyone else can use the commercial operating system(s).
>
>Again, the most important factor in creating a MISC PC that will dominate the
>home market will be getting a functional MISC motherboard in the hands of the
>computer software geeks.  If you build it, they will come!!!
>
>Anyway, that's my two cents.
>
>Dan
>
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