<lkcl>
and an EOMA68 .... yes it does. the actual hardware is called "EOMA68-A20"
<jay_>
ok all my questions have to do with the complaint computer card
<lkcl>
but we had to deal with the FSF's rules so we had to give them names when the OS is installed
<lkcl>
ok, great.
<lkcl>
so.
<lkcl>
which raspberry pi are you comparing to? there are something like four that i know of
<jay_>
raspberry pi 3 model B
<lkcl>
the EOMA68-A20 Computer Card has an Allwinner A20 dual-core 1ghz ARM Cortex A7
<lkcl>
that's a quad-core i believe
<lkcl>
and probably something like... 1.5ghz?
<lkcl>
so... dual-core vs quad-core
<jelly>
and has a bit more memory bandwidth than the rpi3
<lkcl>
and 1ghz vs 1.5ghz
<lkcl>
jelly: thx. err.... bit more *memory* or a bit more memory *bandwidth*? is it 64-bit-wide memory access or 32-bit-wide? makes a huge difference
<lkcl>
both in terms of performance as well as power consumption
<jelly>
bandwidth is what's important for "speed"
<lkcl>
jay_: the EOMA68-A20 uses 32-bit wide data bus access to DDR3 RAM which means much lower power - we can keep to about a 3.5 watt budget
<jay_>
for question 1, I guess my question is how will the EOMA68-A20 do for everyday task such as bill payment, browsing, editing office documents, in other work will my wife fate the A20?
<jelly>
but yeah your thing also has 2GiB RAM vs r.pi3's 1GiB
<lkcl>
jelly: the power penalty is about 350mA per 32-bit-wide addressing at around 800mhz DDR3
<jelly>
oh, I misread something then
<lkcl>
jay_: it's about the same sort of speed as a budget intel atom system that you could buy abouuut... 3 to 5 years ago (if you upgraded it to 2GB RAM)
<lkcl>
jay_: there's some videos online where you can see i'm running some programs (office, firefox) so you can judge for yourself, subjectively
<lkcl>
jay_: bear in mind those demos are done with only 1GB RAM
<jay_>
lkcl_: ok so the one from crowd supply with 2GB should be a bit faster then
<lkcl>
so qn 2 the way crowdfunding works is, nobody's credit cards get charged until the target's met
<lkcl>
jay_: or... able to do a bit more (run a few more programs simultaneously)... put a bit more of your files into RAM (cache)... yeah.
<lkcl>
qn 3 if you *only* get the computer card you'll need the cable set (or to source them yourself) then get a USB2 hub, and USB peripherals, and you're off
<lkcl>
qn 4 yes just plug several together on an ethernet switch, just like they do in co-located hosting companies.
<lkcl>
but don't expect to do that without having to do quite a lot of work: look up "beowulf clustering".
<jay_>
lkcl_: damn I dont see my OS that I currently run
<lkcl>
jay_: does it run on an ARM Cortex A7?
<lkcl>
jay_: what's the OS?
<jay_>
lkcl_: slackware
<lkcl>
jay_: yes slackware is supported for the ARM Cortex A7.
<lkcl>
so yes it will run.
<lkcl>
whenever these OSes say "we don't officially support board XYZ" totally ignore that, find out what the processor is, and the answer's "yes".
<lkcl>
unless it's a BSD-based OS, which is completely different
<jay_>
lkcl_: ok so I get the cables set but I still want to have a portable computer (laptop) will I be able to source the reaming parts easily? Maybe I could use the hardware from a laptop?
<lkcl>
jay_: you will find it to be a bitch of a job to take components out of a 2nd-hand laptop. it's a reasonable question that comes up surprisingly often... but i tell you, even highly intelligent people have drastically underestimated how much work it is for so little return
<lkcl>
isacdaavid: thxman
<lkcl>
isacdaavid: i'll put that on the OS list
<jay_>
lkcl_: fair enough but how about purchasing later on a portable screen such as the one from the project? I mean will I be able to source one from lets say ebay?
<lkcl>
jay_: yes. you want P/N LP156WH4-TLN1 or TLN2
<lkcl>
jay_: welcome to online wikis
<lkcl>
jay_: you could have done it.
<jay_>
lkcl_: sweet, do you maybe already have a list of what is needed for part sourcing a laptop, just asking because I dont think I could go for the $450 option, I rather get the board+case+cables try it out and if it works then I would build a laptop
<jay_>
or maybe you could just buy the part later on
<jay_>
from you
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<lkcl>
jay_: i've not added the PCBs as an option for that to be possible, but yes later on you'd be able to get the kit
<lkcl>
jay_: you'd really need the PCBs, cables and the battery. the LCD and keyboard would be easy enough to get... albeit more expensive overall
<lkcl>
jay_: i recommend your next priority be the micro-desktop because that will give you access to the 2 USB2 ports (and the option of a 2nd screen)
<lkcl>
and 2 MicroSD card slots
<jay_>
lkcl_: yeah I was thinking the Practically Perfect Computer Card, Micro Desktop Housing for Computer Card and the USB + HDMI Cable Set for Standalone Operation to start
<lkcl>
jay_: sensible. the Micro-USB-OTG port is part-hardware part-software implemented USB2 (!!!) :)
<lkcl>
jay_: so for example when i plugged in a USB3 Hub then plugged a USB2 hub into *that* then plugged in a USB1 keyboard, it didn't go down too well :)
<jay_>
lkcl_: then if all works I would look into the screen, keyboard and battery, I know it will be more expensive but at least i have a start.
<lkcl>
but when i plugged in the same USB keyboard directly into the OTG port it worked perfectly
<lkcl>
so, having the micro-desktop board which has 2 full hardware-implemented USB2 ports is a good idea
<lkcl>
jay_: you still need the laptop's PCBs to be able to add the laptop screen, laptop keyboard and laptop battery.
<lkcl>
jay_: those are custom designed and absolutely NOTHING to do with the micro-desktop housing.
<lkcl>
the only thing that's common between the laptop housing and the desktop housing is: they are both compliant with the EOMA68 standard
<jay_>
lkcl_: can you buy the laptop PCB alone? I dont think I see it listed?
<jay_>
lkcl_: hmm it might be easier to buy the $500 option, do you have an actual picture of the PFY Laptop Housing Kit for Computer Card?\
<lkcl>
jay_: you're about the first person to ask! there are 3 PCBs needed.
<lkcl>
jay_: there's some pictures of the assembled prototypes that i've done... 1sec
<jay_>
lkcl_: of topic question but based on your curriculum you might be the right person to ask. So im very new to gnu/linux I choose slackware just because its forcing me to do things from a command line and not a GUI, I still struggle with commands and other stuff but can you recommend a good book for a beginner preferably on the desktop environment as that Im using my current machine for
<jay_>
by desktop I dont mean kde or gnome its just most books I pick focus on servers
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<lkcl>
jay_: no lol there's a few other colours
<lkcl>
jay_: hmmm intriguing... honestly i just pick things up as i go along, i don't read many books about computing!
<lkcl>
jay_: what i do is, i assume that what i want to know has been asked hundreds maybe thousands of times
<lkcl>
jay_: so i just imagine what keywords someone would ask or discuss... type them into google... and ta-daaa up come half a dozen discussions :)
<lkcl>
jay_: but you know what you should consider if you want to *really* make yourself work at command-line? use fvwm in the same setup that i do... :)
<lkcl>
basically what i do is, i start a single xterm (using the right-mouse-button to bring up the root menu)
<lkcl>
then i pretty much don't ever run a GUI app via the menu *ever again* :)
<lkcl>
so if i want firefox, i find that xterm, and type "firefox &"
<lkcl>
lol
<lkcl>
confuses the hell out of people when they see it.
<lkcl>
let me take a screenshot for ya.... you can see i've moved the date and shrunk the "Virtual Screens" thing in the bottom right corner down to as tiny as i can practically manage....
<lkcl>
1sec...
<jay_>
lkcl_: sweet, Ill try it, ok last question so if I just want a desktop all I need is Numero Uno Computer Card (or any computer card), Micro Desktop Housing for Computer Card and USB + HDMI Cable Set for Standalone Operation. And then all I provide is a screen, keyboard and mouse right?
<lkcl>
but bear in mind this is really hard-core specialist setup okay!!
<lkcl>
jay_: yyep. if you've got a monitor with both VGA and HDMI you're set. USB keyboard. USB mouse. oh - find yourself a USB WIFI or USB Ethernet dongle as well
<lkcl>
get something from thinkpenguin.com they're my sponsor :)
<jay_>
lkcl_: dude! that is to hard-core I'm still a noob but Ill keep it in mind
<lkcl>
jay_: lol. oh btw do look up "devuan trinity desktop" - it's a bit obscure to find but the combination is really nice. a lot less hassle.
<jay_>
lkcl_: ok 2 final questions I swear, if you don't reach your goal but I pledge will I still get the hardware I pledged for? and will the shipping start on Mar 2017 or with luck maybe earlier?
<lkcl>
jay_: :)
<lkcl>
jay_: update about that shortly
<lkcl>
jay_: and i was estimating so i'll try to keep to that schedule but can't promise it'll be exact... i definitely want to aim for the majority of PCB manufacturing in january
<lkcl>
when the factory is less busy
<lkcl>
jay_: what i will be doing is, just letting people know what's happening, all the time. apart from anything i will need help, so do join the mailing list.
<lkcl>
jay_: even the fact that you're a beginner is really *really* useful because if you can't do it, then that needs to be fixed. if that makes sense
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<jay_>
lkcl_: thanks for all the info, i can now make an informed decision!