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"I take it you've never actually paid a professional to install (and wire) a distribution center, then run the wire to each desk, then to wire an outlet at each desk?"

The only way the battery idea would work is if they used large batteries, like car batteries, and even those would likely need to be charged after 8-16 hours of use. The teacher really wants to run around swapping out 20 lbs batteries every other day?

Also i'm a little confused why this is on /. since it's obvious the teacher didn't even google the topic because there's several of sources with information about running PCs from 12 volt car batteries.

And the teacher should have asked the experts on putting PCs in cars over at dashpc.com or at least googled "car computer" for ideas on other PCs running from a 12-volt source. We might be pretty knowledgeable, but we're not all trying to run PCs on 12 volt batteries like guys in the mp3car forum is.

I'm building my own Ethanol Still (mirrored from tripod). A little bit of corn mash (or beer) and out comes E-100 Ethanol Fuel.

Previous to that, I built one of the first carputers (the DashPC) back in 1999 (it was slashdotted 3 times).

My next project is to make our new project car run on my own homemade E100. It's a 1995 Ford Festiva that gets about 50 MPG right now.

You can tweak Linux's boot-up time easily. Just disable the startup scripts that you don't need (or start them after your Desktop UI is loaded).

Linux is configurable like that. I've gotten a Linux Kernel to boot in a second or two by patching the kernel with CElinux patches. I did this of course, because no one wants to wait for the User interface when they're in a car (over at dashpc.com).

Or somewhereabouts there.

http://www.dashpc.com

It's been seen on here before, but since it's relevant, I'll post it again.

Worse than http://www.dashpc.com/. DashPc is definately cooler. But i suppose all this bloatted stuff is really usefull if you have your own driver and you are sitting in the back seat, or it is your fathers car and you use him for your wardriving experience.Anyway i would like to see a project that uses eyewear like those ones that can be found on http://www.microopticalcorp.com/ instead of a display mounted on the car.

Nice choice of icons :/

http://www.dashpc.com/show_picture.php?id=2285

Personally, I would have gone with one of these sets;

http://art.gnome.org/themes/icon?sort_by=add_times tamp&thumbnails_per_page=1000&view=list&order=DESC

http://kde-look.org/index.php?xsortmode=high&page= 0

We're running Linux on ours. I'm not being elitist here, I'm just wondering what OS'es are afflicted by this.

I assume it's not a flaw in Bluetooth, because it would be much more pervasive. AFAIK, BMW's flakey iDrive system runs Windows - and I'm not saying it's flakey because it runs Windows. I'm saying it's flakey because of telematics industry reports about it. Any correlation is probably/likely just a coincidence.

You can see it here:

http://www.dashpc.com/map/

It's probably not the wisest thing to do - but it's a proof of concept.

Here's a great woodgrain keyboard.

DISCLAIMER: I take full credit for it.

He is a young grasshopper of an engineer. In due time, he will see the error of his ways.

It's still a great install though.

DISCLAIMER: I too have a Volkswagen Linux install: http://www.dashpc.com/ (which was also featured on /. a couple of times)

The domain is down right now, but I can do custom work for you. What price range were you looking to spend?

Here's an example of a woodgrain keyboard that I did:
http://www.dashpc.com/show_picture.php?id=2230
I also do it for much less than the real-wood designs. The keyboard in that picture for example, would run you about $150 US.

It's not cheap by any stretch, but high quality will almost always cost more.

Just how much money do the Linux users here thing they contribute to the bottom line at Garmin or Magellan? The offerings for Linux (Linspire, etc) ready for the consumer are noticeably lacking. It's going to stay that way for quite a while. When someone says "there is no software for Linux" invariably thousands of geeks on here (I use that term in the fondest manner) will say "oh I just hooked up my transmogrifier to the digital mitzoplexer and then filtered that through Google. Simple!". Well it's not simple folks. Until you realize that the consumers (you know, those folks paying for things) drive demand, things will not change.

A lot of folks here see a good idea, take it, write their own spaghetti code and tailor it to how they want it and then call it good. The folks in Redmond see a good idea, dumb it up to the least common denominator and wham . your Grandmother has one in her Lincoln Continental. See the difference? There's money in developing code that's "good enough" so long as you address it to your market.

I've seen some pretty cool work with in-car PCs and some using Linux. These are packaged with the consumer in mind, even if they are not quire ready yet. That's what's going to catch on. Just because there are open standards does not mean you all need to write your own. That's the surest way to obscurity.

I have to affirm this post. I live in Atlanta (#3 worst traffic in the US), and I regularly face a 1+ hour commute.

The solution that I think about EVERY SINGLE WORKING DAY, is simple:

Paint the letters "PASSING LANE ONLY" on the far left lane.

Have the local PD issue tickets for people "hanging out" in the far left lane or going to slowly. Europe has this down to an art and few things are as exhilarating as driving on the autobahn (or other major highways there). The net result of a passing-only lane is that it creates a "vent" that allows the people that want to get out of town FAST. The pressure on the remaining lanes would be is therefore less cumulative. I consistently drive home in 8 lanes of traffic (I-75) -> (I-575) in bumper to bumper traffic, so I have a lot of time to think about the how much I hate it.

Hell, that's why I spend so much time working on the DashPC; but that's not the point of this post.

Yep, search the software forum on Mp3car.com for linux and you should get at least two hits. Also you can check out the following sites:
thexcar.com or DashPC

Chop
"You must be new here."

So have we: http://www.dashpc.com. Ours, however, runs Linux.

These guys used to offer woodgrain finished keyboards, mice, peripherals, etc... but the website vanished.

Here's a picture of a keyboard they used to sell and here's a picture of a car computer finish that was offered.

There's also a company called Oberhofer that sells 'designer' keyboards / mice / etc. at a premium. The last time I checked the website, however, it was de-funct. They had some great peripherals at (albeit) grand prices. I think they have a showroom or two in San Fran or LA somewhere.

Anyone have any info on what happened to them?

Overall, this is a GREAT mod / hack and I'd love to know how they did it...

These guys used to offer woodgrain finished keyboards, mice, peripherals, etc... but the website vanished.

Here's a picture of a keyboard they used to sell and here's a picture of a car computer finish that was offered.

There's also a company called Oberhofer that sells 'designer' keyboards / mice / etc. at a premium. The last time I checked the website, however, it was de-funct. They had some great peripherals at (albeit) grand prices. I think they have a showroom or two in San Fran or LA somewhere.

Anyone have any info on what happened to them?

Overall, this is a GREAT mod / hack and I'd love to know how they did it...

For the record, the CMU team was assisted by the Dashwerks DashPC project ([ironically] seen earlier today here on Slashdot.

Dashwerks has provided advice, notes, and exclusive IP to [at least one] member of the CMU DARPA team members for the past year or so.

It's very fulfilling to see underdog project(s) such as these in the spotlight and taking a lead position in their respective industries.

Did you notice the runes in this picture? What's up with that?

www.dashpc.com/index2.php seems to be working.

Lot's of people have built similar systems. DashPC (which runs Linux) comes to mind. Try Googling for "Car PC" or "car mp3 player" and you should find lot's of other examples.

It's been seen on here a few times, but it's currently the best linux-based open-source car computer website. It has OBDII compatibility via a FreeDiag driver. The software has been slow in development, but lately things have been picking up quite nicely.

http://www.dashpc.com has all the juicy details about how to build your own DashboardPC and how to interface with your car via your PC.

Over at my website - dashpc.com you can find an extremely atypical linux installation. Granted, it's not necessarily a desktop; but it might help you make the case that Linux is extremely versatile and can be used in virtually any UI situation.

http://www.dashpc.com/

A good site is www.dashpc.com. Although this guy has a lot of stuff in his, a simple setup of a computer and such may be all you need.

I am looking for a simular setup and plan on using the Senao 200mW wireless card to boost performance from within the car.

Chris Bergeron did very much the same thing in his VW Jetta. He lives in Georgia, US. He's shown it at several southeast-area cons.

http://www.dashpc.com/

[...] however, would include a linux based DashPC development area like this one.

Just don't plan on driving that car in California.

[...] however, would include a linux based DashPC development area like this one.

Just don't plan on driving that car in California.

Just ask this guy. Mine, however, would include a linux based DashPC development area like this one.

Just ask this guy. Mine, however, would include a linux based DashPC development area like this one.

dashpc.com is the headquarters for linux car computing enthusiasts. The site seems to be down right now, but if you google for dashpc you can find a ton of info. A cached link to the discussion forum can be found here.

I'd love to be able to put one of these higher voltage batteries/alternators in my 2000 VW.

Anyone know what would be involved, or if it would even be possible to retrofit such a system? Wouldn't it fry the existing (stock) vehicle electronics (ECU's, et al.)?

This site is all about car-mounted PCs. I'm pretty sure it's the same guy that sells this DC/DC power supply.

I'm suprised that the dashpc prototype linux vehicle didn't make the cut.

Oh well, maybe next year...

We're working on this exact thing. Our project is called dashpc, and while it's still in it's infancy, the code can be found on freshmeat and sourceforge. Our site is here.

We currently have GPS capability, Kismet, ODBII interfacing, audio, etc.

We can always use help, so anyone truly interested in this and programming skills (java preferred) feel free to help out.

It's already being done by the guys over at the dashpc.

"It's been just over a year since the DashPC/Dashboard Linux project initially got SLASHDOTTED!!!.

If the server which hosts www.dashpc.com is obviously too slow to handle the load of the typical slashdot effect, why don't you host it at your Sourceforge webspace?

Just curious :)

It's already underway. Here's the link: www.dashpc.com

how does this differ from the pccable used in DashPC. Where he takes a B. Roadman's ODBII serial interface and gathers information about his car?

Or does this suppliment with other amazing codes? Such as access to the odometer in some fashion (i think the only code i am missing on my car) that my dash displays but i cannot.

Here in Atlanta I have a neighbor in one of the highrises who is offering his bandwidth to me when I drive past his apartment. I found him on a local wi-fi sharing site. I drive past his highrise everyday enroute to work and it's a great opportunity to pull down weather and traffic data. I think its just a matter of time until this kind of thing becomes more prevalent.

Here in Atlanta I have a neighbor in one of the highrises who is offering his bandwidth to me when I drive past his apartment. I found him on a local wi-fi sharing site. I drive past his highrise everyday enroute to work and it's a great opportunity to pull down weather and traffic data. I think its just a matter of time until this kind of thing becomes more prevalent.

I recommend flat-panel.com. I used one of the 6.5" LCDs in my car. Its pricey, but very bright and clean. I highly recommend it.

I think there's a new market emerging that you haven't considered. Computing in your car. Albeit small, but there are a lot of enthusiasts persuing "dashboard pc's" out there. I'm one of them.

Me and the guys over at the dashpc site would definately have a problem with a law like that. I know of one module (that I use for demos) that features [said content] on the displays. It really goes ever quite well actually...

DISCLAIMER: I'm the car owner (and site maintainer).

I would like to offer to make this mod to anyone who can provide me (and the dashpc team) with this volvo. Our references can be found here and here.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a shameless plug.

Check this car out. This guy ripped out his existing stereo and replaced it with a touchscreen display for a pc he has in his trunk. The computer runs linux and has a wireless network card so he can download data off of his LAN before he leaves. He even set it up with a chip to boot up the pc when the ignition is turned and wait to turn on the monitor until the software is loaded. And, of course, it's all GPL'ed.

I use bulletproof window film. For a car it will run you roughly the same cost as one of those lame $300 car alarms. And you get the peice of mind of knowing that a thief [probably] won't be able to GET IN to your car. I use this on the linuxcar and I sleep safely at night. Having a garage at home and at work doesn't hurt either.

This one does. It's even open source.

Disclaimer: I am the owner of said vehicle

Are you referring to this car? I tend to think that it's because linux is embeddable, highly customizable, and free. But that's just me. I'm not biased in this post what-so-ever.

Disclaimer: I am the owner of the vehicle I linked to.