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World's First Linux Computer In A CF Card
An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices reports on the world's first Linux computer to fit inside a CompactFlash card. The 'Compact Flash Computer' (CFC) can be mixed and matched with third-party CF cards to instantly create minuscule Linux systems based entirely on CF cards. A wide variety of third-party CF peripheral cards can be used with the CFC, including RS232/485, Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB, 802.11, GSM, GPRS, GPS, and more. A combination power supply / bus expander module on a separate CF card, as well as a tiny 8-slot CF card backplane, are available as options."
An anonymous reader adds "The card is based on a Freescale MPC5272 system-on-chip processor and contains 32MB of SDRAM and 8MB of Flash memory, and it comes with a uClinux based operating system and GNU development/debug tools."
Yes but would a Beowulf cluster of CFCs harm the environment? Yes, the Compact Flash Computer has the unlikely acronym CFC. I move that we change that acronym to CFCC [Compact Flash Card Computer] in hopes the ozone doesn't sue.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
A group of hackers in Europe announced today that they got Linux to run on a single NAND gate. Quote the project leader, "This way, a single 74x00 quad-NAND chip can be used to build a four processor supercomputer." In reponse to this news, Intel chief Craig Barrett removed his CEO hat and punched his fist through it in a fit of exasperated consternation.
Unknown host pong.
I've created a embedded linux system out of a piece of tofu. Its superior to regular tofu in every way! Of course, since tofu has no I/O ports this is kinda useless, but wow is it cool.
Come back next week, I should have an embedded linux system running in a fried chicken drumstick.
No, not that microsoft, the kind from Neuromancer. The idea of placing fully functional software systems on small, portable pieces of data storage that can easily be slotted into different hardware reminds me a lot of Neuromancer and similar books, as well as games like Deus Ex. I don't know about the more complex microsofts from Gibson et al, but I can certainly imagine something that could translate spoken language being stored on something like this... visiting France? Just slot your French translator card into your portable wearable computer.
In the short term, this could be part of a counter-revolutionary movement against the notion of ubiquitous wireless computing - rather than making most devices dumb terminals that rely on a remote centralised server for their data repository, this could effectively make any dumb piece of hardware a fully fledged computer, even without a network connection (indeed, it might be preferable for security or logistical reasons not to have to worry about a network).
I wonder what kinds of things we'll be able to do with this type of technology when memory cards can hold 100s of gigabytes of data?
Read Pynchon.
...was the one that was hidden in a pocket calculator. Replaced the original, made enough of a mock-up to pass any inspection, voila... suddenly you had a computer to bring to every exam, didn't get caught either. Though I hear rumors he spent time equal to or greater than the time he'd need to actually learn the subjects programming that damn thing.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Why hasn't this been done yet?
Because most people, unfortunately, are not geek hobbyists, and think of computers in terms of application, not of mechanism. To them, this reconfigurability is just additional cost, complexity, and fragility to get a "follow the directions to assemble it yourself" device that performs some task that they want to do, like store lists of phone numbers. Sure, it drives us bonkers that we don't have a pretty interface and better support for the I2C bus (or internal USB in cases), interesting input (knobs, sliders, etc that can be interfaced with) devices, cheap interesting output devices (LED/LCD/VFD front-panel displays), thermometers, and the like. The typical computer user, though, doesn't give a damn about extending or reconfiguring their computer, because they want to accomplish a task, and don't really want to "figure out what to do to their computer to accomplish that task".
Sigh.
May we never see th
If you are really into tiny linux computers, you might want to check out Gumstix which are about the same size, in a different shape (like a stick of gum... get it?). It comes with USB (client not host), rs232, bluetooth, and a MMC/SD interface. Running the Intel Xscale, you can have a 200 mhz machine for a little over $100. Now if I could only justify buying one of these... maybe the tiniest wireless webserver?
Yawn.
Motorola spunoff (all|a large section) of their IC department and thus was born Freescale. They've been making CPU's for apple for decades.
IIRC, PowerPC was engineered to be backwards compatible with 68k. To preserve apple's software. The main dis-advantage of this is that you'd have to support the umpteen billion addressing modes.
There is a RISC'ified alternate side though: The ColdFire processors. They've been a uClinux target for a while.
However, whats truly notable is that the new MFC54xx series has a mmu. No need for uClinux, it runs real linux. Quite well i'd imaging: 133mhz DDR ram, 433 mhz, pci-interface, dual ethernet (100 mbit), usb and onboard crypto accelerator. All with a low advertised power consumption.
Still awaiting the Base Support Package. C'mon Metroworks.
Myren
If one was to obtain (peel or print) an appropriate sticker, it would be relatively easy to create an ethernet or wifi card with a sinister personality.
--
"we live in a post-ideological world..." - Billy Bragg.