PC Setup for Small House with Child?

nzgeek asks: "I've been managing with a pokey Windows notebook for a couple of years now, and am desperate to get a decent PC for development and gaming. Problem is, our house is tiny and we have a 1-year-old entropy generator running amok. What's the best recommendation for getting a full-power desktop PC installed in our house? My ideal setup would be a mini-tower case hidden in a cupboard, with a remote LCD monitor, mouse, keyboard, and headphones. The keyboard and mouse can be done via bluetooth, and there is no problem with cable length for headphones. The major stumbling block is VGA connection for the monitor. Any suggestions on how to overcome this problem?"

Comments

Better yet

[AresTheImpaler]

You could teach him not to touch your computer... Lot's of friends that have children and computer (or other things that kids need to be careful with) teach their kids not to mess with them. I recomend you to do the same.

Re:Better yet

[harrkev]

You could teach him not to touch your computer...

Bzzzt. Wrong. but thank you for playing. The problem with this is that then you can get into a "power struggle" with the kids. Below a certain age, they just do not understand, as their brains are not developed enough to have any sort of self-control. Above 1 year you might be able to teach them, but they start crawling around 6 months, so that is 6 months of problems. Also, the less that you tell your kids "no", the fewer problems that you will have. It is good to give your kids dicipline, but only fight the fights that you HAVE to (don't run into the street, don't go anywhere with strangers, don't touch the stove, etc). A little preparation now will save you headaches in the future.

I went through this myself (2 kids, currently 2 and 3-1/2), and let me tell you my experience.

My last computer was a Celeron 466 (old, I know, but it is tough to upgrade when supporting a wife and two kids). I had a desktop case (one meant to lay horizontal on your desk. That worked fine, as everything was out of reach.

But then I got the money to upgrade. Being a true geek, I had to build my own computer. HERE is the case that I chose. Yes, it is a little large, but it is great quality, has a great power supply, and it has a locking door over the drive bays and power switch. When this case is locked, the only thing that they can get into from the front is the USB/Firewire ports, which are not that interesting. The door also hides most of the blinking lights, and I can tell you from experience that kids love drive trays. Once kids get past a certain age, cable are boring. But flashing lights and buttons that do things are always interesting.

I have this case wedged between a desk and a small 2-drawer file cabinet, so the cables are mostly out of sight. Throw in a wireless keyboard/mouse combo and you can keep the cables to a minimum.

One more idea: Take an old computer (1 GHz or less) and give it to your kids. Pick up some cheap educational software from your local cheapo-department store or garage sale and throw it on there. Something like Alcohol 120% or similar may be very useful, as they will not ask you to chage CDs or try to do it themselves. Once your kids hit 2, then will start to figure out the mouse and can use it. This will also take the "mystery" of the computer away, so they will feel less of a need to play with yours.

Kids are a blessing. Have fun with them. I am also assuming that you either have a brand-new baby, or will be getting one soon. The older that your kids get, the more fun they are!

Also, you may want to look at the "Comparison and Conclusion" page at the bottom of this page.

Re:Simple Solution

[(H)elix1]

I picked up a Sun 180 server, complete with 8' tall rackmount, for $25USD. I mounted all my hardware above my child's reach or stashed it behind one of the panels. Not a snowball's chance in hell move the thing, all cables zip tied to the rack, a screwdriver needed to get at the UPS and all the power cords. Granted, I bought it back when my new bride looked at my mess of computers and said - buy one and consolidate this mess. Not sure something larger than the refrigerator was what she had in mind....

As a side note, go with the CRT tube. It takes a hell of a beating and the little one will be unlikely to move the mass of a 21" monitor.

He said *GAMING*

[jordie]

Am I the only one that read this?!? I have a one and two year old. I find that moving the power and reset buttons to INSIDE the case help. All cables are hidden away behind the computer, and clamped to the computer desk. To keep them away from the computer in general, I have given them THEIR OWN to play with. It's the most amazing thing to watch your kids play on the computer. My 2 year old has known for at least 6 months how to open and close applications, even successfully NAVIGATE the start menu all the way to the paint program. My 1 year old can only do minimal so far, opening and closing random applications and such. Works great, try it. Stop trying to keep them away from computers; give them one they CAN play with! Cheers.

From Experience

[InfinityWpi]

Given the tendancies of my own 13-month-old chaos machine, you ma want to reconsider the wireless keyboard and mouse. They're more magnetic to little ones than shiny objects. Especially if you're seen using them. Your best bet is a desk with some sort of roll-down top or closed doors, like a hutch, so that everythign can be close and latched. Then you don't have to worry about the cords for the monitor.

Oh, and keep power cords off the floor. They don't get shocked easy, but they like to press the switches on the power strips and UPSes.

FFS, NO!

[RMH101]

a "small house" and you recommend an 8 foot rack unit? only on slashdot!
seriously, the way to do it is this:

* a shuttle small form factor PC. put unit in cupboard.
* an LCD vesa-mounted to the wall with cables cable tied out of the way
* a cheap wireless kb/mouse (forget bluetooth, it's overkill)
* nothing else.

this is the answer. any other suggestions are just plain wrong.

Re:Height, and Distraction

[dmayle]

All bets are off once they master climbing

For the love of... Please get to them before they master this on their own. Teach them, and let them know it's not allowed. Or make sure you don't have any sets of kitchen drawers where the drawers are all on top of the other. (As a 2 1/2 year old I learned that you could pull the bottom drawer out all the way, and each higher drawer a little less to make stairs. I still have the burn scars from getting onto the kitchen counter...)

Re:Simple Solution

[Rick the Red]

Seriously, the best solution is to teach your kid what "no" means. We've got an antique shelf filled with delecate family dishes and other valuables, and both of our kids learned not to go near it. Of course, we also gave them pretty much the run of the rest of the house and left lots of un-childproofed drawers for them to explore.

Frankly, with four working computers in this house (not counting the firewall), the only problem caused by children is their tendency to mimic mommy and daddy and try to type something or click the mouse, problems you're going to have no matter what you do with the VGA cable. As a father I really think this is a non-issue.