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Free PC With French Broadband Connection
robson writes "Neuf Cegetel announced the purchase of AOL France, an ISP that counts 500,000 broadband subscribers and the arrival of 'the box,' an Internet access terminal. Code-name: Easy Gate.
It's a computer, working under the Linux OS. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one.
Easy Gate will be available from November, the actual 'box' consists of: an Intel 852 GM, 6 ports USB 2.0, 512 Mb of RAM and 512 Mb of Flash memory."
I read the topic as Free PC with French Bread Connection
So it's basicly a company giving away a free low quality Dell PC.. not a bad deal but I expect they'll wan tyou ro return it when you end the service as is the deal with my "free" router.
I like muppets.
It's a computer, working under the Linux OS. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one. Easy Gate will be available from November, the actual 'box' consists of: an Intel 852 GM, 6 ports USB 2.0, 512 Mb of RAM and 512 Mb of Flash memory."
I hope it's secure. I don't need SPAM from 500K new sources.
A win for Linux? Maybe encourage more mainstream plugin and webapp development? It's France and EU turf so it looks like a good thing on the surface.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
..Using the French Connection....
French fries > french cuisine? Wrong.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
The fact that it's linux means the slashdoters will love it, the fact that it's AOL they will hate it. The sheer conflict in the minds of the slashdot readers will cause more than one head to pop.
Also, what kind of a name is "America OnLine France"? Shouldn't it be "France OnLine"? FOL? Hmmm....
This space intentionally left blank.
Code-name: Easy Gate. It's a computer, working under the Linux OS. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one.
Well, so then it's not a "free PC", it's a "free internet access terminal". I doubt anyone's going to be running half-life or photoshop on that thing.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
The French had something like this long before the Internet became commercially available: Minitel. It was wildly popular because the device was given to subscribers for free.
- Intel 852 GM
- 6 USB 2.0 Ports
- 512 MB RAM
- 512 MB Flash Memory
That Intel card is a decent graphics card, good enough for web browsing, and 6 USB ports are great. 512 MB of RAM is pretty good, but only 512 MB of storage space (with the flash memory)? I'm assuming this won't have a hard drive, considering that it's free and there's no mention of one. You can't even install Ubuntu (or similar) on this! All you'll get is a stripped down KDE or GNOME environment with Firefox/Konqueror and Kopete/Gaim (I'm assuming so much at least). You couldn't even have space for documents. Sure, there are USB ports, but flash drives aren't good enough for bulk storage, and external hard drives are just bulky. I know this is meant as a web browsing tool, and nothing more. Worse yet if that the second anyone has an issue with this, they'll most likely blame Linux. You would never see Windows on a PC like this, so people would just assume that Linux is just a step behind Windows. This is far from the free computer everyone has been expecting.Good point, and on top of that, I wonder HOW AOL will actually suppot Linux? A quick search of their website for "Linux" (anyone notice the bad coding?) only turns up AIM for Linux. Even Google has nothing to do with broadband connectitivity, only connecting via dialup...
If all of you Francophobes could untwist your shorts for a minute, you might realize that this is pretty much an updated version of the Minitel, which most geeks thought was pretty damn cool back in the days of expensive 300 baud dialup.
Besides, it runs Linux.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
According to PC Inpact (in French), it's a custom distro, all open source, and it includes Firefox, Abiword, Gnumeric, GIMP, Gkview, Ekiga, MPlayer, and Bizanga, among other things.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
... and if it were American it would have the smoke screen of lies...
Another instance of bubblepack computing(like the gumstix, socket pc, OLPC etc.). So cheap it's a giveaway/impulse buy, Linux based with zero maintainence/zero service. Sure, not a gaming rig, but sufficent to do the primary functions of a PC these days websurfing and light office functions. Not likely to be a primary machine, but an excellent kitchen/bedroom terminal, perfect for hotel/public terminal axcess. While they won't replace the present PC they will crowd them out just as PCs did to mini's. /. crowd starts modding bubblepack computing for specialized apps (wardriving, geolocation, picture frames)
What will be interesting will be when the
I'm gonna pop that lid top and steam me some rice in that baby. Yeaaaahhhhh... at last Linux has gone BEYOND TOASTERS.
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
Do you know how many French soldiers died fighting the Nazi invasion? Do you know anything about the Free French Forces or the French Resistance? It is amazing how many Americans have this unhistorical belief that the French just gave up and accepted the Nazis - they fought just as hard as every other nation and lost hundreds of thousands of people in combat. More French soldiers died battling the Nazis than US soldiers.
And as long as it pokes at America and not France, it will not get modded flamebait.
Wow. The last in the apprently long line to completely fail to get the joke. And this one's a flamer.
Emphasis on the last five letters.
Actually, I'm pretty sure there's a name for people such as yourself, who ignorantly sling insults while failing completely to pay attention...
I'm also pretty sure that the term had been wrongfully ascribed to an entire subset of the human genome - mostly as defined by a particular set of appearance traits - causing it to be too politically charged to be used appropriately. Like it should be in this case.
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For those of you who can read french, here is the official annoucement :
C egetel_lance_Easy_Neuf_et_invente_l_Easy_Gate_la_p remiere__box__associant_l_acces_a_l_Internet_haut_ debit_et_les_principales_fonctionnalites_d_un_ordi nateur.html
0 76782
http://www.groupeneufcegetel.fr/html/Presse/Neuf_
They say it is an all-in-one service that will include the PC, the LCD screen, mouse, keyboard and webcam. Internet service (up to 8Mbits). Applications including web browser, e-mail reader/writer, instant messaging, an office suite and a multimedia reader. Security features will include a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-popup and parental control. An easy to use interface and tutorials on how to use the internet. Support will be included and provided by Neuf Cegetel and they can remotly connect to the computer for easy troubleshooting plus updates will be automatically downloaded.
The distro is a custom one but all sources will be available on their website !
Seems better to me then a Windows PC...
Hi-res pics : http://www.neufgiga.com/partage_neuf.php?folder=1
Daas
Typical Slashdot response. This computer is not meant for the average Slashdot reader. It's meant for old women who would like to browse the web or send their relatives email, but who don't want to deal with the nuisances of PC's and Windows. These people don't need a 120GB hard drive or the ability to install Ubuntu.
And no, these people will not blame Linux if things don't work right, because they probably won't even know that their computer is running Linux.
Systemd: the PulseAudio of init systems
You know how the Vichy regime came to power? After the Germans invaded and most of the French military had been destroyed they deposed the existing Prime Minister (Reynaud) and his top people in the resulting chaos, Petain claimed power despite Reynaud never being legitamately deposed - it was a kind of coup. The US immediately recognized the Vichy regime, allowing them to claim legitimacy and consolidate power. It wasn't until the US finally decided to enter the war that they supported the Free French Forces and began providing limited supplies to the French Resistance - so by your logic the US are just as much collaborationists.
In reality, the remnants of the army in France formed the backbone of the French Resistance, and the North African divisions formed the backbone of the Free French Forces. Most French people did not support the Vichy government and viewed Petain and Weygand as traitors. Almost every single Vichy leader was convicted of crimes against humanity and most were sentenced to death in French courts after the Nazis were expelled from the country, at the local level many were murdered when the Nazis were overthrown. Even as recently as 1993 a Vichy leader who had been acquitted in his trial after the war was re-tried for crimes against humanity (although he was murdered before his trial could be completed). The collaborationists were a small subset of the French who were empowered by the Nazi regime. The mass of the French people did not support them then and do not support them now. The US had it's own collaborationists and Nazi-sympathizers, people like Henry Ford, Charles Lindberg, and the leaders of IBM - none of them were ever brought to justice though.
maybe so many died because they sucked
Or maybe so many died because they didn't wait until 1942 to fight, or maybe because they got actually invaded.
Btw according to the wikipedia link someone else posted in a reply to you, about twice more american soldiers died from that war than french, but they also fought in the Pacific..
Oh well, you're probably the type of american (what else could you be?) who thinks that latin americans speak latin and who thinks there are cheerleaders in french schools.
You just got troll'd!
Yes this box looks like a big breakthrough for not so computer literate people looking for getting in touch with friends and relatives using today's technology.
However, this almost comes like shadow over the Free Telecom's new Freebox which comes with router, Wifi-MIMO connection, HD TV tuner and something like 50 free channels and a total of 200, including all the international ones like CNN, BBC and many others, a VoIP phone system with free calls to landlines all over Europe (free calls to Australia, the US and Canada for instance!)
I keep going: Possibility to watch TV on your computer using VLC or use it as a multimedia player to send video and audio stream to the box that then displays it on your TV and sends the sound to your HiFi system through the Optical connection. Ah yes also video on demand with films that you can replay and fast forward for 24hours just as a DVD.
Of course it can provide very fast Internet connection (28Mb/s), obviously runs Linux and all that comes for the ridiculous price of 30 per month (they just lend the box to you!!!)
All that to say, with such as competition on the ADSL market in France, no wonder why Neuf Cegetel is trying to catch with such an offer...