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Free PC With French Broadband Connection

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the someone-mention-this-to-aol-please dept.

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."

14 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Bread? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I read the topic as Free PC with French Bread Connection

  2. I Hope... by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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
    1. Re:I Hope... by boule75 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Errr... This is apparently a "real" PC as you say, with AbiWord, Gimp, a spreadsheet, and some other apps. And a browser & mailer certainly!

      Nice or original features:
      - the hot line apparently plan to seize control of the PC whenever one has an issue. Just like in any company indeed, just with much more logs.
      - they will not accept whatever hardware : they sell or rent some. I hope they will contribute to the drivers.

      Licensing & privacy issues are to be looked after.

      Some more information in French:
      http://www.easyneuf.fr/flash/ (the official launch date is October the 15th)
      http://www.silicon.fr/articles/16846/Neuf-Cegetel- lance-EasyGate-un-croisement-entre-une-box-ADSL-et -un-PC.html
      https://linuxfr.org/2006/09/22/21362.html

      By the way, have you heard recently that Free.fr was to invest 1.0 Bn Euro in the next years to provide ultra-high bandwidth access in big French cities (i.e. 50 Mbit/s by optical fibers, possibly with symetric data-rates, for 30 Euros a month with triple pay)?

      Maybe will I finaly lend a core to the CERN for free...

      Beyond HD-TV, I wonder if very high speed Internet access, multi-core personnal PCs and virtualisation technologies (not sure for this one) will allow us to share our CPUs and our disks. What would you think?

      And since this is now a many-stupid thoughts in one late post, let me put some more in it:
      - this reminds me of a ThinkGeek T-Shirt claiming "will work for bandwith": all you now need is 30 € a month...
      - I will be happy when Linus comes back to Europe. I do not even believe he thinks about it, but let's dream. Linus? 50 Mb/s nearly for free, both ways, with free phone to the US and half of the Free World? We've got good Belgian or Irish or German beers too, come on, come back!!!!

      --
      I am not Remy Mouton, unfortunately: http://remy.mouton.free.fr/art/
  3. How do they do it?... by crazyvas · · Score: 4, Funny

    ..Using the French Connection....

  4. Cool by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Insightful
    It's a computer, working under the OS, Linux. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one.
    Where can I get my mom one of these? So she can call Bangalore instead of me? Seriously, if low-end machines like this were as ubiquitous as phones, it would save a lot of us a lot of spare time.
    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  5. My head asplode by iPodUser · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.
    1. Re:My head asplode by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Informative
      It's not AOL, it's the company that just bought AOL's French division. No word on the processor. Some kind of Celeron, from the chipset, but I don't know whether it's the low power version. If it is, I'd be interested in one of these machines; quiet, low-power, and almost certainly cheap.

      It's worth noting that this business model is not that novel in France. Before the Internet, the French had a network called Minitel. A load of dumb terminals were handed out for free to French businesses and households, as a replacement for a printed telephone directory. This gave access to telephone directory listings and a number of commercial services. The 'phone company took a connection fee, and other, premium services could also be charged directly to the bill. This machine is a logical successor to the Minitel; it's a machine which (should) require no more maintenance than a dumb terminal, and can be used to access the network that many regard as the successor to the Minitel network. Presumably with only 512MB of local storage, the user is expected to keep most of their data (email history, etc) on the server.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  6. "PC"? by User+956 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.
  7. Return of the Minitel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  8. The New Minitel by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.
  9. Re:What Distro? by RAMMS+EIN · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.
  10. Bubblepack computing by monopole · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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.
    What will be interesting will be when the /. crowd starts modding bubblepack computing for specialized apps (wardriving, geolocation, picture frames)

  11. My /. submission of last week on that item by A.K.A_Magnet · · Score: 5, Interesting
    ... which was rejected; Posted here for details. (too many details?)
    Neuf, the third French ISP (in terms of subscribers), has announced (in French) today a new offer, "EasyNeuf" (still in French), aiming at reaching people who don't have a PC: a small PC-style "plug-and-play" appliance called NeufGate running GNU/Linux. It will include (optionnally) a monitor (different sizes available), a mice and a webcam for 99euros (with the 14" monitor) and cover most common usages: e-mail, instant messaging (MSN), web browsing (Firefox), videoconferencing (Ekiga), a spreedsheet application (Gnumeric), a word processor (Abiword), an image editor (the GIMP), a movie player (Mplayer), a PDF viewer, ... The OS is built from Linux (from scratch), runs kernel 2.6.17.11 and takes less than 100 MB (less than 168 with applications). It will feature 3 different GUIs: for novices ("Easy"), for medium users ("Ergo") and for advanced users (GTK-based with an OS X-style dock, so-called "Expert" mode). A parental control mode will be available, as well as different security features (firewall, antispam, etc). Usage will be restricted by Neuf so that people won't be able to install applications (or viruses!). On the hardware side, it will feature an Intel Celeron M 600Mhz, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of Flash memory and no hard drive. There will be 6 USB and 5 ethernet ports, and acting as a NAT router, it will share the connection with WiFi-enabled devices too. The modular design of the NeufGate will allow future hardware extensions (harddrives? DVR features?). The box will be rented (cost included in the monthly fees): the operating system will be automatically updated and most problems will be remotely fixed (some of them without having to call the hotline, as the box will report errors; it will be remotely controlled by Neuf technicians on demand [you will have to accept, as they won't be able to access anything other than your NAT/router settings otherwise]; and no, you won't be root ;)); in case of hardware problems, the box will be replaced within 48 hours (hotline will be free). A 2-hours online tutorial will help new users understand the basics. Of course, it comes with the current Neuf "triple play" offer: 8 Mb/s ADSL (down, 1Mb/s up), Telephony (mostly free, at least to landlines in most Western countries) and IPTV (to be available early 2007). All the software used in the NeufGate will be available as F/OSS on their community website soon. Oh, and the price? 39.90euros/mo, everything included (except the peripherals, ie monitor/mice/webcam which will be sold separately; you can use your own). More pretty pictures here (still, still in French). Now, isn't that what we can call Linux Desktop for Aunt Tillie? :)
    Btw, it will be sold through retail stores.
  12. Something probably as cool as the Freebox by Quent · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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...