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With the Jack PC, the Computer's In the Wall!
cylonlover writes "The Jack PC from Chip PC Technologies offers a neat and novel thin-client desktop computing solution where the computer doesn't just plug into the wall, it is the plug in the wall. Running on power provided by the ethernet cable that also connects it to the data center server, the computer-in-a-wall-socket supports wireless connectivity, has dual display capabilities and runs on the RISC processor architecture."
"RISC is good."
"You're awefully cute, but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat."
I've used the JACK PCs before on a citrix environment (A couple years ago). Actually I installed and tested the system. Neat little things but hardley new news.
~Bchickens
Sounds like a computer that has the porn pre-downloaded.
A great time saving feature!
...to 2006.
Am I missing a development (the 'news') bit or is this just a slashvertisement?
From 2006: http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/01/1255225
Hmm, I remember hearing about this one years ago.
A quick google brought this one up, from 2006:
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/desktops/you-dont-know-jack-pc-you-should-49283851/
I, for one, wouldn't call it news worthy.
English is not my first language, so cut me some slack -: Om du kan lasa det har sa kan du Svenska
So the ethernet cable runs directly from the device to the "data center server?" Interesting.
"runs on the RISC processor architecture – which gives the solution the equivalent of 1.2GHz of x86 processing power."
"comes with either a 333MHz (800MHz x86 equivalent) or a 500MHz (1.2GHz x86 equivalent) RMI Au processor."
I always enjoy when people write articles without actually understanding what they're saying.
Not even close.
So this thing has a special cable that plugs into a "data center server?" I love bullshit marketing nonsense.
dual display over the network must needs lots of bandwidth to be at a speed that does not fell like the old dial up days of slow loading pages.
The good thing about having a computer right in your wall is that when the thing overheats, your wall burns down... taking out your whole house.
http://www.beanleafpress.com
Over a 100mb lan it should be fine, even better over gigabit.
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If I want a less cluttered desktop I'll get one of those all-in-one machines from Lenovo, HP, or Apple.
Maybe someone should come up with an buried computer - dig a hole in the yard, put the computer in their, and run cables into the building and have it run off of its own heat pump!
Or the cat box computer! Put the computer in the cat box have it run on the heat of the turds and the energy of the cat burying its shit!
I mean. there are TONS of useless gimmicks to sell a commodity appliance like PCs - just see what the toaster manufactures are doing.
I'm just getting really cranky with sales and marketing bullshit that tries to sell mediocre products.
RIP America
July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001
Uses modified Debian, source nowhere to be found.
Asking by e-mail several questions consistently ignored my request for the sourcecode until all other questions where resolved then I got completely ignored.
"Running on power provided by the ethernet cable that also connects it to the data center server, the computer-in-a-wall-socket supports wireless connectivity" ...
I know it's a fad right now to make everything wireless, but there are some applications where it's just not justified.
Pfffft.... that's nothing... they've had servers running in walls for years now :)
I say don't drink and drive, you might spill your drink. Before you get behind the wheel just stop and think.
the problem with most thin clients is that they cost more than a cheap PC, we just setup some clients at work, they are 1.6ghz dual core atoms with 2 gig of ram and a 160gig laptop drive at around 150$ each new (not counting software which is mint anyway) vs a $200+ thin client
You may need to learn about drywall to upgrade your PC.
when all there is is yet another model?
Seemed like the same one to us.. :D
It's just RDP or ICA. It would be just fine over 10mb, probably even coax, although I don't think you can do PoE over 10base2.
-Arthur
Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
but how many systems on the same switch or link back to the data center?
also how much more power does the data center need for dual display over 1 display per systems?
I saw "supports wireless connectivity" and wondered why a device that is POE would need WiFi. Need more caffeine.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
Must be a slow day
you forgot to add the backed costs for thin pc that cost alot more then just backed cost for full power pc.
So you put your PoE-powered thin client inside the wall, and that's somehow a good thing? If something on the device fails then you have to move a desk/cublice and pull out a wall plate to replace the unit. That sounds smart. And now you have cables for mouse/keyboard/audio/video that have to be long enough to run to the wall plate? And if you move your desk/cubicles around then you have to consider whether or not the new location is within USB/DVI/audio cable distance of a wall jack?
Here's a better idea: make a tiny thin client that uses PoE and put it in a 5"x5"x1" box that can live on your desk. Then you only have the single ethernet cable to run tot he wall plate. Or if you don't like desk clutter, make one that has screw holes to have it fit the VESA mount on the back of your LCD monitor.
Jack PC + OnLive = Cheap gaming cafe?
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
I will agree that it's kina cool to have such a tiny server, but how many companies are so extremely short of space that they can't even find room for an ITX? This doesn't seem to be any more powerful or useful, and it's rare that an office wil be so small that there's no room for one of those.
I deployed about 200 of these things in an industrial environment (control rooms in a steel plant). They are small and perform rather good.
BUT
The electrical connection between the the JackPC and its shell is terrible! Some are so weak, that you only have to bump into the table and they lose connection.
It's so bad we considered soldering a short cat5 pigtail directly to the damn things and fix everything with hot glue...
Crivens! I kicked meself in me own heid!
Like a Lenovo Q150 net top that isn't that much bigger, has wifi, 2 GB of memory, 160 GB of hard drive space, can run Windows 7 decently, and comes with a mounting bracket where you can stick it on the back of a monitor or bolt it to a desk.
Oh for the love of Moore's saggy left...
The differentiation between RISC and CISC simply ceased to have any real meaning years ago, and people still drawing this pointless distinction would do well to stop living in the past.
Most of the chips some poor, benighted "RISC purist" would identify as CISC are, in fact, hybrid chips implementing technologies from both RISC and CISC architectures.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
although I don't think you can do PoE over 10base2.
Not sure either -- but I've got a car battery and some cable - let see if it lights up any thing, quick be ready to catch the magic smoke.
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
http://www.chippc.com/thin-clients/jack-pc/
2 of the 3 models they sell list this as a spec in the spec sheets
100% Virus / Trojan Immunity
On top of that, they run (unlike someone incorrectly said they run linux) Operating System Enhanced Windows CE-6.0 R2
Read the specs for each of the three models yourself lol
"The Tell-Tail PC" and "The Cask of PC!" Does it make strange noises in the wall in the night, slowing driving the owner insane? Or does the owner go back fifty years later, and say, "May it rest in peace!" . . . ?
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
A lot of ham radio accessories use power injectors at the transceiver to power remote antenna switches, tuners, etc. I think coax just fell out of use before PoE really came out in force.
Jack PC Sales Man: Hey potential customer this PC has no power cable!!! This is the next big thing.
Potential Customer: No power cable? Really? But it still uses electricity right?
Jack PC Sales Man: Of course, don't be silly.
Potential Customer: So where does the power come from?
Jack PC Sales Man: From the ethernet cable!!!
Potential Customer: So you're using the ethernet cable as a power cable? How is that not the same as having a power cable?
Jack PC Sales Man: ...um....ugh...It's an ethernet cable. You can now get rid of that unsightly power cable and get the power from this other cable that's not a power cable.
Potential Customer:....right.....(backs away slowly)
My eyes started glazing over when the press rel-- I mean the story -- explained the processor speeds in "MHz x86 equivalent." Is that a single-in-order-core Atom x86, or a multi-core OoO with lots of L3 cache i7, or a really-long-piped Pentium 4 or...? Seriously, this tells you nothing. It's totally ok to use "x86" as shorthand for certain qualities of a processor, but performance (especially in terms of clock speed) sure as hell isn't one of those infer-able qualities.
This car has a color, similar to a painted Ford.
Would be even cooler if we could have similar computer inside CELLPHONES!!! Oh, wait...
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Wild Goatse appears!
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... from a company with a page like this. If I can't buy easily, directly from your site, I'm not going to buy. FFS, do you want to sell things or not? If so then set up a damn store somewhere--Yahoo, eBay, etsy, I don't care. But don't tell me "Here's a bunch of links to the front page of some resellers, start searching." At the very least, post a "suggested price" so I know if it's even worth the effort to pursue.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
We got one for testing a few weeks ago. Never got past a boot screen. Re-install OS per manufacturer resulted in a brick. Waiting for a week for support to respond.... (Disclosure: Other folks working with it. I have no exposure to it other than laughing at their increasing frustration / cussing). Now, this can happen with any product, so I'm not dead to it. But DOA unit on the 1st try certainly dampens perception.
Enlightenment is a pipe dream. So where's the pipe?
Don't forget a bucket to catch the bits if the cable melts...
What backend cost?
Elec will be pretty low with atom, neither one will ever be fixed, just tossed and replaced.
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