My old Thinkpad X-series is on its way out, but I'm going to get a new laptop before I go off to college next year. I love the idea of the Eee PC but I don' think I would spend another $250-400 buying an Eee PC if I'm just going to buy a new laptop next summer. How hard would it be to build my own?
Combined with Xubuntu or some similar lightweight operating system in my current Thinkpad X24, and I would have a relatively quick machine that uses little power and weighs less than 3lb (actually, it already weighs something like 2.8lb). In other words, the advantages of an Eee PC without the full investment.
I'm willing to tolerate only 4gb of storage space. My only concern is if it'll work: I've heard things about the volatility of flash storage and how if power goes out, the data is all lost. Given that it's a laptop (and one that's been having battery issues recently), I wouldn't want to risk that, assuming it's true.
Any suggestions? I'd really like to give this a shot if it were possible. It would be a simple project with useful results.
Drug companies refuse to sell low-cost HIV/AIDS medicines in Africa and other impoverished, AIDS-affected regions for fear that these products will be sold at a cheap price on the black market in the developed world. So because of the fear that drug prices in developed countries will drop, no drugs are sold at all to the people who need them the most. Drug companies "get away with" charging the same price for the same product when the ethics of the situation seem to dictate that the drugs should be sold at a discounted price in poor countries.
Of course, AIDS vaccinations and video games are two very different things, but the same principle applies. If Valve didn't protect its regional sales like this, some kid in Thailand might not be playing Portal right now, because it would cost too much. Valve's actions are undoubtedly profit-motivated, but they also protect the game's international audience.
Just some food for thought.
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My old Thinkpad X-series is on its way out, but I'm going to get a new laptop before I go off to college next year. I love the idea of the Eee PC but I don' think I would spend another $250-400 buying an Eee PC if I'm just going to buy a new laptop next summer. How hard would it be to build my own?
I'm thinking one of these:
http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemdetail.asp?rid=fd_01&itemid=27208117
Combined with Xubuntu or some similar lightweight operating system in my current Thinkpad X24, and I would have a relatively quick machine that uses little power and weighs less than 3lb (actually, it already weighs something like 2.8lb). In other words, the advantages of an Eee PC without the full investment.
I'm willing to tolerate only 4gb of storage space. My only concern is if it'll work: I've heard things about the volatility of flash storage and how if power goes out, the data is all lost. Given that it's a laptop (and one that's been having battery issues recently), I wouldn't want to risk that, assuming it's true.
Any suggestions? I'd really like to give this a shot if it were possible. It would be a simple project with useful results.
Of course, AIDS vaccinations and video games are two very different things, but the same principle applies. If Valve didn't protect its regional sales like this, some kid in Thailand might not be playing Portal right now, because it would cost too much. Valve's actions are undoubtedly profit-motivated, but they also protect the game's international audience. Just some food for thought.