I just spent a few hours combing eBay for overpriced Powerbook G4's. About 90% were selling without hdd, caddy, ac-adapter, ram, etc... Useless... I then turned my attention to net-books, looking for inexpensive and slim alternatives to the Macbook Air... Unsatisfied with any options I stumbled, once again, across the Chromebook. Which, with honeycomb and ipads, seems to be a lost cause really. However, I see a use for the hardware ChromeOs runs on.
As a side note, I currently have a Macbook Pro 15" laptop with OSX 10.6 as my main use computer. I have a FreeBSD HTPC that I love. I know that typically, FreeBSD isn't a desktop system. People seem sort of cultish about its uses. However, I love it, I love the minimalism and freedom it offers. After discovering tiling wm's and ncurses based programs for virtually everything, I've lost my attachment to a mouse and floating window management. In fact, I find a mouse to be a hinderance to productivity. However, I also enjoy the aesthetics of the slender and sleek unibodies that mac provides with it's Macbooks, which really is a major turnoff to a cheap net-book that I could install FreeBSD on.
What I'm really getting at here is this; I want the hardware Chromebooks are running on, with an actual bios and the ability to load FreeBSD on it. I think that Samsung and Acer have both put out a great product to support Google, however, I'm saddened by the fact that we are once again funneled into basic, choice-less consumerism.
I would love nothing more than to be able to scour an HCL to pull together parts for a custom laptop that would be fully supported by existing drivers for FreeBSD. I love the design of the Macbooks, from the unibody to the magnetic power adapter. I don't know how many times I've walked through my power cord in the past few years and been comforted by the fact that my laptop stays put and doesn't fall the 3-5 feet to the ground, leaving me in tears. The problem is, even after semi-extensive searching, I can't find what I want. I refuse to settle.
It seems that I would need to fabricate my own computer, to get what I want. I really don't have the capability to do so. I don't play video games, so I really don't need an overpowered laptop, like the one I have now. Really what I want is a simple net-book that is slender like a Macbook Air, without all the extra garbage that seems to be packaged with the alternatives. I want a usb, wifi / wired ethernet option and an ssd... No spinning components... I simply need to be able to browse the web, edit files, upload them, etc... This is where I find the Chromebook hardware especially appealing, if only they offered the same without an OS, a working bios and at the same price-tag.
I know that the market for this may be slim... As people are sheep for the most part and buy into the industry standard. However, I think there would be a solid niche market for *nix users seeking a low cost equivalent. Maybe I'm just ranting in a sense, or speaking without real direction... I guess, I just wish I could go down, pick up a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, take it home and wipe it with a fresh FreeBSD install and call it a day. However, that isn't the case at the moment... Hopefully at some point in the future, this will be a completely viable option.
Until then, I suppose I'm stuck with OSX, textmate and a touchpad... Dreaming of wmii and gloriously simple keyboard shortcuts...
Respectfully,
zeroseven
As a side note, I currently have a Macbook Pro 15" laptop with OSX 10.6 as my main use computer. I have a FreeBSD HTPC that I love. I know that typically, FreeBSD isn't a desktop system. People seem sort of cultish about its uses. However, I love it, I love the minimalism and freedom it offers. After discovering tiling wm's and ncurses based programs for virtually everything, I've lost my attachment to a mouse and floating window management. In fact, I find a mouse to be a hinderance to productivity. However, I also enjoy the aesthetics of the slender and sleek unibodies that mac provides with it's Macbooks, which really is a major turnoff to a cheap net-book that I could install FreeBSD on.
What I'm really getting at here is this; I want the hardware Chromebooks are running on, with an actual bios and the ability to load FreeBSD on it. I think that Samsung and Acer have both put out a great product to support Google, however, I'm saddened by the fact that we are once again funneled into basic, choice-less consumerism.
I would love nothing more than to be able to scour an HCL to pull together parts for a custom laptop that would be fully supported by existing drivers for FreeBSD. I love the design of the Macbooks, from the unibody to the magnetic power adapter. I don't know how many times I've walked through my power cord in the past few years and been comforted by the fact that my laptop stays put and doesn't fall the 3-5 feet to the ground, leaving me in tears. The problem is, even after semi-extensive searching, I can't find what I want. I refuse to settle.
It seems that I would need to fabricate my own computer, to get what I want. I really don't have the capability to do so. I don't play video games, so I really don't need an overpowered laptop, like the one I have now. Really what I want is a simple net-book that is slender like a Macbook Air, without all the extra garbage that seems to be packaged with the alternatives. I want a usb, wifi / wired ethernet option and an ssd... No spinning components... I simply need to be able to browse the web, edit files, upload them, etc... This is where I find the Chromebook hardware especially appealing, if only they offered the same without an OS, a working bios and at the same price-tag.
I know that the market for this may be slim... As people are sheep for the most part and buy into the industry standard. However, I think there would be a solid niche market for *nix users seeking a low cost equivalent. Maybe I'm just ranting in a sense, or speaking without real direction... I guess, I just wish I could go down, pick up a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, take it home and wipe it with a fresh FreeBSD install and call it a day. However, that isn't the case at the moment... Hopefully at some point in the future, this will be a completely viable option.
Until then, I suppose I'm stuck with OSX, textmate and a touchpad... Dreaming of wmii and gloriously simple keyboard shortcuts...
Respectfully,
zeroseven
