From bob@mostly.com Sat Mar 21 13:07:33 1998
From: bob@mostly.com
To: users@lists.opensuse.org
Subject: Re: [S.u.S.E. Linux] What we are dealing with.
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 14:07:33 +0100
Message-ID: <6f0e2l$tgu$1@Galois.suse.de>
In-Reply-To: <[S.u.S.E. Linux] What we are dealing with.>
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Not to bash anyone, but I don't feel like the original question has
been answered, even though it was, to me, a pretty interesting one.

I've thought about it a little and have some ideas, but there were
quite a few considerations left unspoken:

* What is the target market? Are these business systems or home
   systems?
* Servers or workstations?
* What kinds of communications facilities would be required...
   Modem? Ethernet? ISDN?
* How good a monitor (at $800, you can blow your whole budget on a
   monitor, no sweat...) On a server, clearly you need only be able to
   configure the system, so an el cheapo monchrome unit would do...
   For a home/websurfing unit would TV output be sufficient?
* Is this for gaming? WebSurfing? Is 3D Support required? High
   resolution/performance?
* What would be more important... stability or performance?
* Will tape backup be a neccesity for your target market?
* Are you an integrator or just a reseller? Can you cobble these
   things together yourselves or do you need COTS finished units
   in a box?
* What Memory/disk space requirements do you envision?
* How do you rank all these things in priority? What would you give up
   first to cut the price?

Now If I were going to try to put together a solid Linux Box to stamp
out and sell at a eye-catching price, I'd probably do something like
this:

   $ 85 DFI P5XV3 (ATX VP-3 MB, 512KB, not O/C-able but rock stable)
   $100 Intel or AMD processor, whatever you can get at this price
   $ 45 EIDE CD-ROM, Whatever you can get in overstock, 12X or higher
   $ 40 Rockwell (non win-modem) 33.6 Modem (Acer?)
   $ 50 One 32MB SDRAM DIMM, 10ns
   $ 40 Jaton 67TV 2MB video card (explicit SuSE X support, TV output)
   $140 Fujitsu MPA3032ATA 3.2GB Drive (great warranty)
   $ 15 3.5" Floppy
   $ 25 Generic Sound Card (which sound chips work well in Linux?)
   $ 10 Basic Speakers
   $ 25 IBM Win95 Keyboard
   $ 13 Logitech OEM Mouse (PS/2)
   $ 12 High-quality Ball-bearing HS & Fan, with tach for DFI board
   $ 40 Basic ATX Chassis & Power Supply
   $140 Basic 14" 1024x768 .28 Monitor
   $ 50 SuSE Distribution & Manual

This gets it down to about $825, and I think that the result should be
pretty functional. One might be able to push it under $800 with volume
purchases of some of the parts. The IBM keyboard and Logitech mouse are
possible targets for cutting back, but these parts do have a substantial
impact on a customer's perception of quality.  This system also has a
great deal of headroom for upgrades should the user outgrow the basic
configuration.

Also in the perception category, one thing that I personally would do
to make the system *seem* more substantial would be to spend a little
extra on the chassis. It would add about $200 to the price (for a total
price tag more like $1000) but I particularly like the products from
California PC Products (<A HREF=3D"http://www.calpc.com"><A HREF=3D"http://ww=
w.calpc.com</A">http://www.calpc.com</A</A>>). They are reasonably
expensive as chassis go (don't try to buy one or two... the prices
only get tolerable in moderate quantities), but are made completely
of heavy-weight steel and use top-grade power supplies. The mid-tower
chassis outfitted with casters & fenders is wonderfully roomy to work in
and easy to move around. If you are selling to business these would make
an impressive product that would capture attention and scream "quality".

I know that this isn't what most hardware geeks (myself included) would
put together for themselves, but we are talking (I thought) about
putting out a stable product in moderate volumes that will give people
a perception of quality and reliability, in part to build a mainstream
image for Linux. I'd be interested to know how other people would
modify this design to make it more suitable for mainstream buyers
who are looking for a solution platform rather than a hot-rod.

--Bob Drzyzgula
bob(a)mostly.com


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