[Freedombox-discuss] Cheap hardware for the FreedomBox software

[Dave Taht]

On Sat, Mar 31, 2012 at 2:19 PM, Rob van der Hoeven <
robvanderhoeven at ziggo.nl> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I posted a new article on my blog:
>
> http://freedomboxblog.nl/cheap-hardware-for-the-freedombox-software/
>
> In this article i answer the following question: When does the energy
> cost of running the FreedomBox software on a desktop computer justifies
> buying specialized low power hardware? The answer to this question may
> surprise you.
>
>
It comes down to several things.

The cost per kilowatt hour is highly variable throughout the world. Often,
for the poorest, it is highly subsidized and rapidly tiers up to higher
rates. You should do a comparison chart between what you pay for power, and
what others do elsewhere.

The up front cost - if the cost of the hardware is borne by some charitable
agency - then there is no up front cost....

the maintenance cost - when it breaks, the nearest radio shack is
100-1000km away..

the shipping cost - this is both in space and in actual cost. Factor in
shipping cost for a 10 lb unit vs a 1lb unit from miami, fl, to anywhere in
south america, via, say, dhl. You'll be pretty horrified.

nearly nobody in Nica buys desktops. They buy laptops, primarily due to the
ease of smuggling^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H shipping, the unreliable power addressed
by battery backup, and a need for portability in a world where nothing is
nailed down. I suspect that similar constraints apply elsewhere the
freedombox is intended to go.

then there is customs duties, etc, etc.

Enjoy,
> Rob.
>
> http://freedomboxblog.nl
>
>
>
>
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>



-- 
Dave Täht
SKYPE: davetaht
US Tel: 1-239-829-5608
http://www.bufferbloat.net
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