Re: Alternative Storage?

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From: Paul G. Tobey [eMVP] (ptobey)
Date: 10/28/04 

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:18:00 -0700

Well, you're looking at the cost of Windows CE vs. XP, say. XP retails for
a couple of hundred bucks, but it probably doesn't cost that when you get it
as part of a pre-built PC. CE costs you, as an OEM, something less than
$50. But, then again, you have to maintain this build configuration of CE,
have to put the time into creating and testing the configuration, have
production support for building the pieces, programming the OS into it,
handle the situation when parts that you use go obsolete, etc. You can't
build a Windows CE OS with 'just a Web browser', either, any more than you
can build XP with just a Web browser in it; all the user sees may be the
browser, but the whole basic OS is there to support the running of
applications, the GUI subsystem, the device subsystem (you need a display
driver and a network driver), etc.

If you are not currently set up in production to build hardware, it will be
a significant cost to do configuration control on the pieces, so the cost in
infrastructure is fairly significant. You also have to handle repairs,
returns, upgrades, etc. With a software-only business, you can just throw
away any returns; the cost of a CD is so close to zero that it might as well
be zero. With hardware, that's not the case.

Really, I'd only seriously consider full-assembled systems with the OS
already in them, unless you are already set up to build, test, repair, etc.
the hardware. The more I think of it, the more I go this way! In that
case, you have to stock the hardware and configure it before it goes out the
door (whether it's a CE device or a PC with XP on it), but you can pretty
well stay out of the repair business, pending your negotiations with the
actual hardware supplier (usually they will accept the units for repair, do
the repair or, if necessary, replacement, and drop-ship back to the
customer). We already do a custom for one of our VAR customers who has a
browser-only UI with some ActiveX controls in it to do some special hardware
I/O (maybe that's you for all I know!)...

Paul T.

"Richard Morey" <rwmorey71@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eAZkk$RvEHA.1988@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Hi --
>
> It is a desktop enviornement but the reason we do not want to use regular
> desktop PCs is for both support and cost. My feeling is that thin clients
> will be cheaper to purchase and operate and since there is no software
> required on the client other than a web browser we don't need the power of
> a full desktop PC.
>
> I have looked into off the shelf products from companies such as Wyse and
> that is one option. I am just exploring the possibility of building our
> own machines to sell, but its not imperative that we go that route. The
> one issue though with someone else's solution is that there is one ActiveX
> control that our software requires.
>
> Rich
>
>
> "Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]" <ptobey no spam AT no instrument no spam DOT com>
> wrote in message news:exgNAzFvEHA.908@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> OK, the right way to go is probably (given a lack of hardware design
>> resources in your group), to look at pre-built devices, rather than
>> trying to assemble PC boards, cases, etc., etc. into something functional
>> and maintainable. In what sort of environment will these devices be
>> used? Battery/mobile? Desktop (if so, why wouldn't they just use a
>> standard desktop PC)?
>>
>> Paul T.
>>
>> "Richard Morey" <rwmorey71@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:O6yuIsFvEHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi --
>>>
>>> Here is the situation -- we are a software company that has developed a
>>> web based application. We would like to have the option of selling to
>>> our customers "thin clients" that are basically just web browsers which
>>> allow them to operate our software. The software does require one
>>> customer ActiveX that we have built, so I have started to learn about
>>> building a custom OS image using the evaluation version of Platform
>>> Builder.
>>>
>>> The idea would be to use as many "off the shelf" products (case,
>>> motherboard, monitor, etc.) to build the machines.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Rich
>>>
>>>
>>> "Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]" <ptobey no spam AT no instrument no spam DOT com>
>>> wrote in message news:O2I3Fv5uEHA.452@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>>>> Well, ours do ;-) What hardware characteristics are you looking for?
>>>> Keyboard? Screen size and orientation? Local I/O? Touchscreen?
>>>>
>>>> Most of the demo boards for the various processors will boot from
>>>> Flash. I've used the IDP from Accelent/Vibren and it does that. It's
>>>> too expensive to be used as a real device, but you can get the
>>>> schematic, etc. The Intel development board for PXA processors will do
>>>> this. I'm betting that any single-board computer that you can find out
>>>> there that runs Windows CE will do it...
>>>>
>>>> Paul T.
>>>>
>>>> "Richard Morey" <rwmorey71@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:u0qeWl5uEHA.4020@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>>>>> Hi --
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for your feedback.. Any idea what vendors might sell the
>>>>> hardware to do what you suggest?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Rich
>>>>>
>>>>> "Paul G. Tobey [eMVP]" <ptobey no spam AT no instrument no spam DOT
>>>>> com> wrote in message news:%23qyrKgruEHA.3808@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> Store it in ROM/FLASH directly where the processor looks when looking
>>>>>> for code to run on startup, build a bootloader and store that in
>>>>>> ROM/FLASH and put the OS image on some other storage card (Compact
>>>>>> Flash, PCMCIA, disk-on-chip, etc.)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Paul T.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Richard Morey" <rwmorey71@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:OAIEuNquEHA.2832@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> Hi --
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am new to Windows CE but I would like to build a thin client with
>>>>>>> no hard drive.. What are my other options as far as creating a OS
>>>>>>> image and storing it in a way to allow the computer to boot from it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Rich
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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