Linux Computers - Feedback Wanted

Hi There,

I just thought I'd put in a post about a company I am setting up called Marvin Computers, and see if there was any interest in the community. I've been working on some models, and Linux compatible hardware, with the aim of primarily building high quality, Linux systems in the UK and Europe.

I wanted to see if there was any interest in these systems in the Linux community, and get some feedback about products to develop, and what sort of specification and price ranges people would be interested in. I'd like to make sure I provide products people want, at fair prices, and so I hoped the Linux community would be a good place to start. Sorry if this is a shameless plug, or is not suitable for the forum it's in..

The website (not yet live) is at www.marvincomputers.co.uk. You won't be able to purchase anything yet, but you can take a look and let me know what you think, and I'd love to get feedback about what sort of hardware and software you'd like me to stock. The password for the site is testing. You'll need that to get onto the site until it launches.


A few ideas which I will be implementing, but might not be clear yet from the site:

- We'll be stocking a range of commercial software for Linux, including games.
- I'm planning a HTPC Mythbuntu/MythTV model in the future

- I'd like to add some AMD based models, and am presently researching that
- I'm interested in providing a Linux music recording (DAW) solution at some point
- I'd like to stock a range of lower end PCs too, which are cheaper, but keeping in with the same sort of high end designs.
- I'd like to include legal BluRay playback software, but none is yet available for Linux (at least that I am aware of).
- All the PCs will include Fluendo codecs licenses when sold with Linux.

I'm focussing on Ubuntu to start off with, but I hope to be able to add testing of more distributions in the future.

Anyway, sorry for going on! I hope there's some interest, and I'd love to hear your comments, good or bad, about the site and the products.


Thanks!


Chris Gilbert

Technical Director
Marvin Computers
www.marvincomputers.co.uk

Mmm, there's definitely a gap in the market for both Linux PC's and moreover Linux PC support :)

I recently connected a dedicated [headless] box to my Sky+ box and use it to pipe Sky output via my LAN to my desktop upstairs .. proving very handy for watching live TV on my PC and moreover recording stuff directly from Sky+ to my PC. 

Seems to be something I've heard a few people ask for, you "might" find this sort of black-box solution at least as popular as desktop machines atm ..

[something like an atom based fanless machine with a Hauppauge PVR 150 running VLC]

- Can't actually get onto the site, it's asking for a password!

Gareth...just as a matter of interest, how did you output from sky+ box?

I haven't got sky+, but I might be tempted to get it if it can be piped around the house.

Also, the password for his site is 'testing'.

At the moment it seems to contain only high end systems, I would have thought that anyone new to linux wouldn't be looking for high end (expensive) equipment to find out whether linux is for them, and 'seasoned' linux users would probably self build.

System administrators may be interested in being able to buy 'out of the box' pre installed boxes though, but would probably need 'Support' defining (see below)

I notice you say that the systems are built with 'Linux Compatible' hardware, but also state that you will "make every effort to try to support you in getting your hardware to run correctly in linux"...this seems very unclear, do you mean you will support hardware added to the system after purchase, whether bought from you or not, or do you mean software support for your hardware?...either of which I would have thought may take up a lot of your time, so may need defining.

It is nice however to see somewhere else giving the option of a linux install, and whos mission statement seems to be to advance the linux option.

Gareths statement about specialized (targeted) linux equipment seems to make a lot of sense.

Another thought:

As linux will now run quite happily on most hardware, it might be a good idea to look at what hardware it doesn't like, and offer linux friendly alternatives, such as Nvidia graphics cards etc.

And also offer linux friendly external devices, such as HP printers etc.

Yet another thought:

High end  pre-installed dual boot systems might appeal to windows users, who would also like to try linux, as long as this didn't add to much to the price, and would have the added benefit of introducing them to a better way.

You could offer this option in your 'Price' drop menu.

or even better...put dual boot linux on ALL the windows boxes you sell, that way when they inevitably have problems with their windows installation, they could use linux as a 'fallback' OS and maybe (after seeing it run without the malware problems that brought their windows install to a grinding halt), get to like it better than window...which might lead to loyal customers that want more linux systems/hardware.

Hi,

I'm using an ASUS PH1 with a Happauge PVR 150 card.

S-Video cable from SKY+ box to Happauge, then an audio cable from SKY+ audio out to Happauge audio in .. then VLC server using device; PVR:///dev/video0 .. then VLC client on my desktop.

Works perfectly, picture quality is 100%, signal eats ~ 800k bandwidth.

Alternatively (!) on the box itself, you can actually open /dev/video0 in totem, this works too!  :)

.. card's actually quite old, but I think you can get them for ~ £35.

Previously Mark Greaves wrote:

Gareth...just as a matter of interest, how did you output from sky+ box?

I haven't got sky+, but I might be tempted to get it if it can be piped around the house.

Also, the password for his site is 'testing'.

Or (!) do an optional post install on the box and add their Windows installation as a KVM instance.

My workstation runs XP (for accounts) and Win2K (for a legacy application) on KVM in the background.

Previously Mark Greaves wrote:

or even better...put dual boot linux on ALL the windows boxes you sell, that way when they inevitably have problems with their windows installation, they could use linux as a 'fallback' OS and maybe (after seeing it run without the malware problems that brought their windows install to a grinding halt), get to like it better than window...which might lead to loyal customers that want more linux systems/hardware.

Thanks for the info Gareth, i'm going to look around for a PVR 150, or similar tomorrow as this sound like an interesting (not to mention useful) project to get my teeth into.

Previously Gareth Bult wrote:

Hi,

I'm using an ASUS PH1 with a Happauge PVR 150 card.

S-Video cable from SKY+ box to Happauge, then an audio cable from SKY+ audio out to Happauge audio in .. then VLC server using device; PVR:///dev/video0 .. then VLC client on my desktop.

Works perfectly, picture quality is 100%, signal eats ~ 800k bandwidth.

Alternatively (!) on the box itself, you can actually open /dev/video0 in totem, this works too!  :)

.. card's actually quite old, but I think you can get them for ~ £35.

 

 

 

Previously Mark Greaves wrote:

Gareth...just as a matter of interest, how did you output from sky+ box?

I haven't got sky+, but I might be tempted to get it if it can be piped around the house.

Also, the password for his site is 'testing'.

 

I agree running windows as a virtual machine would be useful for most linux users, but I was thinking more of the Windows user being pleased to find their machine could still be used when windows becomes unuseable...as it does from time to time...but if they primarily wanted windows, running it in virtualization (with the inevitable USB problems and the like) might actually give them the wrong impression of linux.

Previously Gareth Bult wrote:

Or (!) do an optional post install on the box and add their Windows installation as a KVM instance.

My workstation runs XP (for accounts) and Win2K (for a legacy application) on KVM in the background.

Previously Mark Greaves wrote:

or even better...put dual boot linux on ALL the windows boxes you sell, that way when they inevitably have problems with their windows installation, they could use linux as a 'fallback' OS and maybe (after seeing it run without the malware problems that brought their windows install to a grinding halt), get to like it better than window...which might lead to loyal customers that want more linux systems/hardware.

 

I think your average windows user doesn't even know Linux exists, so getting it on as many systems as a dual boot option, just so they can see it for themselves, and to make their system more robust, can only be a good thing...eventually they will be saved by it being there, and from then on at least some of them will make the switch.

As Linux has difficulty advertising itself (not on shop shelves), I thought the best way to advertise it would be to get it on their machines at the point of sale, as a kind of free (or cheap) added benefit.

Maybe this is what Linux needs...to be put directly under the noses of windows users...even if in the short term they are likely to see it as just something for when windows doesn't work...hopefuly in the long term they will come to trust it more than windows.

Gareth...One more off topic question.

Do sky+ boxes support the remote channel selector (for a second remote) on one of the RF outputs like the older sky boxes did, because most of my house is CAT5 cabled...I was wondering if I could use the unused wires to carry this signal, and be able to change channel from wherever I am...or am I missing something.