Intel Edison Announced - Will there be a bunch of Pico Arcades soon?

[RandyT]

I thought the point is you can have an entire computer as plug and play in what would be the same form factor as an SD slot. It introduces the concept of a portable computer. If you have X portable device, You snap in a computer for it. When your device is too slow for the current standards, you spend $50 for the newer, model and snap it right in. You can upgrade your device in 5 seconds flat. That's pretty groundbreaking. Fast forward a few years, and all our devices could in essence be just shells, and we pop whatever computer we want right into any device.

That's an interesting concept, but it's exactly what happens in a much larger scale with a desktop PC.  When was the last time it took you 5 seconds to be up and running when you swapped out your PC motherboard?  Such a system would require absolute standardization between processor modules and peripheral devices, or be relegated to canned configurations as part of a large rollout.  And when the processing power goes beyond the pipeline technology of the parts interfacing these modules to their periphery, you are back at square one.  Even Intel didn't make such grandiose projected uses, rather focusing on "wearable" devices.

The concept you are talking about is possible, albeit ultimately self-limiting, but this device isn't going to get you there any more than any other "plug-in" stand alone processor module.

Earlier ark stated that the device had two cores, which each needed an independent version of Linux to utilize.  The reason for this seems more clear now (from the release);

"Krzanich stated that Intel is the first microprocessor company to support devices that combine the best of Windows* and Android* operating systems in a single device."

This makes it sound like each was intended for a different OS.

[SavannahLion]

As long as there are companies like Apple it would take an act of law to force such a standard.

I recall this concept dating back to the eighties so I can see both good and bad sides to it.

[ark_ader]

As long as there are companies like Apple it would take an act of law to force such a standard.

I recall this concept dating back to the eighties so I can see both good and bad sides to it.

The concept in the eighties was impossible to come to fruition due to the fragmented suppliers of PC components.  Now when component prices are at their lowest, and the suppliers of PC components are in separate camps, the possibilities are now available for standardization of PC architecture.  We will still have 4 or 5 players in the market place, but not the 70+ that we had, in the early days. 

[SavannahLion]

As long as there are companies like Apple it would take an act of law to force such a standard.

I recall this concept dating back to the eighties so I can see both good and bad sides to it.

The concept in the eighties was impossible to come to fruition due to the fragmented suppliers of PC components.  Now when component prices are at their lowest, and the suppliers of PC components are in separate camps, the possibilities are now available for standardization of PC architecture.  We will still have 4 or 5 players in the market place, but not the 70+ that we had, in the early days.

Those four or five players and or camps still make the difference. Take a look at Apple when they signed the EPS agreement. They still refused compliance with a voluntary standard and it took a couple of countries to pass laws to beat them into submission. Of that we still have yet to see the fruit from Apple.

Like I said. There are both good and bad with that idea. One can argue both sides of the coin but IMHO there isn't much point. It's an ongoing process dating back to the 80's and, quite honestly, I don't see the Edison as anything revolutionary on that path. I'm not even sure if I would consider it as an evolutionary improvement towards that goal. 

Just keep moving forward. Someone will get it right.

Don't get me wrong (someone certainly will) I'm not knocking the Edison nor am I knocking the concepts discussed. What I am knocking is the application of the Edison to those concepts. Wrong tool wrong application.