Re: PC--What is it good for?

In rec.arts.sf.written Ken from Chicago <kwicker1b_nospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> "Nate Edel" <archmage@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> >> One main server per home, with individual virtualized pcs per person.
> >
> > My guess is that each virtualized PC will cost nearly what a real PC
> > would, and the server as an expensive add-on cost.  Add in the fact
that
> > you're then hosed if the server goes down (more cost for
> > sup****t/reliability to avoid it) ... and that if you need to upgrade
any
> > one node, suddenly you're upgrading the server as well.
>
> How much does each login cost you for your pc?

My desktop PC would cost about $1200 to replace, although since it's been
upgraded by parts over the course of years, the total amount is a bit
higher.  A good basic desktop PC, though, is pretty readily assemblable
for
a bit under $400.  It's hard to imagine a decent thin client costing much
less than that.

> If server crashes, that's okay, just reformat and reload your backup.

And everyone in your household is down until you do, instead of only one
person (who can then borrow another machine as a backup.)

> You can upgrade individual hd drives, swap out or add on--in some cases
"hot 
> swaps", plug-n-play. With a fully modular pc, you could swap out cpus or
add 
> on for parallel processing. You upgrade video and audio cards the same
way, 
> etc.

Video and audio cards are always going to need to be on the virtualized
client, unless you've got some bodaciously fast trans****t to them, or
you're
dealing with a literally multiheaded PC with DVI cables or similar leading
back to it.  

And once again, anything like memory and hard drive upgrades would have to
be up to server standards of reliability unless you wanted tinkering and
hot-swapping to take the whole house down.  We COULD have hot-swapping on
desktops today (and some very high end ones do) if people wanted to pay
for
it; they don't. 

Heck, from what I can see, people don't want to even deal with properly
stopping external USB devices before unplugging them, and that's no cash
cost, just inconvenience.

-- 
Nate Edel                               http://www.cubiclehermit.com/
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