C.H.I.P. is the world's first $9 microcomputer

[HEXUS]

This 1GHz barebones machine measures just 60 x 40mm (2.3 x 1.5-inches).

Read more.

[Kanoe]

Its interesting but to get it to a meaningful usable state (ie output to a half decent monitor) your looking at a base of $9 plus $15 (for HDMI) = $24. Its getting near pi territory for that money and with the pi you have more inputs / outputs but you do have to add your own SD card which has positives (more space) and negatives (cost of an SD card on top of pi).

[Spreadie]

Take a look at the shipping costs to the UK. $20 for just the bare board!

[abaxas]

Sounds like the old ebay scam.

£0.99 product £20 shipping. No refund on shipping

[theleader]

They'll be giving computers away soon free with packs of breakfast serial!

[GuidoLS]

Allwinner has issues with violating various licensing schemes they've signed on to, including the basic Linux GPL. Most people probably aren't aware of the issues, and many more probably won't care, given the low price. But they should be aware that the main item in this device (the SoC) is the product of a lot of indifference and outright theft. It's the only way they can manufacture and sell these chips at $5.00 and less.

That The Next Thing Company is choosing to partner with this company doesn't speak very highly of them. At least not to me. Research and follow your conscience before pledging even $9.00.

[DanceswithUnix]

But they should be aware that the main item in this device (the SoC) is the product of a lot of indifference and outright theft. It's the only way they can manufacture and sell these chips at $5.00 and less.

What this lot? http://linux-sunxi.org/GPL_Violations

It isn't the only way they can sell the chips at $5 and less, I'm sure if Allwinner did things properly the cost wouldn't change. Doing things within the GPL can be quite hard though, and I'm sure the end result would be something GPL compliant and with no further code released just better packaging so that the binary blobs are no longer included in the released code, just code that can find and access the binary blobs.

[GuidoLS]

What this lot? http://linux-sunxi.org/GPL_Violations

It isn't the only way they can sell the chips at $5 and less, I'm sure if Allwinner did things properly the cost wouldn't change. Doing things within the GPL can be quite hard though, and I'm sure the end result would be something GPL compliant and with no further code released just better packaging so that the binary blobs are no longer included in the released code, just code that can find and access the binary blobs.

Cost isn't the issue here. Ethics are. Your own response acknowledges that there are ethics issues. And that's supposedly been one of the most important, if not the most important cornerstone of Linux - the ethics. People dish on Nvidia because their drivers are closed - at least they actually made them. Allwinner is literally taking code from others, making it closed source, and not giving credit across the board where it belongs. It's a dangerous precedent, on a lot of different levels, with the potential for a lot of bad results for everyone from devs to end users.

It's a neat toy. But it's no neater, nor any better than the Pi or any of the other micro-mini computers coming out for roughly the same price - and the ethics problems don't seem to exist with them. If they can make a good product by doing the right thing, then fine - they deserve the support. They don't deserve to be rewarded for doing the wrong thing.

[DanceswithUnix]

Cost isn't the issue here. Ethics are. Your own response acknowledges that there are ethics issues. And that's supposedly been one of the most important, if not the most important cornerstone of Linux - the ethics. People dish on Nvidia because their drivers are closed - at least they actually made them. Allwinner is literally taking code from others, making it closed source, and not giving credit across the board where it belongs. It's a dangerous precedent, on a lot of different levels, with the potential for a lot of bad results for everyone from devs to end users.

It's a neat toy. But it's no neater, nor any better than the Pi or any of the other micro-mini computers coming out for roughly the same price - and the ethics problems don't seem to exist with them. If they can make a good product by doing the right thing, then fine - they deserve the support. They don't deserve to be rewarded for doing the wrong thing.

Yes, and I was trying so say there that ethics doesn't actually cost that much. But having used GPL tools and libraries in commercial products, if you don't get it right from day one I shudder to think how much pain you are going to go through sorting it out. In the case of someone like an SOC provider they need to make sure that every single bit of IP they buy in has open source drivers available for it, I don't even know if that is possible right now. Even the Pi went through grief because of the video driver.

Still, for me the Pi 2 is a better product so I don't see this interesting me. Good luck to them though.