[E3-hacking] Hello - new member

[David Given]

On Tuesday 07 February 2006 18:08, Ken Boak wrote:
> Hi,

Ah --- you made it!

[...]
> Any update infor on E2 activities would be appreciated - or should I go to
> Currys and buy an E3 ? ;-)

I haven't done anything for a while, due to a sudden resurgence of Life (plus 
a new house and managing to break my breadboarded line level converter). I do 
mean to go back to it; there's something I actually want to do with my E2.

(Incidentally, I originally got C running on my E2 using the tcc compiler, 
because I couldn't get gcc to work. tcc produces lousy code and was only 
suitable for prototyping. For doing real work, I need a better compiler --- 
but I *still* cannot get gcc to work. I'm using Ubuntu Linux and trying to 
build a toolchain with the toolchain-source package, and it always fails to 
compile. Does anyone know where I can get precompiled ARM7 compiler 
packages?)

[...]
> I like the idea from the archives about putting an E3 in a plain box and
> making it available as a cheap platform for kids etc.  There was a project
> in India to do a sub-$100 laptop for school kids.

It's worth pointing out that the E2 or E3 are only cheap because Amstrad are 
heavily subsidising them. They plan to make their money back through service 
charges. So while buying the odd one as a personal toy is reasonable, buying 
a hundred with an aim to modifying them and then selling them on is 
considered definitely bad form!

(In fact, Cliff Lawson from Amstrad is on this list and he's said --- later on 
in the thread you were reading --- that there are plans afoot to introduce an 
encryption layer specifically to prevent this kind of thing.)

-- 
+- David Given --McQ-+ "Est brilgum: toui slimici
|  dg at cowlark.com    | In uabo tererotitant
| (dg at tao-group.com) | Brogoui sunt macresculi
+- www.cowlark.com --+ Momi rasti strugitant." --- Anonymous
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.earth.li/pipermail/e3-hacking/attachments/20060215/c0b34ac9/attachment.pgp