Open Source Recording Computers

[brandondrury]

Are you guys familiar with the Linux business model? They give their operating system away for free, but charge for the support. The company does exceptionally well. They aren't the only company to go this route.

So I want to take this concept and apply it to computer hardware running Windows.

What if Recording Review could sell recording computers that were:

• Entirely optimized for audio recording
• Guaranteed to work with your audio interface
• Utilized modern high performance components
• Cost about 1/3 of what you'd pay for a similar computer at Sweetwater
• Easily customizable to meet your exact needs...ensuring that no portion is overbuilt and no portion is underbuilt

The computers would be as good as anything out there and the reliability would be comparable to any other computer out there. The difference is you save between $500-1,500 up front. If something goes wrong, support would be via a 1-900 and cost $2 per minute, give or take.

Recording Review would charge a flat fee for our labor, the components, and that is it. We pass the savings on to you.

What do you think?

[jjb]

I think there is a market for this. Also, while you're at it, include an option for the whole magilla; computer, interface, and pre-loaded software. Continuing themes on the forums are "Which Interface" and "Can't get my software to work". The whole magilla option would be a welcome one to a lot of newbies (and probably not-so-newbies).

jjb

[jagcmos]

I like jjb's suggestion, but Linux is not for everybody, or are you talking about selling systems with windows too ?

If so, I wouldn't put any guarantee with it. Any windows OS is just 1 automated update away from not working and you would have some pissed off customers if they had to pay $2 a minute for assistance.

[brandondrury]

Yeah, I updated my post above. I meant a Windows system all along.

you would have some pissed off customers if they had to pay $2 a minute for assistance.

This is possible, but it would be well understand up front that the reason the computer costs $500-1,000 less is because of this $2 a minute support fee.

Brandon

[gg.gamble]

I have no idea about the U.S but 'Synergy' do a similar thing in the U.K, might want to check it out;

Synergy Music Computers at DV247.COM

[TonyB]

Sounds good as long as LINUX is interoperable with my UAD, Sonar, SoundForge, etc suite of toys. [I'm assuming you mean building a LINUX computer]

[richiebee]

It doesn't sound like a good business model to me.

A software model (when you're the developer) is easier to make work than a hardware/software support model when you're not the developer.

A better example of what you're looking at would be something like Dell ProSupport, or even Apple's Pay Per Incident service.

I don't see how you'd have the infrastructure you need to make that happen.

[midKnight]

One other item of note, the "average" user would have a really hard time wrapping their head around a Linux OS.

I'm sure everyone on this board has at least one family member who can "barely use Windows"... as Linux is primarily a command line driven OS (yes, I know you can get a GUI for it, so hold that comment), most people wouldn't have the ability to really use it well.

Now perhaps if you could build/modify the OS to be a "forced-path" system, where once the machine boots up, the user is presented with a "desktop" that has 5 or 6 icons on it (daw, audio editor, cd burn icon, etc.) and nothing else, and you basically locked them out of everything they could screw up, then you might have a cool low cost turnkey audio recording station.

This is of course not super well thought out yet, but at the very least I'm sure it would have appeal to the market segment that "just wants to make music, not futz with stuff".

Just my 2c.

[P.P.T.]

I suggest you restart this thread.

Everyone thinks it will be a Linux system.

[midKnight]

Originally Posted by P.P.T.

I suggest you restart this thread.

Everyone thinks it will be a Linux system.

Which it would *have* to be, as windows is *NOT* open source. (ok, granted it could be some other wacky open source OS, but linux is the most prominent).