Searching cheapest Linux Machine for my Kitchen?
 

Hello,

I would like to have a cheap Linux - powered (Debian) machine
in my kitchen to quickly search for receipies and so on.

I shall be cheap since it may get dirty and humidity might be higher sometimes. Temperature might be higher sometimes. with small screen, without lot of cables around, and with ETHERNET !! ifconfig (no wireless). It would be wired (RJ45 - Ethernet), either with USB to ETH or Pcmcia, but think ... total pricing....


The ideal would be a 50$ tablet with debian but still it is too expensive. 30-40$ would be better, it seems possible to get a cpu for that price.


You would say PI1 or PI2 would be great.
- Nope. It is very expensive. about 40€ with including shipping. + it will require a big monitor. So lot of cable on my fridge. "PI is for rich people" ;)
www.raspberrypi.org


- What about an old samsung tablet for 30€ since it requires no additional monitor, but well, it has android installed and do no allow installing debian.

So, ...? If you have any ideas, please feel free to give tips.

Thank you!!

You could always buy a printer, then print out your recipies.

It would be cheaper than a new machine, less power consumption overall, less chance of dropping a tablet into the soup......

yeah but I would like to search with the screen for X recipies; so a printer has no keyboard to type and monitor :(

tablet into the soup :) :)

There are some tablets that could dual boot android and linux, usually a ubuntu distro. I've never done it but thee are articles on that topic. Before you buy a tablet check to see if ubuntu can be installed on that particular tablet first.

Another option is to buy a used netbook from ebay or other site. Linux is much easier to install on a netbook than a tablet.

good luck

Never tell a happy nerd to print anything! Spoil-sport ... What fun is that? :)

Besides, "silicon soup" tastes delicious, and is totally Windows-compatible!

Easy, you just go to where your computer is, search, then print out.

Sure, its not as uber-geek as having a computer in the kitchen, but its more sensible IMO.

Maybe I'm just biased from all the times I've cleaned computers used in silly/strange places with high heat and lots of crap to get into the guts of the computer.....

Just buy a printer withb bad/zero linux support if you want fun. :D

*edit and if you really, really wanted a system in the kitchen, raspberry pi vesa mounted to a small monitor/house TV.

Member Response
 

Hi,

When my wife does cook, her iPad works fine for the few times in the kitchen. :)

You can find loads of tablets at surplus stores that would meet your needs. Adjust the environment so you do not create issues when using electronics in the kitchen.

I'd get the cheapest Android tablet available and use ssh to connect to a remote Debian machine. I'd expect X forwarding to an Android device to be easy to set up, and a quick Google brings up several apps to help.

A tablet or ipad is quite expensive, isnt it?
A tablet for a kitchen more than 100$ is risky with the soup

I recently bought a trekstore surftab breeze(android) for 77 Euros which is about $100. It comes with su installed, so 'rooting' it is a breeze -that means you can install busybox, a terminal emulator, and SuperSu(to control perms, etc) and kick around 'inside' it with a real 'homey' feeling.

Member Response
 

Hi,

No different than using around coffee, soda or the like. User should use care when the environment is risky. :)

Budget may dictate purchases!

I too have seen some low cost tablets that could be used in the kitchen environment.

In the kitchen, I have seen a box in metal, to put the bread actually, close to the cooking area made in "pro" AISI 321 with got some slight corrosion on it. I wonder how it can be possible since it was an expensive material/boxing.

Well, for an hardisk, and electronic components, good luck..

The kitchen? Raspberry Pi yo..

Stainless steel can be attacked/eaten by quite a few things.

I've got a stainless steel box here that has been corroded by kimchi.

Its possible, its just best if you can have a sealed box.

Thats why I'd suggest a raspberry pi, they run cool and so need minimal/zero airflow. Use USB flash drives for storage (or network boot it), if a USB flash drive it dies it doesnt matter much.

kimchi is great. In EU more difficult to find. kimchi can corrode the stainless AISI321, no, really? is that so healthy btw?

the PI is way to expensive.


==> An ARM for 10 or 20$? Does that exists?