[LAU] Any support for MADI?

[Paul Davis]

On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 2:37 AM, Lorenzo Sutton <lsutton at libero.it> wrote:
> Wouldn't it be nice if someone (TM) built a open source-driven portable
> computer ready for audio with possibly decently priced?
>
> I say 'portable computer' and not 'laptop' because I imagine something maybe
> a bit bigger than a laptop but smaller than a desktop (like a 'fatter' i.e.
> higher laptop), a kind of hybrid, enabling for e.g. to fit in at least a pci
> card and maybe a 5 inch hard disk (maybe even solid state?)
>
> Similar in a way to the indamixx but more focused on hardware....
>
> I am not at all an hardware expert but my guess is that someone with the
> right know-how (even a team) could whip up a pretty interesting machine?
>
> But maybe this is pure fiction :)

its not pure fiction. there have been at least a half-dozen companies
in the english-speaking world alone that have tried to sell
audio-centric computers. its a niche market, and in general they don't
last very long. here's one that died and has been resurrected, for
example:

http://www.carillonac1.com/

or another

http://raincomputers.com/

there's not a lot of money to be made in this market, let alone the
tiny corner of it that would run linux on it. imagining that there is
a notable market for a custom built unit using non-off-the-shelf cases
or components ... now we're talking fiction.