LinuxDevices.com: Open source MyLinux PLW project is scuttled

“The MyLinux Pocket Linux Workstation project has (at least
temporarily) been canceled. The completely open source
hardware/software project was sponsored by Arizona Cooperative
Power LLC, and had reached the stage of accepting advanced purchase
orders for beta versions of the device. Rob Wehrli, Director of
Engineering of Arizona Cooperative Power LLC, offered the following
explanation for why he is shutting down the project at this point
.

We’re at least temporarily canceling or shelving the MyLinux PLW
project due to lack of interest and acceptance in and by the Linux
Community. With our “grass roots” effort, we needed at least 200
orders to proceed with a production run that doesn’t even break
even using what we believed would be a “Linux-friendly” COST + $20
model. Our development costs, not including labor, exceeded
$160,000 USD in the past 10 months since formally announcing the
PLW project December 11, 2000. At COST + $20, we needed to sell at
least 8,000 units to break even with just the expenses of the
project. We received only 10 orders in what I believe is a message
from the Linux Community that clearly states that the product is
neither viable nor desirable in what may be tougher economic times
than when the project started.

Many people from around the world contributed to help make the
MyLinux PLW device spring up from concept to product. My team of
core contributors added countless hours of relatively unrewarded
effort to put together a hand-held Linux workstation with many
exciting features indicated by Linux users as what they wanted in
the device, for example, we added stereo audio in and out
capability based on one person’s request for stereo rather than
monophonic audio capabilities. Our effort to address the needs of
the Linux Community simply have met with poor acceptance at this
time. We are planning to continue moving forward with our many
other embedded Linux projects while possibly reviving MyLinux when
economic conditions warrant it.”

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