Ballmer laid down the challenge for the computer industry to create a $100 PC in October, arguing that it would encourage emerging nations and help to thwart software piracy by reducing total systems costs.
No doubt Ballmer was thinking that any such $100 PC would be running Windows, but Thousand Oaks, California-based SolarPC has managed it with the Linux-based SolarLite. Due for launch in December, SolarLite is a rugged book-sized PC with a Compact Flash drive loaded with software.
The SolarLite will be based on VIA Technologies Inc long-life chipset technologies and is designed to run on 12-volt power via solar panels, car batteries, or even human-powered generators. The software for the SolarLite is provided by the DSL (Desktop/Damn Small Linux) project, a bootable Live CD Linux distribution.
SolarPC also announced plans to give away a million SolarLite computers to schools in emerging countries around the world via the Global Education Link project.
