Project Mariana - Details about the actual project
Greetings, my Newly Arrived Neophytes!
I've got a bit of information regarding the actual concept behind Project Mariana, just to give a bit more clarity to what it is we'd like to achieve. It's not much, as we'd like to maintain secrecy until a patent is secured, but I hope it helps.
So, with Project Mariana, we'd like to develop a modular computing system that is both functional and easy to build. Hotswapping, the ability to pull out a module and put another in its place with little latency, is going to be a feature in the finished product. The modules themselves will be built inside casings which we will design ourselves, but we don't want to sacrifice the customizability of building your PC for modularity. To counter this, we plan on creating adapters for PC parts that will essentially give you the ability to create modules out of a newer or more favored component that you own. This ensures that your PC can use newer parts without our releasing a module for it. We will release a list of parts and components we have tested our adapters with and ascertained that they are compatible on our company website when we get that up and running.
Additionally, we want to create a PC that can be built to your needs. For example, if you work in Accounting, we would sell an Accounting PC kit that would contain modules focused on processing data and overall computational power. If you choose to build a gaming PC, the Gaming PC kit would focus more on Graphics, RAM, and network connectivity. Essentially, you choose what your PC will be tailored for. What's more, you would be able to use hotswapping to change your components from an Accounting setup to a Gaming setup with little delay. This allows you to have a custom PC for whatever you do, but not only for that purpose.
Hopefully, this has given you some clue of what we wish to do, and helps absolve any doubts or questions you may have had. If you have questions, comments, etc. feel free to comment below. we'd love to hear some feedback.
With Great Power comes Great Responsibility,
-Dylan
I've got a bit of information regarding the actual concept behind Project Mariana, just to give a bit more clarity to what it is we'd like to achieve. It's not much, as we'd like to maintain secrecy until a patent is secured, but I hope it helps.
So, with Project Mariana, we'd like to develop a modular computing system that is both functional and easy to build. Hotswapping, the ability to pull out a module and put another in its place with little latency, is going to be a feature in the finished product. The modules themselves will be built inside casings which we will design ourselves, but we don't want to sacrifice the customizability of building your PC for modularity. To counter this, we plan on creating adapters for PC parts that will essentially give you the ability to create modules out of a newer or more favored component that you own. This ensures that your PC can use newer parts without our releasing a module for it. We will release a list of parts and components we have tested our adapters with and ascertained that they are compatible on our company website when we get that up and running.
Additionally, we want to create a PC that can be built to your needs. For example, if you work in Accounting, we would sell an Accounting PC kit that would contain modules focused on processing data and overall computational power. If you choose to build a gaming PC, the Gaming PC kit would focus more on Graphics, RAM, and network connectivity. Essentially, you choose what your PC will be tailored for. What's more, you would be able to use hotswapping to change your components from an Accounting setup to a Gaming setup with little delay. This allows you to have a custom PC for whatever you do, but not only for that purpose.
Hopefully, this has given you some clue of what we wish to do, and helps absolve any doubts or questions you may have had. If you have questions, comments, etc. feel free to comment below. we'd love to hear some feedback.
With Great Power comes Great Responsibility,
-Dylan
Where would you get the funding for such a large project and how are you going to make sure that this will not go down under as a multi-million dollar company failed at this.
ReplyDeleteWell, a large amount of the materials, we are able to afford quite easily. We work out of our own pockets as of right now, but soon plan on creating a company fund which we will each put in a certain amount, determined from what expenses we have. One of our biggest traits, one that I think sets us apart from these multi-million dollar companies, is that we have a personal stake in the project. I had the idea a while ago, and it's something I shared with Adam, Aaron, and Oliver because they had the skills to get this off the ground. As such, I feel that it's much higher risk for us than a large company. Pooling, say, $2,000 into the company will affect us a lot more than a larger company which may see that amount as merely a drop in the bucket. There have been many attempts at modular computing, and I'm happy to explain why I believe that our idea is different from the rest. [Warning: The following content is purely opinionated, and should not affect your decision to purchase any of the mentioned equipment]. Razer, with Project Christine, decided to never actually create the PC, so we don't know how well it would've worked. It remains a concept. However, Acer released a miniature modular computer, the Revo Build, which was very poorly done. There was no full modularity, which meant you were required to purchase parts they released. There was wasted space in the PC, and there was very limited RAM, which led to the computer having hardly any space for running, let alone updating, Windows 10. We plan to counteract this with full customizability. It would have special adaptor modules which would allow you to use your own parts. We would, of course, test as many parts as we can with these adaptors, and release a list of cards and other bits that are compatible with our adaptors. Additionally, we plan to sell starter kits of customized modules based on what you plan to use your computer. The slots will be (mostly) universal, save for the RAM and CPU. One idea we have to create full modularity with all of the parts is to develop a 2 CPU system, so if you want to swap one CPU, you can hotswap one whilst the other runs. I can't give too much away, but I hope you read along with the blog in the future, and post questions and comments you have in the future. Thank you for sharing your view!
Delete-Dylan
Thank you for your reply. You also mentioned about creating your own OS in a older post are you considering posting a concept form people to run on a virtual box? Also how big will the modules be looking at the Razer concept they were rather large which could be undesirable for most lastly how is your consumer base?
DeleteIn terms of Operating System, we were thinking of taking the Debian distribution of Linux and tailoring it to our modular system. We would also include several virtual settings on a custom application that control the connection of the module, in the event that the hot swap isn't functioning properly. (You would receive a notification if that were to happen). The modules are planned to only be as big as the card or other bit that you are trying to connect to your PC, with some leeway providing for the bit of clearance from the card you would need for the casing. They would function in a similar manner to server hot swap, where you can pull out the item and put a new one in, which begins functioning as normal almost instantaneously. Finally, to answer your final question, our target audience is anyone who lacks either the time or the experience and knowledge required to build a custom PC. The modules would be released in kits designed to maximize performance. For example, if you were an accountant looking to purchase our product, we would offer an Accounting kit which would focus mainly on RAM and processing power, allowing for quick and powerful calculations to be made. Alternatively, if you wish to purchase the PC as a gamer, you would be able to purchase a kit that focuses heavily on graphics, network connection, and processing of graphics. Once again, your input is heard and appreciated. Thank you, and I hope this answers all of the questions you posed.
Delete- Dylan
Small correction: After discussing a bit with Oliver, another member of our team, we determined that we would also market this product to businesses as an efficient, customizable PC that would allow for a more productive performance in the workplace. The ability to specialize a PC to focus on (and perform efficiently) a certain task or certain few tasks is something we believe would be invaluable.
Delete-Dylan