Thread: The death of the car pc

Ah the mighty cloud. Finally after 20 years a telco term, hits the mainstream.

Mainframe, then terminals, then mainframes, then PCs, then LAN'd PCs to mainframe or server, now back to servers again - aka the cloud.
Though the cloud is very different to a server or mainframe - at least in theory (ie, like the internet, there is no (or should not be! an) off switch).
But from a user POV, they are similar with all the same risks.

You lose access - you have no data or apps etc.
And especially with wireless comms, access is very prone to attack or loss.
Then there is echel... I mean, interception, or hackers & miners etc.

I find the cloud as attractive as I found MS's distributed computing with your PC's app "out there". (The only MS app I have is my Windoze 2000 OS.)


I have a feeling the cloud will return home. Or rather, the essentials will be duplicated at home. A few comms losses, s/w bugs, and rationalised NAS crashes (with rationalised security) should see to that.
It's the same old cycle.


Bugbyte's replies however are very apt. Good stuff!

Ah, now the cloud.



When has anyone stepped out of their abode, looked up and said "Ah great clouds"?



Except maybe someone who has been lost in the desert for a few days.


Clouds very rarely carry good news.

I hate to say it..... but I agree in some ways. For people that want an easy install, then this is the way of the future. Also these devices are almost just as powerful and the OSes are better paced for the car. Now I am not talking about anything Apple, but more on the Android aspect. You can easily add 7 inch Android pads to all the seats, maybe even have them all communicate with each other and link up to a central PC that acts more as a hub for devices so the pads can use them. To power them would be easy. For me it wouldn't work because I want power, speed and I guess complication, lol. I still think the Car PC is still way more feature rich, but for the average user, the pads will be enough. I'm afraid to say us Car PC'ers will be pushed into a smaller group.

I will say this: Android devices most def kill the Car PC as far as Navigation. I cant stand most of the Nav Solutions on the PC. I really pray that Google Maps Nav comes to the PC.

haha cloud... I hate the idea of storing all your information on someone elses server... That makes no sense to me and for that reason alone I wouldn't even think about using them. Peoples privacy is decreasing and if everyone started using clouds then what privacy would they have?

I wouldn't mind having one device and then have a customized/modified docking station for everything (media center, car,...) excluding my main computer because as of now nothing that small is anywhere close to fast/advanced enough to replace that.

Some people here seem to think that this forum is only about putting a Windows desktop pc in a car. But the OS and central device are such a small component, there is the interface devices, electronics, stereo equipment, fabrication etc.

There will always be techies who want a solution that OEM won't provide, or won't provide cheap enough. This forum will still be relevant, but as smartphones and tablets get more powerful, there will be less use for a full-blown desktop in cars, and this forum will likely migrate focus to Windows 7 Tablets, iPads and Android Tablets. Hardware vendors will still need to provide the interfaces between these devices and the car, and the majority of the information in this forum will still be relevant.

I completely disagree. OEMs care alot about lawsuits and such, so everything will be more dumbed down. Plus customization really sucks compared to our carpcs when done right.

I have to say there will always be those of us who dont want what the OEMs want to force down our throats. I have been building my own PCs over almost every form factor and OS available. Theres a pride in knowing you built it. I customize my car becauseI want it to be me. I want it to feel like me and operate how I want it to. I even hacked my cell phone because I dont like being a cookie cutter, I dont like restrictions... and there are a large number of people with that same mentality out there. Aftermarket head units are still going off the shelves.. Subs and speakers are still being mass sold, even though the OEMs picked up on the trend and started putting in higher class units and incorporating high performance speaker systems in their stock cars. The spirit of ingenuity and ownership isnt going to die, but it may help weed out the rabble a litte...

Question...does putting linux and a carPC front end on an OEM nav system (like the ford my touch) create a modified headunit or a carPC?

Originally Posted by justchat_1

Question...does putting linux and a carPC front end on an OEM nav system (like the ford my touch) create a modified headunit or a carPC?

If the headunit is PC based then yes it is a CarPC, if however it is nor PC based then it is a modified headunit.


What you need to work out is, what is a PC.