Balthazar

Balthazar - a Personal Computing Device

One laptop for the new internet.

Secure, fast, inexpensive, upgradeable and sustainable. All of that.

BPCD - Balthazar Personal Computing Device is a 13.3" upgradable and expandable laptop that is based on a few concepts inspired by EOMA68, but powered by RISC-V processor(s) that runs on Linux OS.
It contains all the hardware, software features and precautions to prevent data-theft and any unwanted 3rd party intrusion into the system.

While being versatile and robust it also strictly follows GNU-GPL, FOSS, EOMA and even CC guidelines.

What is all that FOSS and CC and ..? → Glossary

Why yet another laptop?

It is very expensive to buy an “advanced” or a secure laptop and it comes with usually "customised" and mostly proprietary software that bounds a user to a manufacturer. This is where BPCD comes in at the most possible lowest retail price that should be affordable to everyone - from an individual up to a big budgeted large institution.

But we have already have inexpensive netbooks, picturebooks, tablets, Chromebooks and alike!

Google, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Dell and the other respective manufacturers already make inexpensive and a lightweight laptops, however they are locked in a certain software and hardware ecosystems and actually offer not too many security features. Also those devices do not work without the internet, so the reputation of such devices is often seen as a "personal data collecting devices", so that doesn't help to create a positive image towards such products.

It is the fact that such devices also appear less flexible towards full FOSS, GNU-GPL and EOMA guidelines that we want to use and set up as another standard for the new internet age.
Such ethical standard is not based on a mere profit, but on protecting and also educating population on how not to engage in a voluntary dissemination of their private data all over the internet, often being used as a bait for large companies that take an advantage and make amazing profits because of such illiterate, unconsciousness and irresponsible behaviour.

BPCD is aimed to inexpensively enable end-user to control all the inputs via physical hardware switches and security dongles, preventing even a remote possibility to have system invaded or spied on by any 3rd party.

I have nothing to hide. Who should be your target group than?

Here are some use cases and personas to which Balthazar just might appeal:

1. An average basic internet user that requires some default security and develops a certain awareness on its own data privacy and is friendly-forced upon using the security and encryption through the default usage of the device.

2. Advanced computer users, governmental and public institution's workers that need hardware and software features to prevent an intrusion and are skilled and aware enough, so they can use all the built in hardware and software features and use additional encryption for the prevention of official and personal data-theft protection through secure productivity apps and tools.

3. Educational institutions that will teach online security, privacy and safety. Also such institutions can make wide and creative use of a device’s on-board connections versatility and connectivity.
Proposed children and schools oriented User Interface and User Experience is utilising Linux based age-adoptive '''Aperture Operating System''' and features secure online in-the-browser Workbench that is fully customizable. Added to it, educational community should find the value in overall physical sturdiness and a hardware sustainability of BPCD.

TLDR; For the children age 9-99.

Ohh, so yet another OLPC thingy I can see upcoming, or what...?

OLPC is dead. As a duck. It was slow, underpowered, overdesigned and a bit pretentious.
Also it was not available to everyone and it was a non-intentional neo-colonial tool to succumb to the various proprietary and commercial interests at the end of its life time. Kudos to all people who made it and maintained it for so long and out of love. Thanks for reaching out with a good intention on educating children, but it missed to recognise that target and its purpose was to be worldwide and for all the children and enthusiasts worldwide, not just patronising African and other developing nations, so - no cigar.

We want to enable to use and support low-income individuals and communities all over the planet, while carefully partnering with “humaine” and ethical corporations that will get Balthazars from us, first and then give away, rent or borrow them to those who are unable to afford it.
Or, alternatively they can build their own curriculum around Balthazar ecosystem.
We loosely partner with LEGO® Education, Google Education, various charities, foundations and EU initiatives, so we hope they can deliver expected behaviour and a practice.

So, Balthazar is NOT OLPC-alike, but it does follow some of OLPC product design innovations and features, adopted and improved for today’s performance requirements focusing on privacy, safety and personal data protection and encrypted shared data or a retention of the same in its own “cloud”.

But... A "Cloud" is free, cool, useful and hype.

Remember - a “Cloud” is just other people’s or corporations’ computers that store your data when you do "share" your stuff with them.
You do not really read small text, do you?

So, why should my child want one?

Education being a very important issue today all over the planet is yet another field where BPCD could make an impact.  New generations need to learn and understand the importance of being secure and how to care about their personal data, moreover additional connectors and IO’s  also enable them to tinker and create their own devices or program LEGO sensors and actuators while retractable GPIO module, enables them in controlling, testing and programming sensors, actuators and other electronic devices and gadgets from literally every other manufacturer. (Matrix, VeX, Arduino etc.)

Want to know more?
Please read the specifications and features.