I suppose then it's a good indicator that someone like
@TCMB371 should start fabricating and selling these laptops, LOL.
Frankly, I say go for it.
Seriously. If it gets some laptops in the hands of some owners that need them, and those folks can then ride their way cool Altas, then that is fulfilling a demand. The more laptops we can get out there, the more of these bikes we can keep running.
Be honest, if it meant being able to ride your bike, you guys wouldn’t think twice about dropping a grand on a tool to fix your bike. I am sure many of us have spent more than that on suspension and other elective upgrades without batting an eye.
Let’s face it, even with expert help like
@TCMB371 has so awesomely offered, there are quite a few AOF members that just don’t have the expertise, patience or motivation to build their own laptops. I personally have zero Linux experience, but was able to follow the instructions. But not without considerable frustration and backtracking because of some unrelated issues on the laptop I was using. And I am not a computer novice.
My opinion is that it would be perfectly fine to build a few laptops for sale. However I think I personally would draw the line at charging $1k to my fellow AOF members for something that they could put together themselves for much cheaper. But putting together a laptop is actually more expensive than simply gathering some components. (See my latest soliloquy on the value of time in another thread.) A couple hours of our time is actually pretty pricey, whether we are doing it in a good cause or not.
So while I will make a little fun of someone buying an outdated Alta Dealer laptop for $1000, I think selling a much more capable laptop with the new version of Multitool and maybe some other features on it for, say, $500 or so would be more than fair for all involved.
I have also tossed around the idea of putting together a loaner laptop that AOF members could use in a pinch. It wouldn’t be free, as I would need to cover shipping costs and my time. But I think I might be able to do it relatively cheaply. I will have to experiment with some different configs. Then will see if the hassle is worth the effort. Those are just my thoughts.