Putting together a new PC is just like assembling LEGO. Big, expensive, irregularly shaped LEGO, admittedly, but at their heart the principles of clicking bits together in a regular pattern is the same.
Still, if my facetious over-confidence can't convince you to have a go, Fujitsu wants to give its customers the know how to do-it-themselves with courses in putting together desktop and – more interestingly – laptop computers.
Scheduled to launch at the start of August, the beautifully named Hands-on Custom PC Assembly Service will guide students through the business of heatsinks and memory types, and includes tips for extended a PC's life and caring for it over the years.
The bad news is that course will only be provided at 100 PC instruction schools throughout Japan, rather than worldwide. Candidates do get the cost of the computer they'll build included in the price, though. Enrolment fees haven't yet been confirmed.
I like the idea of getting people more hands on with their kit, all the more so because it's so completely out of step with the rest of the industry. While most are making computers which are increasingly commoditised and hermetically sealed against user servicing, Fujitsu's initiative - if successful - may inspire a generation of hackers. And if it's a commercial success, watch for the PC Gamer College of Computing coming to a campus near you. Complete with a certificate of endorsement from yours truly. Prices will be very competitive, honest.
(Thanks, Bit-tech )
