I have a very narrow purpose in mind. Suggestions?

[billyshakes]

Hi, I'd like to describe what I have in mind for the raspberry pi and was wondering if people would be so kind as to posit some recommendations and/or introduce any limitations or considerations that I might be missing?

I work from home, and what I do is open a web browser to an online portal where I accept orders. The orders are displayed in a dashboard; I click on any particular order in the dashboard and see the details of the order-- if I think I can do the order, I accept it.

I use my desktop for actual productivity. I'd like to build a raspberry pi that will handle all of my order taking. I've found that scripts can be written to automatically refresh a web browser. So what I'd like to do is run a script that refreshes the order dashboard every thirty seconds to every minute. I "compete" against other contractors at the company who also want to claim orders, so in order for the work to remain lucrative, I need to have as much of an advantage as possible. The dashboard does not refresh automatically, so I need to always be aware of any new orders being placed.

Distilled version:

-web browser. Multiple tabs and pristine responsiveness a necessity
-indefinitely running a script that will automatically refresh a browsing page.

And that's *it*. That's all I want the pi to do, everything else I'll handle on my desktop.

I know that besides the pi itself I need a power source, ethernet cable, mouse/keyboard (and probably a USB hub so I can use both) and a monitor.

I'm also trying to do this on the cheap. Less than $50 would really be ideal, all in. Under $100 is an utter necessity. I already have ethernet cables, mouse, keyboard, and power supply which should work.

For the display, I only need it to be responsive. It could be in black and white for all I care. Needs to be big enough to be navigable with a mouse, but besides that, I'm not picky.

Any thoughts? Thanks so much!

[Goraxium]

-web browser. Multiple tabs and pristine responsiveness a necessity

What does the dashboard have on it? If it's loaded with images and animations, and loads of scripts, you may be pressing your luck... If speed is an issue, you could pick up a second hand laptop that could do everything you need... An Intel NUC might work too...

-indefinitely running a script that will automatically refresh a browsing page.

This one is interesting. What happens if the script starts refreshing when you're in the middle of clicking on something? That point aside, there are extensions for Iceweasel (Firefox) that refresh tabs for you.

Also: why tabs? If you need to see the information on multiple pages, wouldn't separate windows be a better idea (so you can see them all at once)?

[bensimmo]

You could do this on you windows PC and use extensions/settings to have browser tabs auto refresh.

You would only need another monitor then if you computer has another display port.

Most browsers should auto refresh on an update if the page sends some metadata, which browser are you using (assuming it is via a browser)

[billyshakes]

-web browser. Multiple tabs and pristine responsiveness a necessity

What does the dashboard have on it? If it's loaded with images and animations, and loads of scripts, you may be pressing your luck... If speed is an issue, you could pick up a second hand laptop that could do everything you need... An Intel NUC might work too...

Yes, that occurred to me. The issue is 1) space economy 2) cost. Do you have any suggestions on a dirt cheap, small laptop? What I've described is literally all it'd be for. I don't care about the OS, it can be unsupported for all I care, haha.

Here is a screencap of the dashboard. I've blacked out a lot for privacy, but it should give you a good idea:

-indefinitely running a script that will automatically refresh a browsing page.

This one is interesting. What happens if the script starts refreshing when you're in the middle of clicking on something? That point aside, there are extensions for Iceweasel (Firefox) that refresh tabs for you.

I didn't realize that. Once I had the idea I just started looking for scripts to do the job, didn't occur to me that there might be extensions. I will look into this.

Also: why tabs? If you need to see the information on multiple pages, wouldn't separate windows be a better idea (so you can see them all at once)?

Since I figure I'll just get the cheapest display I can, and it might be small, it'd be better to be using one window. I don't want too much going on on the screen. If I was using multiple displays, I'd consider that. If you reference the screenshot from above, I'd just right click on any of the orders, open in new tab. View the order details there and accept or deny the order.

[billyshakes]

You could do this on you windows PC and use extensions/settings to have browser tabs auto refresh.

You would only need another monitor then if you computer has another display port.

Most browsers should auto refresh on an update if the page sends some metadata, which browser are you using (assuming it is via a browser)

Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware there were extensions available for this (feel like a dummy for not thinking of that... lol).

I'm running two monitors right now, both with dedicated purposes. The issue with running a third is simply space economy. I have the requisite hardware to do so, I just don't have the room.

Also, I've been into computer building over the last few years, and this seems like a good opportunity where hobby meets business. I'm open to considering all options though, since efficiency and productivity is the ultimate goal here.