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haha - I'm not surprised - look what they did to cobalt. They bought them out, and don't even sell any cobalt machines anymore. I think I see a pattern here.

Hysterical - a visit to http://www.cobalt.com/ brings you to a Sun page, with a big splash stating their buying storage tek. How appropriate.

Hey, I was just wondering if Sun is going to get upset (read as: call the lawyers we wanna sue!) because of the use of the name Cobalt.
There used to be a Linux appliance company called Cobalt that was bought out by Sun a while back now.
I couldn't find a link on Sun's site to the Cobalt products but I did find one to their support site
Hmmm....

I've felt Sun was going the wrong direction YEARS ago and they were.
Sun had the chance to switch to Linux early on or just open the source to SunOs (Suns own *Nix clone) and create an alternitive but Sun desided to make money on the os market as well as the hardware market.

The reasons this was a bad idea is multifold.
Microsoft was already crushing compeating operating systems and was prepairing to go after Unix.
Linux was also making it's first threatoning moves to replace closed source Unix.

But Sun has faired quite well by what they've done. They have have even earnned Unix more years of life and probably were key in weakening Microsofts entry into the server market.

But things have changed and Sun was not standing still.
In spite of clames Sun is it's own cheaf compeditor. One of if not the most populare Linux servers are the Cobalt brand servers made by Sun Microsystems.

Yes Linux is replacing Solarus but more importantly Cobalt is replacing the sparc. Both are Sun propertys.

Standing on the old and the new I'd say Sun is being pritty smart. Holding on to any ground Sun can in the Sparc while reclaming ground lost with the Cobalt means Sun will lose costummers to PCs but those can be scooped up later as Cobalt servers improve in ways PCs can't.

Also it means that most of the users who leave Sun Sparcs for Linux will still be relying on Sun with the Cobalt servers.

Sun isn't going to alienate it's primary userbase (Unix/Solarus/Sparc) even if it's new userbase is growing (Cobalt/Linux).
Sun will experence an inital drop in income as users stop liccensing the expensive Solarus in favor of the cheaper Linux but in the long run Sun is prepaired for change. They don't look it however. Would you alert your userbase paying the big bucks than there is a cheaper alternitive (even if you sell it)?
Sun will let go of all illusions that Solarus has a future when they can't milk it anymore.

While I'm happy to see Sun's finally beginning to warm up to Linux (aka if you can't beat 'em, join 'em strategy) I wonder if this is too late for Sun?

What do you mean, "finally warming up to Linux?" They've been selling it in their Cobalt products for years.

Unfortunately, Sun, doesn't work that way. Separate parts of Sun don't collaborate, they work on stabbing each other in the back.

None of which really is relevent to my point about ideology. The fact is, Sun's ideological narrowness is hurting the whole company, including the hardware part. They're still acting as if nothing can displace the Sparc/Solaris server. Sure, they went and bought a an x86/Linux business, but like other such Sun ventures, it's dying from proper care and feeding.

As for your implication that a publically-traded company is immune from this kind of nonsense: dude, where have you been the last couple of years? Publically traded companies can't even track basic cash flow, never mind require that their management act sanely. In this case, most decisions seem to be determined by Scott McNeely's ego, and his personal vendettas.

Here's why I keep comparing Sun with IBM: the latter went through all this just a few years ago. They kept telling each other that a 90% share of the mainframe market was a guarantee of permanent profitability. They refused to see the importance of the personal computer (even though they invented the term!) or the internet, even after these things began to take over everywhere. Their upper management even refused to use email!

All this was turned around by a guy who initially refused the job because he didn't know jack about computers. But knowing what he didn't know turned out to make all the difference.

One of the cool things about Cobalt RaQ servers is the LCD on the front panel. There's a simple driver control program that can be used to spit out the text (or bit-graphics, apparently).

We have about 120 of these in our data center and we tech occasionally play practical jokes on or leave messages for one another on them. =)

Sun Cobalt is using XFS on their new RaQ550 web servers.

More information.

I've seen the demo and it looks cool. Not sure why they chose XFS, but I'm sure you can ask the developers.

For less than half the cost of that Sun POS, you can build a box that will handle quite a load if you build it from generic parts.

Yes, and then he could get cursed out by his bosses if/when a part fails. Look, I build my own machines for my own personal uses, like most people here. But for a real corporate/institutional server, that isn't a safe, accepted option.

Actually, the scenario he laid out sounded like a perfect fit for Linux on x86. Their budget probably won't end up covering a Sun support contract anyway, so they will probably fall back on local resources if there's a problem. It will be much easier to get parts and support at budgetable prices if they go Lintel. The University probably has a healthy *nix user group, too.

If they really want to use something with "Sun" on it, they should look into the Sun Cobalt line. They are pretty streamlined so that they are dead-simple to admin, etc. It would make a lot more sense for his scenario then a general-purpose Sun server box.

Cobalt Developer Site (where you can follow the step-by-step instructions to roll your own packages

Pkgmaster.com -- pre-packaged versions of Webalizer and PHP 4.1.2 for Cobalts (and others)

cobalt-users mailing list, where you can find help on all of the above topics

Cobalt Developer Site (where you can follow the step-by-step instructions to roll your own packages

Pkgmaster.com -- pre-packaged versions of Webalizer and PHP 4.1.2 for Cobalts (and others)

cobalt-users mailing list, where you can find help on all of the above topics

The site is slashdotted so I can't get the specs on the hardware, but I bet you could make a pretty nice Linux Workgroup server out of one, and it'd be cuter than the Sun Cobalt Qube or even the Green Computer PowerElf. And you would have a display/keyboard/mouse locally at the machine. Sounds cool to me.

~LoudMusic

The Cobalt Qube and Celestix servers are both excellent. The Qube 3 is actually exactly what you are looking for. Play with the demo here; get product information here.

I would recommend against going with a barebones, non-appliance box. The reason I recommend Cobalt/Celestix is that they are a cinch to set up. They both have web-based UIs that let you set up email lists, file shares, etc. easily. I've used the Qube3 extensively and it simply rocks. I haven't used the Celestix stuff personally, but I've heard that it is just as good as Cobalt.

Both are supported by a company that is used to supporting non-technical users, and neither require you to have a full-time Linux guru on staff.

Your other choice is to run a Windows 2000 server, which is also pretty easy to set up and maintain. The Windows server will be more flexible for the future. Still, for as small a company as you have, an appliance would be a better solution for now.

The Cobalt Qube and Celestix servers are both excellent. The Qube 3 is actually exactly what you are looking for. Play with the demo here; get product information here.

I would recommend against going with a barebones, non-appliance box. The reason I recommend Cobalt/Celestix is that they are a cinch to set up. They both have web-based UIs that let you set up email lists, file shares, etc. easily. I've used the Qube3 extensively and it simply rocks. I haven't used the Celestix stuff personally, but I've heard that it is just as good as Cobalt.

Both are supported by a company that is used to supporting non-technical users, and neither require you to have a full-time Linux guru on staff.

Your other choice is to run a Windows 2000 server, which is also pretty easy to set up and maintain. The Windows server will be more flexible for the future. Still, for as small a company as you have, an appliance would be a better solution for now.

"do we need all that prettyness and niceness eating cpu cycles on a webserver?"

If Sun ever wants to compete with Microsoft's point-and-click server GUI, the answer is a wholehearted YES. That's the big reason why Sun bought Cobalt... they needed a server with a point-and-click interface. Think about it: as a small business owner with 3 employees, none of whom are very technical, which solution would you buy? A solution that requires you to keep a UNIX sysadmin at least part-time, or a system that allows your secretary to set up distribution lists in her spare time by going to a website? The second group is what Microsoft markets to, and Sun needs an offering that can compete. That's why they are simplifying things with web-based tools and now with GNOME.

With a starting price of $1649.00, why not get an imac which comes with a monitor, faster processor, and viseo card? I guess if you really need to rack mount these babies...

Want rack mount? We got a Cobalt Qube I and it was both lower power and lower price - three or four years ago. There's a rack-mountable version available. Ran linux, too.

It used a MIPS then. Just looked at their web site here. They've been acquired by Sun and are up to their fourth generation.

It's an Intel- compatable processor (at 300 or 450 MHz), still running Lunix. Power is up to a bit more than the briQ but that includes the power supply, which the briQ's ratings do not. Upgrades to SCSI, PCI jacks, and built-in RAID 1 available.

Low-end prices are $1,149 for the slower model (300 MHz) of Qube (450 available), $1,499 for the (450 MHz) rack mount. Note that this includes cabinet and power supply.

So it looks to me like the briQ's in the ballpark, but you're paying $150 extra AND losing the rack mount box and power supply to get a G-series machine and a serial port, and a "standard" rather than "custom" (and server-tuned) linux distribution (since Yellow Dog also sells the distribution bare).

I presume they're playing into approximately the same space, since they've named it briQ, which I take as a reference to the Qube. But the Cobalt machines are being pushed as (preconfigured) enterprise servers (email, web, web cache), while the briQ looks like a building block for both this and for clusters.

Maybe with two players in the same market segment we'll see some price competition in a bit.

I was wondering about that, too. I quite like it, though i'd prefer to have a lot more information about what is being updated.

I think there are two main reasons for this. Firstly, nobody is really denying that as release versions go, this is very betaish. i think apple must be quietly rather glad that the big names haven't arrived yet and only the dedicated are actually using the new system. A lot of what we're downloading is stuff that didn't get finished in time, like iTunes.

The rest of what's in those packages is mostly updates to open source projects - whatever ftpd we're using, and so on. OSX is a patchwork of different systems, and i think we're benefitting from the find-it-and-fix it approach of the oss ingredients while the apple systems go on in their stately way.

My only gripe is that they're still releasing monolithic updates in the old apple tradition. If you look at a page like the cobalt raq updates list, there are dozens - they're at least as frequent as the apple ones - but smaller, and they all include a list of their ingredients and the circumstances under which you might need to use them. Then every so often they release a big one that bundles them all together and make a big fuss about it.

Which strikes me as a very good system: tiny updates for the paranoid edge, and big friendly packages for the gui crowd. As it stands, the apple system makes it hard to know whether or not you should be concerned about a problem that you've read about, for example.

On the other hand, 10.0.0.1 included a bang-up-to-date installation of ssh and sshd, without making any fuss at all, and installed it at the push of a delicately tinted button. i remember it being a little more complicated than that on my redhat box...

Cobalt makes the little Qube network servers, with something like 20 gigs of drive space, some RAM, and proc for under 2000.00. These boxes come with a document control and search engine software installed. They run linux, but I believe that the document control and search is proprietary. Might want to check it out at Cobalt Networks now owned by Sun microsystems.

I think it's a great idea to get those Crusoes into the mass market web server market. Transmeta has been so focused on the highly competitive sub-notebook market that they missed Cobalt selling RAQ servers hand over fist at amazing mark ups. Any concerns of power can be removed by noting that this things pack an AMD K6-2 450 and still sell for $1500 - $3600.

If Sun can sell a K6-2 450 at $3600, Transmeta has got to be able to find some room in there for profit.

I think it's a great idea to get those Crusoes into the mass market web server market. Transmeta has been so focused on the highly competitive sub-notebook market that they missed Cobalt selling RAQ servers hand over fist at amazing mark ups. Any concerns of power can be removed by noting that this things pack an AMD K6-2 450 and still sell for $1500 - $3600.

If Sun can sell a K6-2 450 at $3600, Transmeta has got to be able to find some room in there for profit.

If it's in a capital city, then there's heaps of competition. Every phone company has an ISP on the side (Telstra, iPrimus, Dingo Blue, etc.) So you'd better not be planning on competing with those sorts of people on price, because they've got good access to phone company equipment, and good economy of scale.

There are still some opportunities to set up in country towns; look at kisser, for example. If this is the sort of thing you're into, then you need to be looking to someone who is running such a service for advice.

As to equipment, you have three choices: UNIX, Microsoft, or easy-to-admin embedded boxes. (Cobalt are a good starting point for these.) OK, so I'm simplifying a little. My point is that you have to decide what you're most experienced with, and then keep it simple, stupid. Don't mix Windows and UNIX. Yes, they can be made to play nice, but no, you don't want to double your learning curve.

One of the really fun bits in Australia is dealing with the phone company. 56k modems, at the non-customer end, don't reside on the ISP's property; they reside in the phone company's local exchange. (One of my friends was bemoaning the loss of huge racks of modems covered in cool flashy lights that used to impress the hell out of visitors.) That means that you hae to deal with Telstra, and since they are still all but a monopoly (particularly here in W.A.), they aren't particularly interested in dealing with you. The result is likely to be a nightmare. I dumped my previous ISP simply because the dialup I was using sucked -- the modem at the phone company end couldn't hear me clearly, and my modem couldn't hear them clearly, and the result was dropped connections galore. Of course, if you want to stay down in 33.6k land, then you can put rack modems on your own premises (and you could probably pick up some cheap secondhand from other ISP's).

Yep - lots cheaper. From the Cobalt website:

RaQ4 (64MB RAM/10GB HD/single Ethernet) is $1499
RaQ4i (256MB RAM/20GB HD/Dual Ethernet/SCSI Port) is $2699
RaQ4r (512MB RAM/2 30GB HD w/RAID1) is $3599
(other SKUs with different RAM/HD configs change the price as well)

These all use commodity PC-100 DIMMs, so you can do your own memory upgrade to the 512MB max pretty easily (of course your own memory isn't covered by the warranty, but...)

They are more expensive than a white-box general purpose server, but it comes back to "everything you need is pre-integrated" so you can literally have it online within 10-15 minutes of opening the box without having to be a Linux "guru". That's what the slight premium in price is all about...

Put 50 domains on a RaQ4r at $40 a month each, and it's paid for in 2 months. And that's without charging extra for bandwidth, backup services, etc, which most every ISP does anyway...

One very excellent control panel interface is the one offered by XO (formerly ConcentricHost). But it's proprietary, of course. Cobalt Networks (now Sun) has a very nice interface. Also proprietary. There are others.

I'm bothered by the Cliff's comment that I have a hard problem with products that claim to do administration and that the users need "absolutely no Linux experience" since I've seen many products that successfully hide the complexities of the OS quite admirably. Maybe he's only referring to open source products?

here is a link: http://list.cobalt.com/pipermail/cobalt-users/2000 -June/013955.html

also check news.admin.net-abuse.email and search for 'Communitech'

Well, they specifically said it is a dedicated server. That means that they have leased it, just like you would lease a car. Maintenance, upkeep and system administration is solely the lessors responsibility.

Visit Cobalt's website, subscribe to Cobalt's lists, especially the announce list.
Search the user list archives and discover the unholy number of folks that have been hacked through BIND because they didn't upgrade.

The fact is, they leased it. It is they're responsibility for the upkeep. It would be a different story if they leased web space, but they didn't.

Leasing a dedicated server does not absolve you of system administration, but exactly the opposite!

---

Well, they specifically said it is a dedicated server. That means that they have leased it, just like you would lease a car. Maintenance, upkeep and system administration is solely the lessors responsibility.

Visit Cobalt's website, subscribe to Cobalt's lists, especially the announce list.
Search the user list archives and discover the unholy number of folks that have been hacked through BIND because they didn't upgrade.

The fact is, they leased it. It is they're responsibility for the upkeep. It would be a different story if they leased web space, but they didn't.

Leasing a dedicated server does not absolve you of system administration, but exactly the opposite!

---

Well, they specifically said it is a dedicated server. That means that they have leased it, just like you would lease a car. Maintenance, upkeep and system administration is solely the lessors responsibility.

Visit Cobalt's website, subscribe to Cobalt's lists, especially the announce list.
Search the user list archives and discover the unholy number of folks that have been hacked through BIND because they didn't upgrade.

The fact is, they leased it. It is they're responsibility for the upkeep. It would be a different story if they leased web space, but they didn't.

Leasing a dedicated server does not absolve you of system administration, but exactly the opposite!

---

Well, they specifically said it is a dedicated server. That means that they have leased it, just like you would lease a car. Maintenance, upkeep and system administration is solely the lessors responsibility.

Visit Cobalt's website, subscribe to Cobalt's lists, especially the announce list.
Search the user list archives and discover the unholy number of folks that have been hacked through BIND because they didn't upgrade.

The fact is, they leased it. It is they're responsibility for the upkeep. It would be a different story if they leased web space, but they didn't.

Leasing a dedicated server does not absolve you of system administration, but exactly the opposite!

---

Also, the cobalt raqs are very easy to patch. They have a GUI, a section to install software (Maintenance/Intall Software). You can just paste the URL of the patch, and it installs it. The patches are here.

That said, communitech sucks. I've had problems with them in many other areas too. I can't recomend another ISP that will patch the servers for you, but I can say that communitech sucks.

--

• 1. LinuxNewbie -- They've got tutorials on just about everything.
  1. The Linux Security Portal
  1. The raQ3 download site -- security patches here
  1. CommuniTech's satisfaction ratings with EOpinions - looks like you're not the only dissatisfied customer
  1. A bunch of Linux security stuff here
  
  
  Hope this helps...

Would you dispute that Cobalt Networks and TiVo are the two biggest Linux success stories? These two companies have just one thing in common -- they leveraged the abilities of Linux systems with technologies that make them available to the masses. You already know how it was done -- they wrote graphical interfaces as abstractors to the chaos beneath.

Have fun using lynx and vi, if you even think that those are legitmate uses of Linux.

--

First post! Well, why not just buy the RaQ XTR? Cobalt's server runs Linux preinstalled, and comes with all the goodies of a web server. Then again, it is a web server, and is not meant to be used as a desktop. Here's the press release from Cobalt about the RaQ XTR: And here is the full product datasheet for the XTR. And yeah, it's $4799... not even close to the $1000 for the Netra. But it definitely runs Linux, and it's a sweet platform to deploy on. (I own a bunch of RaQs, and it's a breeze to set up multiple sites, DNS, and everything else through the GUI. Plus, it's a regular x86 Linux config, so you can install other things as well.)

Seems like that acquisition of Cobalt Networks is bearing some fruit.

Seems like that acquisition of Cobalt Networks is bearing some fruit.

The MIPS processors have no L2 cache, so performance definitely suffered as a result. That, and lack of 3rd party application compatibility are the main reasons Cobalt dropped the MIPS CPU for the AMD K6.

MIPS interfaces were slow too because they were all static HTML files which had to be regenerated by CGIs everytime you changed some information. x86 boxes use PostgreSQL to maintain/mirror a lot of config info to speed dynamic page generation.

The new Sausalito API (available on Qube3, and all future RaQ/Qube products) is another huge step forward. Persistent connections, etc, make the average time for a new screen to appear in the 1-second-or-less range. Not to mention the API can be hooked into from PHP, Perl, or C++ for end-user customization possibilities...

Actually no, it's x86. Go to their website.

So it's a port of something they already drive, not so hideous as the original post would have readers believe.

BTW, the link you left out.


--
Chief Frog Inspector

Here's a few (mostly unatributed - couldn't be bothered to tidy up) thoughts from developers on the list:

"What has, and will continue to make us successful is not just "selling boxes". we sell both a solution and a platform on which to base solutions. The developer community is a very important piece of our puzzle, and I don't see that shrinking at all with this whole Sun deal.

As for black-box - several "appliance" vendors entered the market before or close to the same time Cobalt did. Where are those black-box vendors now?

Lastly, I wanted to say that just because of the Sun deal, I'd hardly count on Cobalt going away. We now have more muscle at our disposal than we ever did before, which means better prices, better products, and better service. We have had many assurances that things will remain up to us, so long as we continue to be successful (losing money doesn't mean not being successful - building hardware isn't cheap, folks!)."

Tim Hockin - Software Engineer / OS Engineer
Cobalt Networks - thockin@cobalt.com

"It's not true, it's a *proposed* merger, which means it still has to be approved by the voting share holders and the board. You guys may be all for it, but it's not a done deal yet. If the acquisition goes through, it is not planned to be completed until Dec. 31. A lot can happen between now and then."

"It's gonna happen, get used to it . The stock-premium was 40% at announcement time; though I look for it to go down, 40% is hefty enough so it'll stay attractive enough to enough of the stockholders. Many of whom are employees, even top employees who were in on the deal, I'm sure (entirely my speculation; I have NO inside information). "

"Cobalt cashed in on the Linux hype. To deny otherwise would beggar reality. They may not be completely profitable yet, but they've certainly benefited from the early hype surrounding the OS."

June 19:

Sun Microsystems Acquires Cobalt Networks

I think your argument takes too narrow a view of support. True, until now most support has been in the area of configuration and installation support as well as troubleshooting basic useability issues.

That doesn't mean things have to be that way. let's assume for a minute a company deploying a 100% Linux solution. It includes three prepackaged boxen types configured to serve as

• a Human Resources Server Appliance
  
• a basic Database Appliance
  
• a Client Appliance
  

Let's then assume these boxen plug into an ethernet cable and power and come up under DHCP with no user intervention.

At this point the customer makes a call to support to schedule some time going through the configuration of the HR rules engine.

We're talking about doing what used to be called Professional Services as a simple call to customer support. I know there are holes in this idea, but as you come up with arguments, come up with your own examples and solutions. I think you'll find quickly that improving quality never has to lead to a loss of profits, just more opportunities for premium services.

have never seen a rack-mountable server machine which packs AMD processors. I just checked three vendors (Telenet Systems, VA Linux, and Penguin Computing) and none of the are shipping AMD products.

Well, there is a little company called Cobalt Networks that makes a little server called the RaQ that is both rack-mountable and AMD-based. Not suitable for high-end computation work, but certainly a nice web server.

Perhaps it would make more sense to change it to:

An operating system is the software that comes with a computer (or OS distribution) that all programmers and users need to make themselves productive no matter what form that productivity may take.

In other words, the OS could be definied as the common demoninator to any and all uses of the computer (doorstop excepted). The question is whether we would limit that to real uses or all theoretical uses. Some examples:

• Keyboard and monitor drivers: many servers are run headless, and some "computers" like the Qube probably don't have drivers for these things installed.
• Filesystem access: computers can be used with just a floppy, bootable CD, or NFS -- filesystem access is required to load an OS off of those. On the other hand, the OS can be placed in ROM as in handhelds, therefore filesystem access isn't required.

So it seems as if almost no software is required to use a computer, except that required by the definition of von Neumann architecture: an OS must be able to read and write to primary memory (even if that's only cache) and direct the CPU to execute particular sections of that memory. In addition, to be of interest, the OS must allow for user input and output but we cannot specify by what means.

A more liberal alternative:

An operating system is the software that comes with a computer (or OS distribution) that most programmers and users need to make themselves productive in most of their tasks.

Except for the fact that Cobalt are suing Apple first for cubeness...

Slashdot article, ZDNet article, Cobalt press release about settlement with Cube Computer Corp.

I think I'll have to patent the remaining Euclidean solids... I want some money if someone tries make an icosahedron-shaped computer.

Is everyone doing cobes or is it just me?

It all started with the Cobalt Cube, then Apple came out with the G4 cube. Why cubes?! =P

I think cubes are a very strange shape for hardware. They're not very ergonomic, aren't the idea shape (when it comes to a space issue, all sides are same size), but do look cool.

I'm wondering if anyone else is coming out with a cube-y product...

First, one is a tangible asset and the other is information: words and pictures.

This is the essence behind "Freedom of the Press". It is in the interrest of the public that news reporting agencies be allowed to publish leaked facts. Otherwise who is to decide what is a "trade secret"? The companies? certainly not. Otherwise companies could hide their dirty laundy by just calling it a "trade secret". If Apple whats a stranglehold on all of their R&D info then they need to take care of the problem inhouse not bully third party entheusiest newsites.

Not to mention that I somehow think a computer shaped like a cube, a colored computer case or a funky mouse don't amount to "trade secrets". Now if they published non obvoius technological details like a specail process for making a touchpad there might be a case.

In a roundabout way earlier reporting on their boxed-shaped computer may have saved them from potential litigation since Cobalt could have warned them earlier.

Gateway's cube shaped computer is just a rebranded cobalt Qube.

from a cobalt press release in 2000:
"During the December quarter 1999, Cobalt established several strategic relationships including NTT DoCoMo, France Telecom and Gateway. The company began shipments of products to Gateway, which Gateway is marketing under the name Gateway Microserver. "

Cobalt Networks' new RaQ4 is shipping with Interbase preinstalled...

Cobalt Networks' new RaQ4 is shipping with Interbase preinstalled...

First, the iMac was a whole new paradigm for computers. No more beige box and separate monitor. I think it's pretty clear that a few manufacturers stole more than just a few pages from the iMac styling book. Case closed.

But with the G4 Cube, how can anyone say that they were the first to package a computer in a cube? Unless the design is largely the same (which it isn't) you can't really lay claim (in my books) to an orthagonally packaged computer enclosure.

Differences, Qube vs G4 Cube:

cobalt blue vs clear/graphite

entirely cubic vs cubic enclosure with more rectangular clear cover

looks like a rectilinear Octane vs looks more like something you'd find in a hair salon

different vs Different

Me, I took the easy route and started doing consulting gigs in the Chicago area. I make great money, I enjoy my work, 30 minute drive to work, and have a first class living situation. you can't beat living in the 'burbs in a house for 450 a month. `8r) and wow, I can concurrently save money, buy lots of toys, and go out all the damn time.

I have no regrets about not following the boom in CA, dispite the urging of all my friends. Besides, I remotely adminster a Linux box out there, isn't it enough to have your web page based there? `8r) (since there were no other midwest people chiming in... I figure i'd put my stake in about the dust bowl.)

--
Gonzo Granzeau

It is indeed a Cobalt Qube... I was recently at a trade show where both devices were on display at different booths. There is no visible difference (aside from colour). The Gateway one was retailing for quite a lot more however. Basic details about the Qube are here and the details about the Gateway Micro Server can be found here.

&nbspAll I can say is that Cobalt must be raking it in hand-over-fist. Their "newest" design is the Raq III, which ran on a 300 mHz AMD processor last time I checked. Of course, they're targetting non-processor-intensive jobs, so it can swing, but, without the cute boxes and web interface, these would be $400 machines.

Oh well, I hear they're quite cute and functional, so enjoy the toy!

--JRZ