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Hmmm, no... this would be NetBSD.

Check this cool picture as well.

I could use a security-enhanced toaster at my office though...

Many embedded computers use very low power. I installed one inside a router case that uses less than one watt of power. You can run it off a 9 volt battery for a long time.

Obligatory nitpick: Linux doesn't run on your toaster, NetBSD does.

But that toaster does NOT function as a toaster, just a neat case-mod. I'm talking about the one with a small board that actually controls the elements and timer on the toaster. That's the only way it would be practical for the whole dinner-from-afar thing.
http://www.embeddedarm.com/news/netbsd_toaster.htm

Is the port to a toaster

It has long been regarded that the UNIX-like OS NetBSD is portable to every type of machine except perhaps your kitchen toaster. Just in time for the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco in August 2005, Technologic Systems, however, has conquered this last frontier. Using one of its rugged embedded TS-7200 single-board computers housed inside the empty space of a standard 2 slice toaster, Technologic Systems has designed a functional NetBSD controlled toaster. You can find more information on the NetBSD toaster at http://www.embeddedarm.com/news/netbsd_toaster.htm .

Funny as hell

I dunno about you, but I'm firing up the compiler on my toaster just as soon as I get home.

Of course it runs Quake!

Check these out: one, two. The hardware is a TS-7200.

- Hubert

Check these out: one, two. The hardware is a TS-7200.

- Hubert

Is Here

Keep It Real, Lameness Filter(TM)

XORP has a great idea, but they are several years late to the party. Apparently, NSF, Intel and its other backers have failed to learn from the dot-bomb era: you can't build a successful business on the backs of a product you're giving away at no charge. Do they plan to make it up on volume? :-)

Linux enthusiasts ought to look toward more commercial companies, such as ImageStream (http://www.imagestream.com/) who has been in business 10 years, and building Linux routers for 7. Their corporate profile says they have 30K units in the field.

MontaVista (http://www.montavista.com/) has an embedded OS for PPC and ARM that would provide something more extensible and functional than XORP.

Heck, even Technologic Systems (http://www.embeddedarm.com/) has more mature, embedded products than XORP.

XORP is a great idea--but you're better off going with companies that have already proven themselves in the market and have mature products.

We get a lot of customers buying our single-board-computers to use as embedded servers. For most people, doing things like web serving, DNS, and email, you don't need a lot of CPU power or RAM. The single board computer is much less failure prone due to its low power (== low heat/thermal stresses), fewer parts, smaller circuit boards, soldered-on vibration-proof RAM/CPU, and lower cost and all this means more than the pure horsepower a desktop machine offers. Also, you can get a 1Gb compact flash card with Linux preinstalled and it has no moving parts and 0ms seek times; making the whole system perfect for a lot of high-seek, low throughput services. Not to mention you can run these things on backup UPS power for DAYS... (2.5 watt power consumption)

Now the plug: :-) We sell (and I personally helped design) a 166 Mhz ARM SBC with ethernet, USB, and compact flash for $150 in single unit quantities (with full Debian-ARM installed on compact flash) at www.embeddedarm.com.