Top Six things Netpliance can do with what they got......
6. Keep things the way they are...(and be out of business in 6 months.)
5. Make it unhackable (and not sell as many or any)
4. Charge more for one without service.
3. Charge more for one without service, and make it able to use ANY ISP without modification.
2. Make it free with service, 99 bucks without.(come on guys, we are talking marginal hardware here so far as how modern it is...I still see no way it costs 400 bucks to make especially with the volume hackable units could sell at if they actually kept up with demand).
1. Make the current one for pc illiterates, and make a full fledged PC, complete with HD and CD-ROM based on the current one, and sell it with Linux (no M$ tax!).
I have not read all of the comments, but most are saying keep it hackable. Why? So you can get something for nothing. I know alot of people who would love to have a full pc this small, and would love only having to pay 400-500 bucks for it. So why just make it hackable.....why not make a full fledged machine out of it and show people how good Linux can be on hardware like what's in the current i-Opener. It's good for Netpliance, good for Linux and even better for us because we would not have to waste time hacking it. Heck I know companies who would love something such as this in a POS terminal. It's small, doesn't cost alot and would do everything you would need at the Point of Sale. It would also be a great kiosk like machine for central free or modestly priced intenet machines. The possiblities are endless! I have seen no PC manufacturer that has something this small in that price range (even if they were 400-500 bucks). The thing is great! Netpliance would be fools if they didn't take advantage of this opportunity!
Skinz are great! If I want something to look a certain way or if I hate the standard Windows interface (After using both KDE and GNOME, I do hate windows), I should be able to change it so I can feel comfortable with it and be more productive. I do have to agree there are some BAAAAD skins out there. WAY BAD! But if that person who created it likes it, then so what? I don't have to use it. Kind of goes along with the 95plus, 98 themes. Some of them are unusable because they have LOOOONG sound cues ( 2 seconds is too long for a menu click! 5 seconds is too long for a start up sound). The good themes are the M$ ones and the few people out there who get it (nice, short sounds, good looking icons, nice background, good color choice). Same goes for KDE and GNOME. It's weird, but my favorite themes are the ones who either emulate another operating system's look (like Aqua, MacOS, QNX or something similar), or the ones who start off with something similar, and subtly change the look (marble style buttons, different, but easily decernable widgets, or just different color defult widgets). Ones I HATE are the ones who totally try to reinvent the wheel. One example might be ones that add extra borders around the edge of a window (this can be done well, but 1/2 inch borders around the default SUCK...if your going to add extra, make it 3-5 pixels wide and that's it!). Another example of the reinvent the wheel type of themeing is Talisman for windows....UGH! YECH! Tried it cuz it looked cool, took it totally off the system because it was too weird to use for words (Must be why I hate web pages with clickable image maps...why would you click on a helmet for that.....it has nothing to fo with that except it looks cool when u click it....you get the idea). What we do need is a few, proud, theme creators to really do some good work. Not everyone can theme (I suck at it, now, but hope to get better). But I can tell what a good theme is and what a bad one is. New budding theme creators should show thier themes to as many people as they can before posting it for general consumption (some poeple say posting it may do that, but I think you should ONLY post your best!). That's what I plan to do....if your early ones suck, and you get a rep for being a bad theme creator, you may never get anyone to look at the stuff you do later. OH well, I am rambling, but I feel a computer is personal, especially one being used as a workstation. Also, with what we spend on computer parts and stuff, who has money to buy purdy pictures for the walls?? Decorate your desktop and screensaver with free purdy pictures for less...
It's true! When we had gotten rid of our old Mainframe, we had all original equipment whith exception of the dasd (we actually have the dasd from the old system yet sitting in here, inactive) and a couple memory upgrades, we were running on a Mainframe that was 10 years old. VSE doesn't have the memory requirements that OS/390 does and the performance is great! SOOO glad we never listened to the client server or the MVS people...we'd have spent 2 or 3 times what we had on our new mainframe in less time too. Hmm....we don't have a LOW end system but probably something in the middle. With maintenence, I could see us being above 7 digits, but for the actual cost of the machine, I doubt it was that much. More like around 200,000. We spend that much on gaggles of PC's every year. Also, and I forgot to add this yesterday, but much of the new mainframes from IBM are modified PC technology. The SCSI tape drives are channel attached, but they use a Pentium 166 MMX based PC to convert the SCSI stuff to ESCON. Also, UNIX is much different then any mainframe os. You can't compare them they operate and act so different. I guess I won't convince everyone, but mainframes don't have to be expensive. And the size of mainframes are going down not up unlike the PC servers. Our new system with exception of the printer (pretty hard to make that beast smaller), fits in the space our OLD DASD's fit in and we have more disk space to boot! They are talking about bringing in a Oracle based software package to replace some of the stuff on the mainframe they are probably going to order AT LEAST 10 monster servers for that (and it will be more before we are completely done). I/O is THE most important function of a computer period. Mainframe's just pump data in and out. I/O is the reason your PC will choke sometimes when pumping video (don't tell me Linux is perfect here....I/you know better). I mean come on! I LIKE PC's, but there's a huge bottle neck between the bus and CPU since they have yet to invent a bus that can go at gigahert speeds in a PC.
Some people, invcluding the author of this article have NO clue about true costs involved in a S/390 system. The system itself can cost as much as a mid to high end Sparc box. The processor is at least as powerful, but that's not why you'd want to use it as a web server. Mainframe has KICK BUTT I/O. Mainframe are MUCH more efficient at pumping I/O. You could use a mainframe to stream audio or video on your web site with copy, and a another copy could do the web serving. Also, the main cost of operating a mainframe is NOT just the hardware support, it's the software. We pay one vendor 20,000 a year just to get support and software updates! With Linux under VM, only thing you have to pay for is VM. You can load as many copies of Linux as u want on the mainframe. Also, you could probably use existing bus and tag and ESCON devices such as printers, tape silos and DASD as native devices under Linux. There are mainframe printers that can print 90 plus pages per minute! Granted, some of the mainframe reliability can be attested to software, but on our current system, we have 2 power feeds (you split those between two power substations), we have had RAID for YEARS longer then PC server's have had and we have been serving 2-3 million data requests a day and this was on a 10 year old mainframe, running DOS/VSE, a cousin of the first mainframe OS that MVS was to replace, but is still going strong. Our new one hasn't even scratched the surface of the power we have available. Oh and lest I forget, they can call themselves for service before they die. We have had disk packs go bad and we NEVER went down or knew we had a pack go out. Also, ESCON, a fiber based way to connect channel devices to the mainframe, can have a range of 4-5 MILES before needing a repeater (if one wants to lay that much fiber! Be cheaper to use the OSA ATM or Fast Ethernet adapter and do it with TCP/IP).Um, lessee, scheduled downtime is limited to changing time (we have to do it this way to preserve data integrity), some software updates do need a IPL too, OH and in my opinion, the MF can boot faster too! Gork
Well, proprietary parts CAN suck, BUT when you buy a system new, they have an advantage that if they go out, there's a warentee unlike home grown machines. On the other hand, alot of time to guarantee that you have a system that wil have NO troubles under Linux, building your own box is the absolute way to go. I think what we, as a alternate operating system community need to do is appel to companies such as IBM, Compaq, Dell and Gateway and get them to include better parts in their machines, or to have one machine on their list that is fully Linux capable (No compromises....supported sound card, graphics card and modem which I see as the BIG problem devices in machines now a days with Linux). Also, we should not go down the same road that M$ did with the win devices. How in the heck do we know how long Linux will stick around (yeah yeah yeah, you can always support the Kernel yourself but HECK! I don't know a single person at my work that is smart enough to hack drivers out and I work with several good developers). So, we should not develop Lindevices or Bedevices or BSDdevices or anything along that lines. Not only would you probably have problems with compatability in other OS's, it's just wrong! Devices that depend on non integrated software (all devices have some software in them on ROM's)steal processing power and is the WRONG direction to go. In fact, I think we should concentrate on getting more powerful co-processors on those devices such as graphics cards and the like since that can ONLY improve performance of thos parts. But alas, most of us could not homebrew a modem, so we get stuck with crap unless we build our own machine from compatible parts. Sorry I rambled and strayed a bit, but I am for running any OS you choose even if it's a M$ os. Older machines are way more compatible with other os's then newer prebuilt machines. We shouldn't have to build our own. We should buy the box, and it should work. That's the key. Gork
I wish I knew everyone's reasons. But here some surprising things where I work: The Financial Aid department MUST have a paper copy on file (even though we have an electronic copy filed on the mainframe that can be produced in, oh say about 5 seconds.. This is not their rule, but the Federal Governments rule. Payroll department prints a 3 page report that they only use two lines of it. Basically, I think the problem is taht people "think" something isn't official until the read it in a paper form. Weird huh? I try to read somethings totally online. Other things, I don't. A good example is that NOONE has a PDA that can have grease, flours, eggs or whetever splattered on and stay in good shape while you are making something in the kitchen. I store my recipes electronically, then, after I prepare the food, I usually toss the recipe into the recycling bin. Joel
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6. Keep things the way they are...(and be out of business in 6 months.)
5. Make it unhackable (and not sell as many or any)
4. Charge more for one without service.
3. Charge more for one without service, and make it able to use ANY ISP without modification.
2. Make it free with service, 99 bucks without.(come on guys, we are talking marginal hardware here so far as how modern it is...I still see no way it costs 400 bucks to make especially with the volume hackable units could sell at if they actually kept up with demand).
1. Make the current one for pc illiterates, and make a full fledged PC, complete with HD and CD-ROM based on the current one, and sell it with Linux (no M$ tax!).
I have not read all of the comments, but most are saying keep it hackable. Why? So you can get something for nothing. I know alot of people who would love to have a full pc this small, and would love only having to pay 400-500 bucks for it. So why just make it hackable.....why not make a full fledged machine out of it and show people how good Linux can be on hardware like what's in the current i-Opener. It's good for Netpliance, good for Linux and even better for us because we would not have to waste time hacking it. Heck I know companies who would love something such as this in a POS terminal. It's small, doesn't cost alot and would do everything you would need at the Point of Sale. It would also be a great kiosk like machine for central free or modestly priced intenet machines. The possiblities are endless! I have seen no PC manufacturer that has something this small in that price range (even if they were 400-500 bucks). The thing is great! Netpliance would be fools if they didn't take advantage of this opportunity!
Skinz are great! If I want something to look a certain way or if I hate the standard Windows interface (After using both KDE and GNOME, I do hate windows), I should be able to change it so I can feel comfortable with it and be more productive. I do have to agree there are some BAAAAD skins out there. WAY BAD! But if that person who created it likes it, then so what? I don't have to use it. Kind of goes along with the 95plus, 98 themes. Some of them are unusable because they have LOOOONG sound cues ( 2 seconds is too long for a menu click! 5 seconds is too long for a start up sound). The good themes are the M$ ones and the few people out there who get it (nice, short sounds, good looking icons, nice background, good color choice). Same goes for KDE and GNOME. It's weird, but my favorite themes are the ones who either emulate another operating system's look (like Aqua, MacOS, QNX or something similar), or the ones who start off with something similar, and subtly change the look (marble style buttons, different, but easily decernable widgets, or just different color defult widgets). Ones I HATE are the ones who totally try to reinvent the wheel. One example might be ones that add extra borders around the edge of a window (this can be done well, but 1/2 inch borders around the default SUCK...if your going to add extra, make it 3-5 pixels wide and that's it!). Another example of the reinvent the wheel type of themeing is Talisman for windows....UGH! YECH! Tried it cuz it looked cool, took it totally off the system because it was too weird to use for words (Must be why I hate web pages with clickable image maps...why would you click on a helmet for that.....it has nothing to fo with that except it looks cool when u click it....you get the idea). What we do need is a few, proud, theme creators to really do some good work. Not everyone can theme (I suck at it, now, but hope to get better). But I can tell what a good theme is and what a bad one is. New budding theme creators should show thier themes to as many people as they can before posting it for general consumption (some poeple say posting it may do that, but I think you should ONLY post your best!). That's what I plan to do....if your early ones suck, and you get a rep for being a bad theme creator, you may never get anyone to look at the stuff you do later. OH well, I am rambling, but I feel a computer is personal, especially one being used as a workstation. Also, with what we spend on computer parts and stuff, who has money to buy purdy pictures for the walls?? Decorate your desktop and screensaver with free purdy pictures for less...
Some people, invcluding the author of this article have NO clue about true costs involved in a S/390 system. The system itself can cost as much as a mid to high end Sparc box. The processor is at least as powerful, but that's not why you'd want to use it as a web server. Mainframe has KICK BUTT I/O. Mainframe are MUCH more efficient at pumping I/O. You could use a mainframe to stream audio or video on your web site with copy, and a another copy could do the web serving. Also, the main cost of operating a mainframe is NOT just the hardware support, it's the software. We pay one vendor 20,000 a year just to get support and software updates! With Linux under VM, only thing you have to pay for is VM. You can load as many copies of Linux as u want on the mainframe. Also, you could probably use existing bus and tag and ESCON devices such as printers, tape silos and DASD as native devices under Linux. There are mainframe printers that can print 90 plus pages per minute! Granted, some of the mainframe reliability can be attested to software, but on our current system, we have 2 power feeds (you split those between two power substations), we have had RAID for YEARS longer then PC server's have had and we have been serving 2-3 million data requests a day and this was on a 10 year old mainframe, running DOS/VSE, a cousin of the first mainframe OS that MVS was to replace, but is still going strong. Our new one hasn't even scratched the surface of the power we have available. Oh and lest I forget, they can call themselves for service before they die. We have had disk packs go bad and we NEVER went down or knew we had a pack go out. Also, ESCON, a fiber based way to connect channel devices to the mainframe, can have a range of 4-5 MILES before needing a repeater (if one wants to lay that much fiber! Be cheaper to use the OSA ATM or Fast Ethernet adapter and do it with TCP/IP).Um, lessee, scheduled downtime is limited to changing time (we have to do it this way to preserve data integrity), some software updates do need a IPL too, OH and in my opinion, the MF can boot faster too! Gork
Well, proprietary parts CAN suck, BUT when you buy a system new, they have an advantage that if they go out, there's a warentee unlike home grown machines. On the other hand, alot of time to guarantee that you have a system that wil have NO troubles under Linux, building your own box is the absolute way to go. I think what we, as a alternate operating system community need to do is appel to companies such as IBM, Compaq, Dell and Gateway and get them to include better parts in their machines, or to have one machine on their list that is fully Linux capable (No compromises....supported sound card, graphics card and modem which I see as the BIG problem devices in machines now a days with Linux). Also, we should not go down the same road that M$ did with the win devices. How in the heck do we know how long Linux will stick around (yeah yeah yeah, you can always support the Kernel yourself but HECK! I don't know a single person at my work that is smart enough to hack drivers out and I work with several good developers). So, we should not develop Lindevices or Bedevices or BSDdevices or anything along that lines. Not only would you probably have problems with compatability in other OS's, it's just wrong! Devices that depend on non integrated software (all devices have some software in them on ROM's)steal processing power and is the WRONG direction to go. In fact, I think we should concentrate on getting more powerful co-processors on those devices such as graphics cards and the like since that can ONLY improve performance of thos parts. But alas, most of us could not homebrew a modem, so we get stuck with crap unless we build our own machine from compatible parts. Sorry I rambled and strayed a bit, but I am for running any OS you choose even if it's a M$ os. Older machines are way more compatible with other os's then newer prebuilt machines. We shouldn't have to build our own. We should buy the box, and it should work. That's the key. Gork
I wish I knew everyone's reasons. But here some surprising things where I work: The Financial Aid department MUST have a paper copy on file (even though we have an electronic copy filed on the mainframe that can be produced in, oh say about 5 seconds.. This is not their rule, but the Federal Governments rule. Payroll department prints a 3 page report that they only use two lines of it. Basically, I think the problem is taht people "think" something isn't official until the read it in a paper form. Weird huh? I try to read somethings totally online. Other things, I don't. A good example is that NOONE has a PDA that can have grease, flours, eggs or whetever splattered on and stay in good shape while you are making something in the kitchen. I store my recipes electronically, then, after I prepare the food, I usually toss the recipe into the recycling bin. Joel