Re: [cobalt-developers] nice knowing you all!

[Tim Hockin <thockin@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Dennis, despite your overwhelmingly troll-like attitude, and propensity
to sling mud, I'd like to publicly address some of your comments (just
to dispel any FUD).

Dennis wrote:
> You can build a 1U box with 2 ethernets with 650Mhz PIII processor and a
> 15GB disk for about $800.  A RaQ3i is ~$2300. reseller price. Webmin is at
> least as good as the cobalt gui (and a lot faster), and its, yes, free.

your 1U box will draw far more power, be louder, generate more heat,
likely require a keyboard, mouse, video card and monitor.  It will also
require you spending time installing Linux, setting it up to your
liking, upgrading and installing software - all just to get to Webmin. 
A Cobalt comes out of the box and onto the network.
 
Add to that this: webmin is a general purpose tool.  What webmin
generally gives you is a textbox for every config parameter.  Whoopee. 
Cobalt has invested significant effort into simplifying common issues.

> So, my point is, that anyone buying this as just a box to run linux
> probably isnt very technically capable, or just plain has his head in the
> sand.

I'd probably agree.  It is not "just a linux box".
 
> I dont mean the hardware, but try plugging an eepro100 into the slot in a
> raq3, its fun...or a lot of other cards. I was referring to the overall

Fixed, some time ago, and you know it.  Dennis you yourself helped me to
track some of the bugs that existed on RaQ3 when I started working at
Cobalt this past year.  Bringing up old bugs is really just building a
straw man.

> port;  they still haven't fixed the "eepro checksum errors"...and the thing

Hardly an error - it is a EEPROM format which is supported by most
devices (as well as the Intel).  The driver merely issues a warning.

> has a propensity to lose files....I've never had so many complete
> directories trashed as with this box on crashes, and the clock seems to
> randomize on reboot, although I've heard theres a hokey fix for that.

As for disk, well, I'd have to see why you are crashing so much (my RaQ3
has well over 120 days uptime).  As for clock, I'd hardly say setting
the RTC to proper values is "hokey"... maybe my definition of "hokey" is
different from yours?  It sounds to me like the word is "correct".
 
> which was exactly my original point, that the fact that it runs LINUX is
> not important to most of the people who buy it . They (cobalt) would be
> better off with a black box, because then they wouldnt have to deal with
> the constant whining of the linux community to fix the multitude of bugs
> that have little to do with the applications that make the boxes attractive.

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!).

Dennis, you seem to have so much pent up anger towards Cobalt.  You opt
to sling insults at us whenever possible, and choose to accuse first,
and ask questions later.  I don't know what part of the experience you
are so severely displeased with, but I'd love to have an opportunity to
rectify the situation.  Please tell me how I can help.

Back to the code,
Tim

-- 
Tim Hockin
Software Engineer / OS Engineer
Cobalt Networks
thockin@xxxxxxxxxx