RE: [cobalt-users] Other OS's on a qube?

[<rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> But what about us who have invested in hardware that is
> rapidly becoming obsolete?  Do we just throw these servers
> away? Or do we try to get a second life?

No, reuse them of course. For example, smaller and older Qubes make great
home gateways and intranet servers. I have one at home (16MB expanded to
80MB, 4.3GB) with a US Robotics Courier V.Everything external modem which
hooks up my home LAN to the Internet via an ISDN line. Works like a charm,
and I got it when the office moved to a bigger Qube2 (64MB, 13GB). Cost me
$400.

You could sell them to individuals, or to smaller companies, or branch
offices, or something. I really truly have a list of about 20 companies who
are always two-three steps behind on the technology curve, and I mass-email
them everytime I have an older computer, monitor, server, hub, switch, etc.
to sell. Every time, at least one of them takes it.

> I think your explanation is fine for someone who doesn't have servers
> today. But if you are looking at a shelf full of mips based
> servers...with a short life expectancy ... you have to entertain all
> thoughts of reuseability.  I personally am not jumping up and down
> about the newer systems anyway.

Touché. But then again, there is this thing about servers: if you have a
Restore CD and keep all relevant patches on your own disk, then the Qube can
run forever or until the hardware trashes. Just keep bequeathing it to
smaller departments over time...

As one of our lines in business, we offer seminars and classes on ecommerce
and using Internet technology for business in several countries. We have
companies like Shell Oil as customers, and I have to make things look good.
So I carry a Qube around on trips, and I get lists of the attending people
as soon as I arrive. By the time they walk into the seminar, they've got
their own email account on the Qube for the duration of the seminar, and
they can use the discussion groups and other features to cooperate and
learn. They're always impressed by the functionality, it always takes me 15
minutes or less to set up the box, and it's a great way to make things a lot
better.

As long as the number of people per Qube is reasonable, and you learn a
little bit about putting new software on them, their life expectancy
shouldn't be that short.

--
Rodolfo J. Paiz
rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>