Re: [cobalt-users] Raq4 verses Linux PC

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Kriwitsky" <list1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2002 3:05 PM
Subject: RE: [cobalt-users] Raq4 verses Linux PC


> > and you think this is acceptable?
> >
> > it completely voids any advantage in purchasing a
> > pre-configured appliance at a greater cost than the sum of
> > the parts...
> >
> Why do they need a warranty? You can download the OS and reinstall it
> anytime to get back to the way they sold it in working condition. If you
> make changes to the software, what should they warranty? The original
> software works as advertised. They don't write Apache, so they can't
> warranty that. They don't write Sendmail, PHP, MySQL, etc. The Cobalt
> GUI and some Perl scripts are about the only Cobalt software on the
> units. So again, what software should they provide a warranty for and
> what would it guarantee?

the London Brick Company doesn't sell houses, just bricks, blocks, lintels
etc, if ACME building company assembles a house out of bricks then the house
has to be built with a guarantee of certain minimum standards, whether or
not each individual brick has a warranty is irellevant, I am not buying
22,000 bricks, or 22,000 bricks arranged in any particular way, I am buying
a HOUSE and that means it should be fit for that purpose and warrantied for
that purpose.

similarly I do not buy a collection of hardware and software libre from
Cobalt, I buy a working web server appliance, without functioning software
it merely becomes a very expensive way to convert electrical energy into
heat, just as a house without a roof is a ruin, a web server appliance
without software is a paper wight at best.

Cobalt are left with two choices, you buy the appliance as is, and the only
possible upgrade path is you buy a complete new appliance when you want to
upgrade to a later version of apache/php etc, or you buy the appliance and
you can upgrade using approved OEM software patches just like every mobo
manufacturer, switch/router manufacturer, firewall manufacturer, etc etc etc
ad infinitum.

instead them appear to be taking the third option, "Buy this and then kiss
my ass and your money goodbye" and unbelievably there are punters stupid
enough to agree with them....

the FACTS of the matter is that in the present day the cobalt offers NOTHING
that cannot be gotten elsewhere including a DIY solution for less money...

I can buy a 500 mhz cobalt with no software warranty for 1500 bucks (for
example) or I can buy a 1 ghz DIY server with no software warranty for 1500
bucks...

the advantage of the cobalt, it comes out of the box ready to run, which
saves me maybe 8 hours for one build, then a copy of ghost and 10 minutes
for every subsequent buld, basically no advantage that I can see

the advantage of the DIY build, I may as well start on day one with the
latest apache / php and a system that is twice as powerful so I don't have
to turn away clients who want php4.1.2 minimum or void my warranty....

your argument about the OS restore CD's applies to the crappiest of home PC
manufacturers, the answer to any question is "insert the system restore CD"
well thank you very much but that is a COMPLETELY useless response for a
COMMERCIAL product that may well be hosting 200 live websites which will
cost em money in compo to clients if they are offline....  of course I could
buy TWO cobalts and mirror every domain....

seems to me that the only workable busines model cobalt has is to flog the
GUI as a standalone in the same manner as Plesk et al... because the
hardware is crap.