Re: [cobalt-users] Why did Cobalt use custom Hardware?

[Lyle Scheer <lyle.scheer@xxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2003-02-09 at 22:42, Matt Darnell wrote:
> Why did Cobalt use custom hardware on the RAQs?  I keep reading about the
> hardware and ROM issues, it would have been so much cheaper to use white box
> servers.

There were a couple of reasons.

	1) Elimination of certain chips (no need for a video/keyboard path). 
Fewer chips on the board, the simpler and more reliable the board, and
cheaper to produce.
	2) Consistent hardware sets.  Can tune the software to only one
hardware set.
	3) Can tweak performance path to what is thought to be important for
the applications targeted.

Remember that the original cobalt systems used a MIPS based processor...
this also allowed for:
	1) less heat output
	2) less power usage
	3) cheaper than intel based chips

At the time ('98 or so), the idea was not to run the hardware race of
more Mhz than the rest, but to have a properly tuned box that ran the
applications and able to produce cheaper and with more price margin than
anyone competing.

The choice not to use a standard white box BIOS was to avoid paying
license fees for the BIOS to Microsoft and having a better margin /
produce a cheaper box again.  Considering the problems that this
brought, this was not really a wise choice.

Sadly enough, I don't think Cobalt ever dropped the price as low as I
might have wanted, and played the purchase price trump card versus other
hardware.  I think we were too greedy.  Instead, we got sucked into the
Mhz game, which in my opinion cannot be won and ends up with you using a
white box.

- Lyle