A Linux server the size of a pack of gum

[gore]

Boy do I want one of these things. I jsut read this over and to be honest this is a DARN good deal:

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/6103/1/

What is a Black Dog? It's a complete USB-powered Linux server which fits easily in the palm of your hand (see Figure 1). Powered by a 400-MHz PowerPC processor, 64 MB of RAM, and either 256 MB or 512 MB of flash, this pint-sized pet packs quite a bite (or is that "byte"?). Add to that the built-in biometric scanner, MMC expansion slot, and USB V2.0 interface that acts as both its power source and conduit to the network, and you have quite a set of teeth on this little computing animal. And, perhaps most surprising of all, the device's price tag comes close to its size: just US$199 for the 256-MB unit or US$239 for the 512-MB version.

The concept is very different than what is most in use today: the Black Dog is a parasitic server that draws power and networking connectivity from the system to which it is attached, while using its host to provide access into the device. In this way, the owner does not just bring his own storage medium with him (in the case of a USB drive and similar items), but a complete computing environment. It's almost like having a laptop that fits easily in your shirt pocket.

This tiny beast is the brainchild of the folks at Realm Systems, who apparently see the Black Dog as the means, rather than the end, of a new product line. Poking around their website, I notice that they describe a product called the Realm Mobile Personal Server (MPS), which looks like what you may get when you cross a Black Dog with the needs of a corporate IT organization. It's a dog without the fleas which come along on the new pooch in town; one that is ready for use in the enterprise.

But how do you get from the Black Dog, which has the undeniable appeal a serious geek toy, to the IT-centric MPS unit? Simple: hold a contest to see which geeks can create or port the most interesting Open Source applications to the new device. The contest, which runs through January 15, 2006, features a US$50K bounty for the best app to be submitted by the deadline. A little cold, hard cash combined with the obvious geek-coolness of the task at hand should draw the attention of a number of Open Source techies who would like to see new and nifty things appear on the diminutive hound.

[Tiger Shark]

Nice.... But if you have to plug it into an existing box why not just carry a CD with your server on it and boot to it in the other box?

[gore]

You only have to plug it in I think to power it, the Cd thing may work, but, I'll use you for an example. Say you have a Windows server and you need a Linux server real quic to do something. But you need both boxes. Well, you pop that puppy in the windows box, which it's designed to run from and you're set.

And it has a storage option similar to smaller MP3 players and, I mean dude, 200 dollars isn't bad for a pack of gum that can play Doom lol. and it has the apt-get system so you can install more software to suit your needs. I know right now it's bare bones and the company admits that too because as they say, it's something new that has good potential to do things.

And besides it's about 200 times faster than a 386. And it fits in your pocket. I don't know about you but in a year or so this could be a neat little tool. It's designed to run on a Windows machine but it does work with a Linux box.

EDIT:

for those wondering, you can do more than run a server off of it, it's a very small computer you could do whatever you do with your computer. It has apt-get so in theory you could use this thing like a Palm Pilot, and considering the price it's actually cheaper. I think a Dell Axoim is more than this thing and it has pretty much the same capabilities.

[.:front2back:.]

Man this is some brilliant piece of technology.
Give it a while and this little thing is going to possibley set the way for personal computing..

Are these things purchasable or are they still under construction, cause i'm gona have to dust of the ol' credit card and purchase one..

front2back

[gore]

Yea you can buy one, just be sire to read the article. they aren't high priced and are nice, but they are development for sale. Meaning if you get a dud, you send it back for free and they send you a new one because supposedly a few got out with a firmware problem. So if that happens just send it back and they send you a new one and then they pay for the shipping of course.

[.:front2back:.]

Sweet unfortunatly it's Sunday over here, so i'm gonna have to wait 1 whole day before i can get my hands on one of these baby's..
I've already allocated some space for it's arrival..
You carn't half tell i'm itching to get my hands on one of them