From owner-freebsd-chat Sun Aug 2 12:01:37 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id MAA10395 for freebsd-chat-outgoing; Sun, 2 Aug 1998 12:01:37 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (castles248.castles.com [208.214.165.248]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id MAA10390 for ; Sun, 2 Aug 1998 12:01:33 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from mike@antipodes.cdrom.com) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by antipodes.cdrom.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA09190; Sun, 2 Aug 1998 12:00:40 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199808021900.MAA09190@antipodes.cdrom.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97 To: "Kevin G. Eliuk" cc: FreeBSD Chat Subject: Re: Anyone have an opinion on PandaProject In-reply-to: Your message of "Sat, 01 Aug 1998 23:26:17 PDT." Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 02 Aug 1998 12:00:39 -0700 From: Mike Smith Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org > > Hello, > > I have been looking at deciding on a newer system and have > been lurking around the information at > > http://www.pandaproject.com/ourstuff.htm > > Has any of the experienced hardware persons here got an opinion to > express on the products that they produce? What first caught my > attention with them was their claim to be producing hardware > without obsolescence built in. Looks like a pleasantly expensive way of buying a PC. If you're into locking yourself to a single vendor with a proprietary bus, go for it. I would consider it an educational experience to compare the cost of upgrading one of their system with the cost of purchasing an entire new commodity-component system. The mechanicals actually look quite nice; plenty of cooling, etc., but the proprietary CPU/bridge/memory cards are a major lose. This quote: "Dataquest has no doubts that passive back planes will garner sizable success as a next generation server architecture. Passive back plane systems give the customer more choices in building customizable client server solutions down to the componentry level." is a laugh for anyone that's lived outside the PC arena. > Probably wouldn't be looking at a server model but the ST-300 > > http://www.rockcity.net/order/computers.asp?Action=Specs&computer_type=ST-300 > > looks very impressive for $1295US. How to market a boring computer: add trivial frills. Ultimately, you'll want to decide what it is you want. So far, it seems that coolness is more important to you than functionality. In a year or two, you will have a very cool heap of junk. 8) On the other hand, you can build something equivalent in performance for less, or spend the same money on something boring but somewhat better. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message