Re: linux as a minicomputer ?

[Thomas Molina]

On Sun, 14 Apr 2002, Dr. David Alan Gilbert wrote:

> OK, clearing aside the deep technical arguments about lengths of coax
> and what you can do with a couple of celerons, it seems obvious to me
> that for at least some menial jobs a box with multiple separate screens
> is useful. (Think two or three secretarys sitting next to each other
> with a PC in the middle, low processor needs, short leads).

Actually, it's not just about simple component cost.  There are other 
considerations, especially in a business environment.  I actually did a 
paper for my technical writing class a year ago and found the best 
solution was cheap terminals connected to a good, single-processor server.  
Target environment for the study was a 10-workstation medical services 
company here in Omaha.  SMP didn't turn out to be the most cost effective 
solution, much to my surprise.

Key question is how much does it cost if data is compromised or lost, and 
how much does it cost to ensure that bad things don't happen.