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Re: [News] Cisco Invites Linux Enthusiasts, Nintendo Invites Homebrew Developers

Roy Schestowitz wrote:

> Cisco Unwires Linux Symposium
> 
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | "Cisco embraces the Linux community and appreciates the opportunity to
> | work directly with them at this event."
> | 
> | "With a major event like the Linux Symposium we have to get hundreds of
> | laptops networked in a relatively small area," said Andrew Hutton,
> | founder of the Linux Symposium.
> `----
> 
>
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/982333/cisco_unwires_linux_symposium/index.html?source=r_technology#551307969947958244
> 
> Cisco works with and against Microsoft at the same time (a bit like
> Novell). It also competes with Open Source and Linux-based routers from
> other companies.
> 

Anyone in Cisco's line of work has to be able to talk to anyone who uses
that technology. So we can't really be surprised that Cisco talks to MS.

Cisco's problem at the moment is that although they are still Thee big name
in their area, the Linux boxes that cover the same ground on smaller to
medium sized systems are outstandingly good and often much cheaper than the
Cisco equivelant. (In Ciscos defence I will say that their wifi routers and
access points are well priced, I did buy a set recently).

We have the likes of RouteFinder, Smoothwall and others. I make use of cold
running PCs (in little 9x6 inch cases. No fan just a simple basic PC with
one small SATA. Can just put any Linux on them and you have a
firewall/router/web cache/and many more. The drive has to be small because
there is no fan, so cooling is limited, but you can add external USB drives
or link to a drive elsewhere on your network. 

At first I just put Debian on them and controlled them through ssh, but now
I put Smoothwall5 instead, it is easier to control through the web
interface (and anyway I like graphs:) ).

With devices such as these, then I understand a simmilar wifi access point
machine is available now, it could prove to be difficult for the named
traditional suppliers of these to compete, unless of cause they advance to
the capabilities of Linux. Which at this point would bring us to my current
main soap box, home servers, where users buy a router as they do now, but
actually get a fully capable home server. 

Many of us here have this, would you be able to manage without your home
server now? Have you tried switching it off and only using the client? It's
hard, a server at home is just as usefull as a server at work, not just as
a storage place, but the services. Making use of the services frees up
resources on the PC much more quickly than if that PC had to do the
processing, it adds to your overall speeds.

There are regular processes that do not need to be run from a client, your
music downloads, rendering of pictures, video convertion, let the server do
that job.

There are so many ways that even a simple server can help the home user,
that's why I push this one. Ok, I'm having limited success so far, but as
long as my soap box can take my weight I can carry on.



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