[conspire] Mini-ITX preferences?

[Eric De Mund]

People,

Is anyone here into the Mini-ITX game?

o   Some Cabalists or linux-consultants folks seem to like Leadman. Why?
    For what? For their cases or for their motherboards? Their prices
    don't seem exceptionally good, at first glance.

o   Is any one VIA motherboard preferred over another, for Linux?
        I envision using a couple of these as mobile development plat-
    forms, perhaps taking and leaving one overnight at a client site
    (rather than schlep to and from work every day) where I can use it
    as an X terminal and as personal file storage and possibly also as
    emulation host, using VMware.
        I also like the idea of having a couple of small (not too power-
    hungry) boxes on hand that don't take up much space that I can e.g.
    try out Solaris 10 or NetBSD 2.0 or some other flavor of Linux on.

o   Are there any preferred cube-style case manufacturers?
    I like the cube-style cases such as Leadman's:
        Casetronic 2215 Mini-ITX Aluminum Cube Case
        http://www.leadman.com/products/item.cfm?prodcd=HMICC2215S
    because I needn't use half-height cards, slim CD/DVD-ROM drives, or
    other than full-size hard disks. Also, I hold a bit of skepticism
    about the really low-profile boxes, worrying that there's not enough
    clearance and air circulation to keep the components cool enough,
    over their lifetime.

Cheers,
Eric
--
"I believe that mink are raised for being turned into fur coats and if
we didn't wear fur coats those little animals would never have been
born. So is it better not to have been born or to have lived for a year
or two to have been turned into a fur coat? I don't know." --Barbie
Benton

Eric De Mund              |   Ixian Systems, Inc.   | cell: 650.303.4336
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