Legacy-free corporate PCs
Summary Description Newswire's 5 Minute Guides looks at a new wave of simplified PC designs for networks.
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Roullas Top10 Simon Vandore

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Editorial InformationArticle Location
Article Topic 5 Minute Guides
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Story Group 001029
Post Date 23/10/2000 07:01 AM Status Posted Entered by Simon Vandore on 20/10/2000 10:51 AM


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What's with the trend towards slimline 'appliance' PCs?
A new breed of corporate PC's, resembling a cross between desktop and notebook models, has crept up and stolen a share of the market from the standard beige box. So far, the main contenders are Hewlett-Packard's e-Vectra, Compaq's iPaq and IBM's NetVista, although the first to reach Australia was the BABYnet PC from Taiwan's Leo Systems. They are all sleek, lightweight designs that resemble Net PC or Internet appliance designs which flopped in the mid-1990s. The e-Vectra looks a bit like a toaster, while the iPaq resembles an oversized upright modem.
Each takes a modular approach, with an external power supply and easy access to the hard disk and RAM slots for upgrades and replacement. They are usually sold without monitors in large shipments.
Are they thin clients?
No, they're fully-specified PCs with up-to-date processors, an average amount of RAM, a sizeable hard disk and the ability to run x86 operating systems like Windows and Linux. Manufacturers now recognise that most customers still want fully functional PCs, not 'lite' devices. However, like thin clients, these PCs all ship with ethernet capability and are not intended to stand alone. Some models can sit upright, flat or even be mounted on a wall.
What is meant by 'legacy-free PCs'?
The label 'legacy-free' refers to the fact that none of these machines have PCI or ISA bus slots (legacy support) on their motherboards. Most do not even have serial or parallel ports. They rely solely on USB (universal serial bus) ports for expansion and the connection of peripheral devices. However, Compaq is also offering a 'legacy lite' iPaq with a serial and parallel port for customers who can't make the full jump to USB.
Why would anyone buy proprietary PCs?
The idea is to reduce the total cost of ownership by offering simplified designs that are easy for IT departments to implement and maintain. Dividing the PC into easily replaceable parts, such as an external power supply and a hard drive inserted under a hatch in a box containing the motherboard, means that if one of these three components fails, support staff can easily come along and replace it. Upgrades work the same way and downtime is minimal.
There are also some new security features. For example, HP's e-Vectra features a physical lock to prevent unauthorised users booting the PC and allows network administrators to monitor which devices are plugged into the system. Apart from simplifying inventories, this can also reduce theft.
Are there any problems with this new design trend?
While these new PCs are generally smaller than your average beige box, sometimes they end up taking more room -- most can't sit under a monitor, meaning that if you already have a big CRT display you'll need even more desk space for the PC. They are best combined with LCD monitors, the high price of which defeats the purpose of a simplified, cheaper design. Like the iMac, none of these new designs feature a floppy disk drive, but as they are intended to be part of large networks, this isn't really a handicap.


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Bulletin Summary5 Minute Guides: Legacy-free corporate PCs
Newswire's 5 Minute Guides looks at a new wave of simplified PC designs for networks.

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5 Minute Guides: Legacy-free corporate PCs

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Corporate IT No This field should be marked 'Yes' for any story of interest to corporate readers
CIT Lead No Newswire Lead No Section Lead No (These fields are controlled by all those handy buttons and agents)