“If you remember my first impressions of Rebel.com’s
Netwinder… you might recall that although I was impressed with
the diminutive unit, the setup utilities were less than optimal. My
major complaint, at the time, was that they were decidedly
Microsoft-centric, and unless you attached a monitor, mouse and a
keyboard to the unit, you really had to have a windows box on your
LAN to get the Netwinder installed.”
“Happily, this has changed. Rebel.com tossed the 3.5″ floppy and
integrated the setup utilities for the Netwinder –now called the
OfficeServer– onto the quick start CD, allowing an OS-independent
setup of the machine, a truly useful change in the whole
procedure.”
“…Remember that the OfficeServer is directed at the
segment of the market that might not have a full time IT person
available. The setup of this unit could very well be relegated to
the same (un)fortunate individual who figured out how to change the
toner cartridge in the printer, or the one who can clear FAX
machine jams the fastest, or, God help you, the Boss, who has read
too much about the “Internet appliance.” On that level, the
instructions are right on target as they cover everything just
about anyone needs to know concerning the layout of the ports, how
to plug it in and get it running.”