[ Thanks to Brian
Martin for this link. ]
“E-Smith has taken the concept of the hardware Internet
appliance to a new level: It’s getting rid of the hardware
entirely. Instead of a dedicated machine, users insert a CD-ROM
containing the E-Smith Server and Gateway software onto any
functional Pentium PC with at least 32 MB of memory and about 1 GB
or more of storage.”
“The first thing the software does is pose a rather pointed
question: Is it OK, the machine asks, to erase the entire hard
drive? If the user gulps hard and consents, the software installs a
complete Red Hat Linux installation tailored to provide Internet
access for small businesses, including e-mail, file sharing and Web
site serving for up to 500 end users, said E-Smith CEO Joe
Morrison.”
“Connecticut Hospice, a facility in Branford, Conn., uses
E-Smith as an internal mail server and for the company intranet. It
serves 350 internal office workers and 85 nurses in the field.
Internal employees access the system over the LAN, and mobile
workers use their own Internet connections to access their e-mail
with POP3.”