[ Thanks to Antti
Huotari for this link. ]
“The story of Internet appliances is a story of Linux
cleverly packaged in a small profile container. Like a book’s
cover, the appliance’s packaging helps to distinguish it in the
market and adds value to a vanilla Linux distribution. So when
I opened the box on my new BRICKHouse secure web appliance I was a
little disappointed. What I found was a mid-tower PC, no keyboard
or mouse, and a small (16-page) quickstart installation guide.”
“Having few preconceptions-I hadn’t visited the BRICKHouse web
site (www.3rdpig.com) and hadn’t ordered the box myself, but had
met with the marketing department from Systems Advisory Group
Enterprises, Inc. (SAGE) at a conference a few months earlier-I was
familiar with the name, and wanted to see what was inside. When
Derrick Story, Web Review managing editor, gave me the opportunity
to test one, I agreed. What I remembered was that the developers
had claimed to have secured Linux and had made it simple to
administrate. But the material I received with this beta system
provided no additional insight. I wasn’t sure what to think, so I
plugged it in and turned it on.”