[Tfug] Are boxen obsolete?

[Keith Smith]

I've been hearing (reading) the word boxen for some time.  I assumed it 
was a Linux computer, or maybe more specific a Linux hardware server.  
Given this discussion I thought I would look for a definition.  
https://www.wordnik.com/words/boxen says "Multiple computers (or 
occasionally a single computer), especially those running UNIX.".

Given that I cannot see boxen going away.  Isn't the cloud just a bunch 
of boxen configured to scale?

I often joke that someday I will be able to use two smart phones to do 
PHP development.  In reality, I have multiple boxen so I can experiment 
and perform my duties as a LAMP developer.

In the end I think we will just end up with more devices.


On 2015-01-11 09:05, erich wrote:
> Oh,
>              Thanks. I didn't know what BBB stood for. I guess you buy
> stuff like that
> online. Call me old-fashioned. I have to touch & feel it before I buy.
> My latest is
> PC is the size of a large shoebox that I got from SWS.  It has a 
> dual-core AMD
> processor. It took a while to integrate the audio. That's because the
> newer audio
> chips are surround-sound, but the lt-green jack out of the back 
> connects to only
> 2 of the pins.
> 
> Erich
> 
> 
> Zack Breckenridge wrote:
>> Erich,
>> 
>> I say yes, but for different reasons. Couple of good examples:
>> 
>> * 
>> http://rwmj.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/caseless-virtualization-cluster-part-1/
>> * http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/edison_fuzz/
>> 
>> Of course maybe the second one doesn't really count as boxen (but you 
>> could probably do a lot of work with a PC sized cluster), and the 
>> first one has no box, but rolling your own device is still worth it in 
>> many cases (and possibly still cheaper than cloud prices over a year 
>> or so depending on the workload).
>> 
>> As TR mentioned, a BeagleBone Black is great for a mini-boxen. I have 
>> one and it's awesome. I use it as a mini server/router at work.
>> 
>> Zack B.
>> 
>> On Fri, Jan 9, 2015, 4:42 PM TR <trexx at pobox.com 
>> <mailto:trexx at pobox.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>     Boxen arn't as big anymore but I still assemble parts  The
>>     motherboard test to be a SBC,  mine are BeagleBone Black, used for
>>     learning ComputerVision.     I hear BBB makes for a good
>>     multimedia boxen.      TR
>> 
>>     On Fri, Jan 9, 2015 at 3:40 PM, erich <erich1 at copper.net
>>     <mailto:erich1 at copper.net>> wrote:
>> 
>>         That is,
>>                a computer which has hardware components which you can
>>         mix and match.
>>         Get the box. Get the motherboard, The processor, etc. Then add
>>         the software,
>>         (Linux, of course), and configure it to your liking. My kick
>>         is multimedia.
>>                How many people are doing that anymore? Nowadays you
>>         buy the tablet
>>         or the smartphone. Many apps come pre-installed, and you get
>>         it all from the
>>         cloud: banking, social media, etc. Who ever heard of
>>         installing a souped-up video
>>         display for the smart-phone that you already have. You go out
>>         and buy a new one.
>>         Right?
>>                Never mind that everybody else is getting  monolithic
>>         computers with
>>         pre-installed software. Will there still be retailers that
>>         cater to  geeks like
>>         me with unusual tastes in hardware/software?  As you know,
>>         Radio Shack
>>         isn't doing very well. (That' where I bought my 1st PC)
>> 
>>         Erich
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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-- 
Keith Smith