What does a Web server actually do? It sends pages and graphics when they're requested and lets users post pages and graphics. Simple, huh?
If you see Web servers in these terms, there's no need for a keyboard, or a screen, or a floppy drive, or a CD-ROM, or a grown-up operating system. Throw all these things away and you end up with the WebBox. It's the size of a cigar box, has no moving parts, and costs a fraction of the price of a traditional Web server.
The box features a power light, network port, and two serial ports. There isn't even a hard disk - instead, OS and server software are preinstalled in ROM, with files stored in flash memory.
This has several advantages: getting data out of flash memory is much faster than retrieving it from a hard disk. It also reduces power consumption. If there's a power break, it's back online in seconds. A flick of the write-protect switch card saves sites from modification.
The WebBox is fast, equivalent to a 100-MHz Pentium-based PC. It may not be for everyone - you couldn't run Yahoo! off it, for example - but for modest Web serving, it proves that small is beautiful.
WebBox: US$1,200. Webtronics Inc.: +1 (415) 553 8001, on the Web at www.tnx.com/.
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