How Linux Works

Smaller Designs

Once upon a time, if you wanted a PC, your options were limited to large machines. Because interchangeable parts were so important to build the PC as a commodity, manufacturers were reluctant to design anything smaller because the form factor would change and be incompatible with everything on the market. Very small Unix machines were on the market, such as the Sun SPARCstation IPC and IPX, but they were expensive.

This is changing. Increased demand from consumers, small dimensional standards taken largely from notebook computers, and special applications have created a market for a new class of machines. Form factors such as Mini-ITX are now on the market. They aren't the fastest computers around, and they aren't overly expandable, ...