On 16 November 2013 10:05, Constantine A. Murenin <muren...@gmail.com> wrote: > > ...if you don't require solid GigE performance, and are looking > for just 100Mbps routing throughput for a home-router project, my > advice is to buy a netbook -- they go for 200 to 250 USD nowadays, > plus an external USB Gigabit Ethernet adapter is 10 to 20 USD. Most > cheap USB Ethernet adapters are supported nowadays, especially on > OpenBSD. > > With a netbook-based OpenBSD router, you'll have a complementary UPS, > plus a diagnostic display w/ keyboard (alas with no serial), plus a > fast SSD or HDD that's also included. And the price is the same as, > or even lower than, any of the alternatives that would not have any > such features. > > You really can't beat the value by going with a netbook, unless you do > require 4x 1Gbps, x2, which you aren't going to get with a 600MHz > Atom-based Soekris, either.
Do all netbooks nowadays allow clamshell operation though (i.e. running the thing at full throttle with the lid closed)? Because a long time ago, I used to own an Apple laptop (not a netbook, admittedly) that did NOT allow clamshell operation; it would unconditionally go to sleep when you closed the lid – and even though there were some published hacks to overrule Apple's choice and make it run with the lid closed and only the display off, this was deemed risky, because it wasn't clear if in that case heat-buildup under the display would become a (screen-melting) issue. I'm not claiming that that's a risk you'll run with netbooks these days; I genuinely don't know and I'm genuinely asking. --ropers