In my opinion, what is needed on both sides is DIALOG.  We have a lot to offer
each other, and the world.  Despite the whining of a few people on this list,
I believe the majority of geeks, tinkerers, developers and enthusiasts on this
list would love some direct, back and forth communication between ourselves
and your company.  

You've got great ideas:  a low-cost, low-profile, reliable consumer product
model that has the potential to give millions an inexpensive and relatively
headache-free portal to the internet.  (Better yet, you're not running Windows
CE...  heh).

We've got great ideas:  turn that thin client into a fully functional 
computer, for users who want more out of their unit, while still maintaining
the low cost, low-profile design, and reliability, and adding the vast
potential of cooperative, open-source development and support.

There's no good reason NOT to have some direct communication on the events of
the past week or two, and the potential future impact they could have.  What's
going on here is NOT an intrinsic threat to your business model.  We don't
want to kill your margin;  I'm sure you can see the inherent profit potential
in a bunch on enthusiastic geeks, hackers and bored engineers who have taken a
great interest not only in your product itself, but in improving it, testing
its limits, and expanding its target market.

I urge Netpliance to step forward and respond.  There is no harm to be had in
talking, and in my opinion, not doing so would represent in the loss of a
truly remarkable opportunity for both Netpliance and the geek community.

To those enthusiasts reading this list, I urge you to post your reponses here,
or forward them to me; if I begin receiving responses, I will create a section
on my site, http://www.evernex.com/iopener , specifically aimed at allowing
dialog-positive views to be expressed in an attempt to open up communication
with Netpliance.

" ... I agree - a dialog is what's needed here. Since any company's bottom line
has to be profits, I figured I'd throw this in, in the hopes that someone from
Netpliance reads it and that others agree with me. I'd be just as enthusiastic
about the I-Opener if it cost $200-$250. I still would have run out and bought
one, and probably would have bought another shortly thereafter. I'd rather keep
the hackability of the unit and pay more for buying it without the internet
service than have Netpliance shut me out by modifying the thing so I can't
tinker with it. The system is a bargain at twice its $99 price and still
considerably cheaper than a laptop (even a used one) of equivalent power, not
to mention that its form factor is better suited to things like car usage. I
see no reason why Netpliance can't keep the hacker crowd happy AND preserve
the integrity of their business model, as well as tapping an unforseen market.
It works for everybody."

"To someone commenting on Codeman's BBS that they didn't know whether
they wanted to help us out or wipe us out, (re: the mixed messages 
in the anti-hack message and the devcorner), I replied with:

> We're used to developing with an open source methodology; rapid
> turnaround is how we live and breathe. They're not.  We're
> individuals who can turn on a dime. They're a corporation that
> must appease various internal interests before deciding which
> way to go. Give them a chance to learn before you lambaste them.
>
> Again, to date, the only confirmed "mod" to the unit has been a
> faster CPU. Until NPLI gives me reason to believe otherwise, I'll
> continue to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I also posted in another thread:

> If they offered this unit free of ISP encumbrance at a price where
> they can make money - even though margins are slim on hardware - I'd
> still have bought one. The more I examine mine, the more I like it.

...and suggested future applications for future designs, like a Cobalt
Qube-like web-server-pliance, or a $100 add-on video camera that would
turn the unit into a $22/month video phone for Internet newbies.

I swore to limit myself to only one "NPLI policy post", but I'll
break that vow and "third" that call for discussion.

It's time for us to put down the gun and pick up the GNU.

Code, not lawyers, shall set us free."

   "I have now been in the paper and on tv with one of my iopeners.  The
paper seemed to want to put a sinister "hackers, bad hackers" spin.  The tv
was better.  They put in probably the best parts of my rambling. They
however had a teaser in the 10:00 news "CYBER WAR" Does anybody here know
about a war?  Anything apart from potting it wouldn't stop me from doing
something to improve it But I don't get the war thing.

   Does anyone here know of anybody with animosity towards Netpliance ...

[Editor's Note:  Yes, there is a good deal of whining on the mailing
list, and the precise reason I put up this page in an attempt to foster
dialog with NPLI is to counter that kind of stupidity.]

... or a "feindish desire" to modify their machines because they hate
netpliance and capitalism in general. (Prolly shouldn't have asked
that)  but all the Opensource (almost) people I know Just are into
modifying things.  And most seem to have no animosity toward anyone.
(Except for Linux charletons that are coming out of the woodwork to try to
cash in, and our friend bill for retarding computing for 20 years) We
finally have an os to make improvments to and it is taken out of context. 
Sit back and watch the advance in computing coming up in the next few years.

   I guess one either "gets" open Source, or they never will.

   Anyway, I tried to put the best spin on the modifications ("hack" is
much easier to type).  In the future, I will try to keep "Hack" out of
my vocabulary."

   "I've been waiting for quite some time for an Internet Appliance Kit. It's
great to finally see a non-PC computer solution. I believe that Netpliance
could sell their hardware at a profit, and make the Engineering community
happy with a low-cost design-your-own non-PC system. These things could be
the basis for many things from Information Kiosks to personal MP3 players."