The problem is that space in data centers is expensive. If you can cram 280 700MHz Pentium servers in one cabinet, that's a lot of savings in rental. In my mind, the problem it's a solution for is distributed computing. The backplane they run on seems to be quite wide. I have had a number of problems in the past where a correct solution is just to throw a lot of separate computing power at it. A solution like this could have come in handy. One of the solutions at the time was 30 4-CPU Sun E440Rs, each of which was 5U high, so that's a bunch of space (1.25U/CPU as opposed to 0.2U/CPU).

My grudge against Compaq lies in their awful non-server class products (laptops to desktops) and in the fact that they bought DEC/Digital and let it languish, to name just a few. Also, I once worked for a company that they invested in. They were going to sell us servers at a discount. When asked about installing Solaris (I think -- could have been Linux) on them, they responded by stating that it would void the hardware warranty. We ended up paying ``full'' price somewhere else, but were forced to use their lousy (read ``break-every-week'') laptops in public-facing arenas. (Only to have officials at those venues force us to cover the logos later on.) In addition, many of them broke in exactly the same way and, since they determined that it was a design defect, they refused to repair them under warranty.

The job hunt is going awfully. Thanks for asking!