I LOVE the idea to reuse old hardware for a small, cheap, silent and energy saving server! This is true recycling!!
But the limitation to one floppy disk is a major disadvantage:
-Bootup takes ages!
-Each time the developers want to improve something they have to rechew the whole project, which takes very long and often they have to throw something else overboard
-A floppy is not a very reliable medium.
-Many things are missing through lack of space (ISA-network adaptors, DMA)
-Several versions have to be maintained: MBit, GBit, USB, CD
The USB-version is a step, but unfortunately older mainboards can not boot from USB.
And the CD version needs a CD-rom AND a floppy drive, two hardware components needed only for bootup, a waste of energy and space.
Suggestion: A HD-version. NASLite resides on disk 1 in its own partition, the remainder of the drive is for storage.
Why not?!? Changing disk1 affords manual care for its content anyway, so we also can take care of NASLite in that case. And I would happily accept that disk1 is no more a pure storage disk! I am not swapping disks between my numerous NASLite servers every day
The advantages:
-Only one version to maintain!
-Enough space for all features (Mbit, GBit, DMA, USB, ISA, configuration facilities, future improvements)
-Fast bootup
What would be needed: a small installer which can boot from anything which is booteable (Floppy/CD/USB/Zip...), and can partition and format the HD. It installs NASLite from anywhere (more floppies, USB, CD, Zip) to its own partition on disk1. The configuration data is saved there too, perhaps with backup possibility.
Possible enhancement: USB, ZIP and DOC (Disk on Chip) could also be accepted as destination. That would conserve the puristic idea to separate NASLite and storage as far as possible.
Only user which have none of them available (or booteable) would use the HD "compromise", and they would be happy that they can use it better than now.
How about a poll?