:::Jerry:::: wrote:

iMac Mini looks quite promising for some of those things... again no
fans etc, dinky size, comes preloaded with Apache etc.


As long as you are happy with what you are given, hardware wise, AIUI even a
memory upgrade might mean a visit to a Apple-Mac dealer...

Actually, this month's Macworld has a delightfully uk.d-i-y-stylie
feature on opening up the Macmini, involving the use of two (for
comfort) filling/palette/scraping knives. Apparently, the Official Apple
Tech Note not only blesses this method of case cracking, but suggests
sharpening the blade with sandpaper!

(The two ploycarbonate(?) halves of the case snap together with no extra
fasteners, with moulded catches to hold the thing together. The trick is
thus to press the catches inwards enough to release them, without
cracking the plastick; and there are six on each side and four at the
front, or some such number. Doubtless an operation which an Apple-fixing
technician/enthusiast will quickly acquire, but which the owner of a
single Macmini will approach with some trepidation! The HD in these is a
laptop-style 2.5incher, so upping the internal storage is always going
to be pricier per-gig than for 3.5in desktop drives; external firewire
or USB2.0 drives might end up as a cheaper-and-simpler method. The
single RAM slot, of course, requires case opening to upgrade - and an
eBay sale or donation to another machine of the redundant, smaller RAM
module...)

Stefek