Likewise, the Cobalt RAQ gives Internet service providers a powerful but simple solution to help solve customers' problems. They're symbols of Silicon Valley's recent evolution. Now, this isn't a love letter to Cobalt, though I do admire the company's achievements. Cobalt is only one of several companies I could have picked to illustrate some trends. But the company and its products tell you a lot about the technology industry.
Servers are computers that dish out information to other computers.
You already know what appliances are, though if you've used personal computers for any length of time you're already snickering at the idea that a computer might ever be as easy to use or as reliable as the average kitchen appliance. In this genre of software, the programming instructions, or source code, are freely available for download and modification. Linux is an excellent operating system for a small server. But Linux is not easy to use for novices, which was an opportunity for Cobalt. The Qube was Cobalt's first product, but not the only one.