In the ongoing struggle with this, what does anyone think about using a thin client as a music server?

I have seen one account from a few years back of using an HP. They have two secure usb slots apparently in the inside of the box. What the writer did was run the OS off one and use the other for storage.

You can get the t5740, which is an Atom based device, for under £100, used of course. And you can also get the t5545 for around £35. That has a via Eden 1G processor and less memory and flash storage.

I am thinking about the cheaper one, which should surely be fast enough for this, and why not install slitaz, which is a tiny very fast gui distro, put in X11 forwarding (dunno if its possible to do this to android but we can try), one smallish usb stick for the OS, or even use the existing flash (its a DOM). Slitaz is so tiny it will fit in 1G easily, and then buy another huge stick for the music? Which would have the great advantage of making the music iteself super portable.

I think both are fanless - the 5545 definitely is. Then install one of the server packages people here have posted about.

What do you all think? Its cheap and it would be an interesting project, its low power, and.... its fanless... and no hard drives to worry about. I guess its a bit like the plug computers some people use but a bit bigger physically.

I guess the risk is that one might show up in the pub one of these Thursdays carrying a small black box and wearing a distressed puzzled expression having failed to make it work, and entreating someone who knows what they are doing to help!

Al