Personally, I'm going to use one of them for a sort of NAS box for my backups. The only network access will be via SSH, with key access only, and a "command=" target in the authorized_keys file so that it you can only backup to it and restore files from it -- but not destroy data. Always nice to have a dedicated backup server in case your system gets hacked.
I was going to use a RasPi, but I/O was too slow as it had to shove both the Ethernet and Disk through the same USB controller.
The other thing I'm using these things for (at least the RasPis) is a temporary fix for when someone's computer is busted -- it gets them back online with access to most of their daily routine, while I'm taking time to repair the PC. The BBB might have a bit more performance, so I might add that to the mix too.
Thanks, without your comment I wouldn't have thought to put this on the top of the possible-guts list for a similar project I've been hoping to get to. I was thinking of a little NAS back-up box going out in the back-yard, buried and protected in some nice groundwater-safe enclosure. For a sort of pseudo-off-site backup.
Throw a USB wifi module on it, and permanently mount it in your car. Then, at night, when it is in range of your home network, have it rsync your backups to it from a primary backup server. I'm sure that the board itself is low power enough that it won't run down your car battery overnight, not sure about a USB hard drive though (or just configure the drive to auto spin down when not in use).
I was going to use a RasPi, but I/O was too slow as it had to shove both the Ethernet and Disk through the same USB controller.
The other thing I'm using these things for (at least the RasPis) is a temporary fix for when someone's computer is busted -- it gets them back online with access to most of their daily routine, while I'm taking time to repair the PC. The BBB might have a bit more performance, so I might add that to the mix too.