I used slimserver on a linux box from a 770 with the custom 770-specific skin and it worked great. No problems using it with N800 either aside from some very small visual glitches with the 'now playing' screen (the progress bar causes some issues) but it's otherwise nice. I can use the web interface to control any streaming client that connects to the slimserver (be that the 800 itself, or my media PC or one of the real Slim Devices boxes (Squeezbox I think they're called).

Another alternative, my universal remote control (Philips Pronto 3000) died so I cobbled together various pieces of hardware/software I already had and turned the 800 into an effective universal remote. The system consists of Girder (www.promixis.com) software on my dedicated WinXP HTPC, a piece of hardware called an Ocelot from ADI that transmits IR signals based on Girder inputs (there are also alternatives that are cheaper), and a Xantech IR distribution box which distributes IR to all the various AV equipment.

Using Girder's web API I built a bunch of pages using JPGs and imagemaps and some ajax (to prevent per-button page refresh) and I can control all TVs, TiVos, audio equipment etc, and also pretty much all software on the HTPC including various media players, software DVD players...

In the end it's a very flexible system but requires a lot of configuration and tinkering initially, and it's not super-cheap. However, considering a color Pronto universal remote is $600+ (and you can't surf the web, stream music to it, etc.) this is a pretty awesome use for the N800.

A few drawbacks are the limited number of physical buttons on the 800 and the difficulties with auto-repeating commands (holding down a button on a web page is intercepted by the OS as a 'right-click' right now). But I'm working around those or getting used to it, and it's now my primary home theater remote.

Wouldn't Flash apps work as a better alternative to a web page for an interface? Of course, Flash is a lot more effort to develop than HTML.

There's definitely no reason why you couldn't use Flash since it's just operating against a very basic web service, but the only benefit I can think of would be a slick animated look and feel. Did you have other reasons in mind?

I'd be concerned about potential performance issues, and I'm ultimately interested in a streamlined functional experience when surfing TV or looking to play some music, so animations and other delays between pages of controls would hinder usability. There's probably a happy medium there somewhere though. For now I'm very happy with full-color but static button pages.

Yeah I was messing about with Slimserver last night and it works really well on the N800 using the N770 theme but I could not for the life of me get it to play any music on the linux box. It was playing but there was absolutly no sound comming out....

I'll have to have a look at installing it on another box tonight maybe ill have more luck then.