Uma notícia muito boa,divulgada na geek.com.br. Reproduzo abaixo.

Nova versão do SplahTop Linux será embutido em placas-mãe de PCs corporativos

I just read an article on the BBC about what appears to be an ‘instant-on’ OS called Splashtop developed by DeviceVM, which allows users to use instant messaging programs or browse the internet seconds after switching on their computer.  DeviceVM is apparently working on bringing more of the internet to the user instantly, including web-based search.

Which seems quite similar to what Google are trying to achieve with their new Chrome OS, again based around the web.  The fundamental problem I have with the new OS from Google is their assumption that everyone wants have their computer as an integrated part of the web.

I don’t.  I like to browse the internet, but everything I need is catered for with Mozilla’s Firefox.  Complying with as many web standards as other browsers (look up ‘Acid Test 3′ if you’re interested), and infinitely customisable with a huge range of add-ons, Firefox, and a couple of other programs (the Windows Live package, for example), can do everything I would ever want the web to do.

Another flaw, I think, is that with cloud-computing, such as that which Google seems to be wanting to use, has a reduced level of security when compared to the traditional approach.  If all of your private data is relayed to a central server, then no matter what kind of encryption is used, it’s bound to be less secure than if the data never leaves your hard-drive.

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And just another little thing…

The article previously mentioned, says;

“A lot of people use search as a basic navigation tool.  Instead of typing in Facebook.com in the address bar, users are typing it into the search box.”

Which may be true, but I don’t think it’s necessarily an indication that people want to use search engines for everything.  The reason I say this is mainly Internet Explorer-based along with the design of a few of the popular homepages out there (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.).  With the still increasing popularity of the internet, there are people who couldn’t show you an address bar if it was performing a dance in front of them (my parents, for example) and it just so happens that the search box is positioned closer to the middle of the screen than the address bar, so they use that instead.

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I think we’ll call that the end of my little rant on web-based-computing.

Join me again soon when I’ll be getting all het up over Apple products, including the iPhone and Macs.

Jim Zemlin o Director Executivo da Linux Foundation refere no seu Blogue que já não é preciso  declarar o ano do Linux.

“Tendo passado a semana na Computex onde são mostradas todas as coisas que as pessoas irão encontrar no BestBuy e Amazon daqui a 6 meses, torna-se claro que o Linux tem um papel muito importante nos Desktops. “

“Instant On”

Tal como preveu o ano passado o Linux virá até nos Portáteis com o Windows Vista e Windows 7 graças a tecnologias como Fastboot da Phoenix,  Splashtop da DeviceVM ou a Presto da Xandros.

Zemlin Justifica a necessidade destas tecnologias devido ao facto dos consumidores estarem fartos de esperar minutos para que o Windows arranque quando querem  apenas consultar o email ou navegar na Internet – qualquer destas tecnologias o possibilitam em menos de 5 segundos usando um sistema Linux embebido na própria  placa mãe.

Ler entrada no blogue

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Em contrapartida este senhor que aparentemente esteve também na mesma computex  continua à procura dos famosos Netbooks com Linux e processadores ARM. Desconfio eu que seja um erro de ASP da página da PCMAG.com

Why Hyperspace

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I bought a new motherboard and CPU fairly recently. I always buy ASUS. I love them. They’ve never let me down. And they have great prices and above and beyond features. This new thing they’re doing, though, that they call the “Asus Express Gate” is just kinda weird. 

A little research will inform you that the re-branded Asus Express Gate is in fact just a reconfigured Splashtop Linux. This software is designed to load fast. And I mean, like, blazing fast. Within 5 seconds of pressing the power button on your computer, it loads a teeny tiny mini operating system that grants instant access to the Internet and some files on your PC. In addition to that, a plethora of mini flash games are available in all different genres. 

So what is the purpose of this? I’m not really sure. In a video ad they played it off like it was something that you could do while in a hurry. Like “oh, my computer is off, I’m running out the door, and need to check my email”. Does that happen to you often? I, for one, always have my computer on or in a fast load standby.

Personally the only thing I’ve found use for in this little software feature is the mini-games. Hell yeah. I played Black Jack for like an hour once. Once. To me the whole thing just seems like a big gimmick that Asus implemented to give them a shiny mysterious feature no-one else has. In theory it sounds cool, but if you’re anything like me you’ll probably find it completely worthless in practice.

Splashtop,by DeviceVM inicia un ordenador portátil en sólo unos segundos.Su sitio web, explica:

Splashtop está preinstalado en el disco duro o en la memoria Flash a bordo de los nuevos ordenadores y placas base de sus fabricantes. Splashtop es una única solución de software que no requiere ningún hardware adicional. Un pequeño componente de Splashtop está integrado en el BIOS de la PC que es la parte que se ejecuta tan pronto como se pulsa el botón de encendido.

Dentro de Splashtop, usted tiene la opción de ejecutar una de sus aplicaciones, tales como Splashtop Web Browser, o arrancando el sistema operativo. Splashtop es compatible con cualquier sistema operativo, incluyendo Windows y Linux.

Splashtop tiene capacidades de red similar a lo que usted encontrará en otros sistemas operativos. Puede conectarse a redes Wi-Fi, LAN, xDSL y cable. WEP, WPA y WPA2 son compatibles.

Splashtop está preinstalado en los ordenadores portátiles de ASUS, VoodooPC y Lenovo, y sobre todas las placas base de ASUS.

Visite www.splashtop.com para seguir de cerca su progreso.Mientras tanto, esperamos ver más noticias acerca de cómo Linux está ganando la batalla por los tiempos de inicio rápidos.

Source | Linux Today

With Presto, users have a quicker access to the Internet and their Windows files

At the Demo conference today, Xandros announced Presto, a downloadable software for Windows Vista and XP that enables new and existing laptops and PCs to boot up in 10 seconds or less.

Presto is a variant of Linux that boots quicker and which comes pre-installed with the Firefox browser, Skype, RealPlayer and even allows users to access data stored in the laptop’s Windows folders.

More applications will be available through Xandros’ Application Store like Google’s Picasa or Adobe’s Acrobat.

From always-on to instant-on

To build Presto, Xandros leveraged its technical expertise gained in creating the platform for the ASUS Eee PC and its experience with Windows to provide seamless access to Windows folders and files.

And unlike rivals like DeviceVM’s Splashtop, Dell’s Latitude ON, Phoenix Technologies’ HyperSpace, IntervalZero, or Corel’s InstantON, Presto doesn’t require a special BIOS or chipset, or any additional hardware upgrade to work.

Moreover, Presto connects to networks over WiFi, 3G, xDSL, LAN and cable.

A beta version will be available from Xandros’ web site on March 16. The full version will be on sale for $19.95 on April 13.

PreOS, quickOS, PreCloud? MEH.

Someone coin a term for this trend of mini-Operating Systems concentrated around a web browser, and generally integrated into motherboards. (e.g. Splashtop)

jkOnTheRun is reporting on the news that Phoenix Technologies is jumping on the Instant-On bandwagon. This is a growing trend to put lightweight platform software on notebook and netbook computers , so that you can get work done on the fly without having to wait for a system to go through a whole, lengthy boot cycle. Until now, these features have primarily consisted of Linux-based operating systems that allow you to jump into an instant messenger, Skype or other applications without waiting for a full system start. Now, it looks like the trend may spread out.

I’ve written about SplashTop’s instant-on software and its growing use on netbook systems before.  SplashTop employees a small-footprint Linux operating system that lets you instantly get web access via a browser, and run applications such as Skype without having to wait for your system to boot. It’s been a hit with many users of the Asus netbooks and other portable machines that it ships on. Lenovo also recently announced that it will include SplashTop on its IdeaPad S10e netbooks.

The entry of Phoenix Technologies into this space could deliver instant-on features to many more models of portable computers, though. Phoenix has provided BIOS solutions for computers of many kinds for decades. Its HyperSpace environment is similar to the Linux-based equivalents for Instant On features, but Phoenix is not playing in the Linux and open source spaces. Instead, the company is working with Opera to combine a fast-loading version of HyperSpace with Opera, so that portable computer users can jump right into web-based applications.

“The solution developed as a result of this partnership will enable consumers to access the Internet and begin browsing the Web, conduct secure transactions or read and send email within seconds of turning on a HyperSpace-enabled PC without having to wait for Windows to boot,” says the announcement.

This actually turns out to be more useful than it sounds at first. How many times, when your laptop is off and you’re about to leave for a trip, have you wished you could check something on the web, such as a weather report? Windows users are especially familiar with long, frustrating boot times. I expect that with Phoenix entering the race, we’ll see Instant-On arrive on many more portable computers than we’re seeing it on now. If you’re in the market for a new machine, it’s worth trying before you buy.

It looks like Splashtop — the instant-on, quickboot Linux OS that’s been cropping up on a smattering of motherboards and PCs lately — is headed onto a smaller platform. The company announced today that it’s going to be loading up Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10e netbook with a healthy dose of the software — dubbed “Quick Start” — allowing you to get to that all-important YouTube video faster than previously thought possible. This marks the first time Splashtop is making its way to a netbook, and we expect it will be shipping on all new models, though the company hasn’t been explicit about that. We’ll keep our fingers crossed, and let you know if we hear otherwise.

source: Engadget

Microsoft (M$) is playing catch up. Ars Technica reports that Microsoft is following Google’s (long, long) lead in putting part of their Office Suite online. This is all part of the trend of cloud computing.

Here’s another trend: Computers embedded with a second operating system like Splashtop that allows users to use critical tools (like a Web browser) almost instantaneously. One netbook that I am eyeing, the Lenovo S10, is getting Splashtop. Implication? Users can create content more quickly!

Imagine being able to twitter your thoughts, upload photos to Flickr, and edit a wiki as you are working on something authentic and in real time. Now that is something that could engage both teachers and learners!

One of the things that I think is going to change very soon is the ability of a computer to switch on and be able to do things in a few seconds.

My new Asus motherboard comes equipped with a system which Asus call Expressgate … but usually goes by the name of Splashtop. It is from a company called DeviceVM.

Innovations like this are very exciting and I am sure this and other developments over the next few years will make big changes in the way we use our computers.

I recorded the following short video with my camera – it is me switching on my computer, then clicking on Expressgate, followed by a couple of web pages and then clicking on the shutdown button. The video from my camera is not that good but it gives a good idea of the speed that the web pages come up and also the speed that the computer shuts down.

Computers starting as fast as your TV?

Maybe it is going to be sooner than we think …

S

The operating system may be losing its luster. In fact, you could argue that the operating system–Linux, OS X and Windows–will become an application that just happens to boot first. And hardware vendors are on to the OS’s diminishing importance.
Let’s connect a few dots:
• On Tuesday, Dell rolled out a new line of laptops and one of the best features was the ability to get your email, contacts, calendar and other items without booting the operating system, a process that can take awhile (at least on my system).
• On Thursday, Intel talked up software that can wake a system out of sleep mode to take a PC phone call. It’s probably a security disaster waiting to happen, but it’s handy for PC calls via the Internet.
The common thread: These efforts from Dell and Intel are arguably taking away some of the tasks that the operating system would normally do. My working theory: The OS is being slowly downplayed as hardware vendors and Web developers grab more control over the user experience. The OS will never be totally irrelevant, but it will be increasingly less important. It’ll be plumbing. Simply put, the OS is being squeezed between hardware vendors that are cooking up their own applications to handle key tasks and the so-called Webtop, which will deliver programs through the browser.

read more | digg story

Este modelo tiene Splashtop. Voodoo llama a esta versión de Splashtop, el Voodoo IOS, el cual te permite navegar le internet en 15 segundos. Observen el video a continuación para que lo vean en acción. El navegador es Firefox el cual incluso tiene flash integrado.

Fuente | Laptop

Om mensen wat meer te motiveren hun pc uit te zetten en energie te sparen heeft Asus het “spashtop” concept uitgedokterd.

How does it work?

Op het moederbord zit een geheugenchip met een gestript besturingsysteem. Hiermee is het mogelijk om de computer te starten en binnen enkele seconden op het internet te kunnen met firefox, skype, …  Dus zonder eerst lang te moeten wachten om de windows op te starten.

Mij lijkt het een leuke oplossing om “the best of both worlds” te combineren.

Het volledige artikel kan je hier lezen.

Hot on the heels of Asus announcing its Eee PC 1000, Dell has got in on the act by announcing its own UPMC. This is the beginning of the end of the traditional laptop. Nobody really needs desktop specs in a mobile device, what they need is portability. Asus has had the market to itself for a while (the HP 2133 is expensive and looks terrible so I ignore it) but now, finally a worthy opponent has arrived.

The Dell looks nice, very very nice. Maybe it is my penchant for all things ultramobile but this is what I have always wanted. A PC with a flash drive from which I can access the internet and occasionally use Word and Excel.

This has implications for Microsoft and Apple. The former has to decide whether it is going to develop a UMPC specific OS. It already has XP of course, the simple option would be to declare it the Microsoft UMPC OS and keep supporting it. Alternatively they could just acquire Splashtop.

This is not great news for Apple either. With the MacBook Air they have plumped for thin and expensive rather than small and cheap. Good design has allowed them to pursue this strategy in the past but others are now wising up to that idea. They need to get the shrunken MacBook out there. Fast.

La empresa ASUS ha lanzado al mercado nuevos modelos  de placas madre que tienen integrado un escritorio linux sencillo realizado por la compañia DeviceVM llamado Splashtop, que incluye un navegador web que arranca sin tener que instalar nada. Lo comercializa con el nombre ASUS Express Gate, y anuncia la posibilidad de navegar por Internet en 5 segundos sin tener que arrancar Windows.
Por ahora sólo se encuentra disponible para algunos modelos un tanto caros (la placa madre que todos quisiéramos tener). La idea de tener un pequeño linux en la bios promete y no es nueva, dada la versatilidad ya conocida por todos de este sistema (se ha instalado linux en todo tipo de dispositivos, incluso en las nuevas playstation).

Fuente: JVare Blog

]]> http://jvare.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/linux-splashtop-integrado-en-placas-base-asus/ Sat, 17 May 2008 00:32:07 +0000 jvare http://jvare.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/linux-splashtop-integrado-en-placas-base-asus/ http://danicasati.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/un-sistema-operativo-en-la-bios/ Fri, 16 May 2008 16:31:03 +0000 Danilo Casati http://danicasati.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/un-sistema-operativo-en-la-bios/