Surfing in seconds: This screenshot is an example of what Splashtop users could see seconds after they turn on their computers. From here, they can choose to boot the original operating system, edit the settings for the software that initiates the operating system (the BIOS), or shut off the computer.
DeviceVM
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A Silicon Valley startup bypasses Windows to start computers faster, getting people online in seconds.
Many office workers have the same morning routine: turn on the computer, then grab coffee, catch up with coworkers, or look at paperwork while Windows boots up. Others save time, but waste energy, by keeping their machines on all the time.
Now Device VM, a startup based in Silicon Valley, has a product that circumvents the everlasting boot-up. The company has recently released a tiny piece of software that, when integrated with common computer hardware, gives users the option to boot either Windows or a faster, less-complex operating system called Splashtop. Depending on the hardware and Splashtop settings, a person using the software--which is based on the open-source operating system Linux--can start surfing the Web or watching a DVD in less than 20 seconds, and, in some cases, in less than five.
DeviceVM has formed partnerships with several hardware manufacturers, and Splashtop is already available on hardware from Asus, a manufacturer of motherboards, the main circuit boards inside computers. Within the next couple of months, desktops and laptops with Splashtop-enabled hardware will be available to consumers, says David Speiser, director of business development at DeviceVM.
Lengthy boot-ups on Windows machines occur for a number of reasons, explains Ben Chong, senior architect at DeviceVM. "First of all," he says, "Windows is pretty big." This means that it has megabytes of instructions to follow--from opening up applications to checking what's in memory. Most computers also come with extra software that Windows automatically loads at startup. "In many cases, Windows PC comes with a whole bunch of stuff you don't need," Chong says. "Starting all of the programs takes a lot of time." (Microsoft wasn't able to comment on Windows' startup times before this article went up.)
Hitting the power button on any computer loads software called the basic input-output system, or BIOS, which is often stored in flash memory. The BIOS checks for hardware drivers and sets up the operating system. Splashtop is embedded in the BIOS, so it starts before the operating system is up and running. The user sees a screen with a simple interface offering a handful of options, including launching the Firefox Web browser, a media player, Skype, or an instant-messaging program, or allowing Windows to boot. The applications are stored in a flash-memory chip on the motherboard, so they can be quickly accessed--even if the hard drive fails, Speiser notes.
DeviceVM is not alone in its effort to give people a way to bypass Windows. Phoenix Technologies, a company that develops BIOSes that run on many computers, recently announced a technology called HyperSpace, a lightweight operating system that launches at the same time Windows does. (DeviceVM is also developing a version of Splashtop that can boot alongside Windows.) HyperSpace is expected to be available in laptops in the second half of this year.
For its part, Intel is developing both hardware and software that will shorten boot times. "We see boot time as something in which there is room for improvement," says Steve Grobman, director of Intel's business-client architecture group. Intel is currently shipping Intel Turbo Memory, which boots Windows faster by caching data in flash memory instead of on the hard drive. It also consumes less power, which is a concern in mobile devices. Grobman says that Turbo Memory works in conjunction with software coming from Microsoft, called ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost.
Grobman adds that Splashtop also resembles the lightweight operating systems found on some mobile devices, which allow access to only a few applications at a time. "I think Splashtop's capability is the same concept, but it's making it a little bit more general purpose," since it works on desktop and laptop machines, Grobman says. "It's a positive development in that it's making the PC easier to use in certain circumstances."
A startup hopes to help computer users tune their machines.
Phoenix Technologies is pushing its pint-size OS as a complement to Windows.
my overloaded mac boots up in 20 seconds... and what's the use of this for a non tech guy, one has to replace the mother board... for me that's a total turn off. to me its usless.
>and what's the use of this for a non tech guy
let's say this hypothetical non tech guy just wants to run skype and browse the web, instead of booting into a full OS, he just turns on the computer and is running his desired task within a few seconds. The advantage is in its simplicity. I gave my grandparents a computer last year, and it has been a chore to get them up to speed. a lightweight OS that distills the UI down to an absolute minimum is both needed and appreciated. Also, instead of needing an SSD or a hard drive, this thing runs of of embedded flash, further simplyfying the PC.
As for replacing your motherboard, don't (especially since you're running a mac, and apple has no part in this). If this innovation isn't for you, that's ok.
The fact is that we will be seeing embedded flash on most all motherboards in the near future, so it is simple, cheap, and easy to give users a choice between a quick and elegant embedded OS or a full blown windows/*nix/etc. install. Give them the option, and the market will sort out the rest.
Using existing hardware to achieve the same goals that we wish to achieve using solid state drives.
Now can we read/write to the hardisk?
Who has a slow windows bootup?
What are people doing to their Windows machines making them take anymore than a minute to boot? My Vista machines both boot in under a minute. Chances are, anyone who would be interested in this Instant Boot-Up VM from this company would also have a well maintained speedy Windows boot.
I wouldn't doubt if this startup goes under.
Re: Who has a slow windows bootup?
Granted, my VisDoz box gets to the login screen in record time, that's not the point.
VisDoz out-of-the-box will even get to the UI fairly well, but after you install things to actually do something productive, (web server, database, OneCare) e.t.c, then go get some java (no pun intended).
My XP and Vista laptops seldom require reboot. I hibernate by tapping the powerbutton and have them in their bag before they finish shutting down. Restarting is basically the time it takes to read the RAM image from the disk and renegotiate encryption keys with the wireless lan.... far, far too little time to go fetch a cup of coffee.
Note however, all my PCs use OneCare to weekly clean and groom themselves while I sleep. They will reboot themselves for upgrades, etc. but I don't see that. I also use OneCare to clean out all the useless startup programs from 3rd party add-ons that PC mfgrs are paid by these 3rd parties to stick in... that is the trash that clogs up Windows.
BUT! ...I want to see more of these "micro OSes". They are moving in the right direction. What I REALLY want is all my software on a thumb drive and all PCs reduced to HDTVs with wireless keyboards. Then I'd walk up to any TV and plug in my thumbdrive, have totally MY personal environment, leaving no permanent info of mine on the PC/TV, AND NOT HAVE TO TRUST ANYTHING but the firmware burned in at the factory and certified to be secure. THAT is the instant boot I want!
Patent that before someone steals it. (one flaw, there are huge security holes that could be opened.) Also, what runs the computer? Is the OS embedded in your mini-drive, or is the computer already running?
The huge advantage to this that I could see would be in education. Once schools start to convert over to electronic textbooks, school work could be done on any school computer instantly. And wouldn't even need to bring the PC with you. There is also file shareing capability here. The class all just plugs into one PC and share their ideas.
Interesting concept either way. I could go for it
Thanks for the endorsement and the suggestion I should patent the idea... I hereby declare that the idea is public (GPL) and cannot be patented.
I am not interested in starting ANOTHER war over standards for this concept.... frankly, the idea is trivial in this case; the difficult part is establishing a consensus on compatible standards. We do NOT need a repeat of the Unix/Linux wars.... I know, one way to prevent such wars is to use patents to establish monopolies to enforce a de-facto standard, but I guess I'm just not ego-driven enough to be the next Bill Gates. :-)
As to your question of what OS actually runs on the device... What I want is a standardized boot OS, basically a stripped down BIOS, resident in the firmware of all (most?) HDTVs which would recognize the insertion of the thumb drive and boot the OS from there. The standard BIOS should include the necessary drivers for the hardware unique to the given TV, presenting to the OS on the thumb drive a standardized interface for whatever hardware is installed (WiFi, screen, tuner, remote control, printer, etc.) The OS on the thumb drive could be selected by the customer, but will run on the "virtual machine" created by the firmware bios described above.
These thumb-based OSes could be heavy duty like Vista, or minimalist like Tiny Linix.... All permanent storage would be on the thumb drive itself, possible auxiliary external drives, or network drives. The later two would be encrypted to ensure security.
The TV would include no writable storage other than RAM and the BIOS must be certified to clear RAM when the thumb drive is removed.
This is all quite feasible, and as a security engineer involved in platform certification, I can ensure you that national standards of trust could be associated with such a system and evaluation criteria established, allowing the development of a hierarchy of "trusted" platforms into which the customer could choose to plug his/her identity drive, selecting platform on the basis of the level of risk the user is willing to take based upon what is on his/her "thumb".
Please correspond if you are interested in more information or know of how best to promote such a model of personal computing.
So now I can check my mail etc...have the machine up in a working state and then go get my coffee when I could actually be doing something. And let me see.....I can turn then machine off so that the company policy of installing updates during those hours can not occur (not to mention the disk defragmentation). I can see the logic....More time to make it look like your working when your not.
The idea of he who occupies the hard drive owns the computer has always annoyed me. And I never was fully relaxed installing a boot manager like Lilo or Grub or using MS NT boot loader. I have always thought that "little OS" in the boot ROM needed to be upgraded. It hasn't changed since the DOS days. To put a multi-OS boot manager in the ROM is a big step toward more open computing. Accommodating other OS's puts certain companies on notice to really improve their product. It is not just about faster startup times, it's also about how a computer's resources are utilized. The if it ain't broke, don't fix it paradigm is being replaced by yeah it works but we can do it better.
Faster boot up should not be dependent on how well a user sets up and maintains their machine. I like the idea of putting web and email in the BIOS. It's less complicated than wading through the OS. Splashtop looks good from here, very encouraging.
Guest (jpdemers)
With the OS not even running, would you be pretty much safe from viruses while surfing and opening your e-mail?
hey jpdemers, I have the same questions. The program is in ROM (read only), that part is bullet-proof, but it has access to user files and saved settings. Can a virus still effect my user files or settings? I also use live-CD Linux, same situation. Like to be clear.
The solution is a solid state hard drive, eliminating both the hard drive (over glorified phonograph) and RAM.
The computer will always be on, and rebooting will be used only to debug or add hardware.
u cannot use SSDs as RAM they simply arent fast enough. also SSDs have a limited number of times that which they can be written to. this eliminates the possibility of using SSDs for RAM even if they were fast enough. moreover, there would not be a danger from a windows virus but an OS specific virus is still a danger.
i dont think this OS will be as capable in the business place at the article hints. Probably more useful for the same stuff you would check on your cell phone. For example you just need to check something online quickly but dont want to wait to boot your computer.
I also don't see this as a HUGE development. I don't think this has very much ability to grow to grow to compete with "normal" OS's. The next major step in instant-on in my opinion is in the memory. I have heard rumors of "plastic memory", like the magnetic strip on a credit card which will allow all your data to essentially be saved as if your computer just went into stand-by. Just press a key and keep going.
To be honest i dont get it , why boot? , hibernate and yer done , today system's are contantly saving energy in all sort of manner's. I sometime's dont reboot for month's ,as my system comes out of hibernate state in less then 10 second's. Im browsing or even calling on skype in less time i would need just to dial the numbers up on a regular phone. And not to forget that most tri/quad cores with the right amount of ram runnin windows 7 boot in under 20 seconds let that alone , i honestly dont get why poeple are so concerned over a boot time from under a minute , grab a coffee wash your face or kiss your wife goodmorning more ofthen, im sure she can apreciate that. And if you dont have a wife , there is always a dog or cat nearby looking for a kuddle. For those unfortunate who dont share such social company , it might be time you concider spending more time trying to boot up your
social life under 1 min.
Nothing personal though if you realy need your 10 seconds boot who am i to judge anyone.
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rlindsl
30 Comments
NOW!
What a wonderful world it would be if you could be checking your E-mail while Windows flounders out of bed like a hung-over drunkard struggling to its feet and then announcing this amazing accomplishment with a bit of Fanfare (that stupid noise it makes, God I hate that!)minutes afer the process was invoked. Honest to frick I would pay to have an all RAM OS if I could have it NOW. The catch to this story is that there is no way in hell I will ever be able to be surfing the net before staggering willie (played by John Hodges) arrives full force because I have a wireless conection to "manage". Well on the next 2.5 grand investment maybe I'll have that.
Reply
rdvandell
12 Comments
Re: NOW!
Perhaps if Redmond had designed a real O/S seperate from the UI... like...uh...what's that called again? (Woah, a chair just flew by my window.)
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gjcoram
10 Comments
Re: NOW!
> Honest to frick I would pay to have an all RAM OS
> if I could have it NOW.
I have one: it's in my HP Jornada 820 from 1999. Runs WindowsCE from flash, so it's instant-on. Slightly cramped keyboard (it's a "handheld" not a "pocket" pc), but multi-hour run time.
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