macadavy; But web boot would be the equivilent of Knoppix's DVD (1.6GB).
The the boot site would nave virtually all of the apps for Linux & Wine.
The user can still run their own apps. from USB or HD, & keep data of course.
This frees most all of the users from ever having to maintain an OS !!!
Puppy's easy to use, sure...
However, like WinBlows it's still way beyond most folks abilities.
Besides... a PC with no HD or CD & a modem is all that's needed, no OS $$$.
A HD & CD-DVD costs ~ $100 (US), a big chunk of the $$$ for the PC.
gabev; I haven't had any time to follow up on gpxe... please keep us informed!
If your trying to do something with it (Puppy?), let us know & I'll help if I can.
Thoughts on a web boot Linux. No download, install, etc.
Good points, sunburnt. We're talking a minimalist thin client, very affordable! Just found this one: http://www.koolu.com/
Koolu's kewl!
Koolu's kewl!
[i]Welcome to my weird, wild, wonderful, wired world![/i]
Puppy web boot
Sunburnt, like Gabev I have been away from this webboot/Lanpuppy topic for a while, but I am always kicking it around. You and I have talked a few times and I have tried one of your lanpuppys. As I mentioned last year, I think a doable lan boot is a proxy web boot via Open WRT router (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenWrt).
I have a Linksys WRTSL54GS router running an open wrt linux firmware. It has DNSMASQ for DHCP that supports PXE with a tftp server. This router/server has a USB HD plugged into it and is running always.
My commandline skills are fairly pedestrian compared to some of the things you are doing, but I know that it would be possibly to create a "Puppy router" using this method. I can see web based server or a mesh that can push puppy version updates to the router, that would then in turn be LAN booted by the thin client attached to the Router.
It seems as though a lot of the problems discussed here have been with getting the kernel from a distant internet server. I know Damn Small Linux and slax had a boot option where you enter a password on booting and your settings from a 5Mb webspace are restored. I imagine you would TFTP the boot files from the router, then if you are on a different network, like your office or home, you enter your password, your settings are delivered and your media files and docs are accessed remotely on the web. Regarding concepts on storing the bulk of your personal files, It seems like one of the new "unlimited storage" concepts is Wuala, which is almost a P2P bit torrent like approach to web backups and subversions.
I haven't reviewed my notes recently so I am sure I have missed something here, but let me know what you think. I live out west as you do, drop me a line, so we can talk. I'm ready to put this to the test or flush it out of my memory banks.
I have a Linksys WRTSL54GS router running an open wrt linux firmware. It has DNSMASQ for DHCP that supports PXE with a tftp server. This router/server has a USB HD plugged into it and is running always.
My commandline skills are fairly pedestrian compared to some of the things you are doing, but I know that it would be possibly to create a "Puppy router" using this method. I can see web based server or a mesh that can push puppy version updates to the router, that would then in turn be LAN booted by the thin client attached to the Router.
It seems as though a lot of the problems discussed here have been with getting the kernel from a distant internet server. I know Damn Small Linux and slax had a boot option where you enter a password on booting and your settings from a 5Mb webspace are restored. I imagine you would TFTP the boot files from the router, then if you are on a different network, like your office or home, you enter your password, your settings are delivered and your media files and docs are accessed remotely on the web. Regarding concepts on storing the bulk of your personal files, It seems like one of the new "unlimited storage" concepts is Wuala, which is almost a P2P bit torrent like approach to web backups and subversions.
I haven't reviewed my notes recently so I am sure I have missed something here, but let me know what you think. I live out west as you do, drop me a line, so we can talk. I'm ready to put this to the test or flush it out of my memory banks.
Asus embeds firefox, linux, wifi on motherboard
Check out this story about Asus new high end motherboard that has a firefox preboot linux enviroment that allows you to be in the web in 15 seconds without accessing your HD.
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9795472-2.html
And here is Wal Mart's G-PC that comes with linux and Mac looking icons that launch you into Google web apps.
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9807133-2.html
The tone of these articles and video makes it sound like GPXE type linux enviroments are going to be big in 2008.
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9795472-2.html
And here is Wal Mart's G-PC that comes with linux and Mac looking icons that launch you into Google web apps.
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9807133-2.html
The tone of these articles and video makes it sound like GPXE type linux enviroments are going to be big in 2008.