You must log in or register to comment.
This kind of reminds of the BlackDog: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackDog
It was a small computer that easily fit in a pocket and only had a single USB port. That was connected to a computer which powered it, and it connected as a virtual CD-ROM drive.
On that was an xming X11 server. The BlackDog ran your applications outputted through it. The applications it ran could also access the Internet through the host computer.
Let’s help Dora find which layer of abstraction the error is coming from!
Layer 8, next question.
So, they are kind of like Linux Live USB sticks with persistant storage?
Doesn’t that work with just a big USB stick? I’ve definitely plopped a Linux HD in a new computer and had it work with almost no changes (fstab and maybe adding graphics card support).
Tbh, that’s pretty much what it looks like, the only “innovation “ there appears to be also glueing vmware on top.
Yes. I used to use Knoppix. It was cutting edge for the time. Similar in concept to immutable distros today that allow you have some mutable data storage.
Kinds reminds me of digimon,megaman and other old digital/cyber focused cartoons, everyone kinda had their own custom os that they went around plugging into public computers. Getting passed down your fathers customized os sounds hilarious.
Wouldn’t it be kind of insecure to be plugging your private data into public places?
In theory, the publicly available terminals could very well have their own system under the hood, wired into the hardware, just so they can run some keylogging or recording of everything that goes through the peripherals, including the screen, without the plugged OS being able to know, right?
The bad guys in those shows/games could have hijacked the terminals so they can take remote control of the inputs when an OS is inserted and wreak havoc. Dr. Wily could have messed with some terminals so that when Megaman saves its progress on them parts of his brain are saved with different data, so when it’s restored you’ll get a different/evil Megaman.
I think thats what megaman was in one of the cartoons, they would send him in to fight viruses
But in there the virus and Megaman was part of the same software system/universe. What I’m arguing is that it would have been possible to set up 2 separate systems/universes, one is the one where Megaman is plugged, and the other one is one that has read/write access to all inputs/outputs of the first, without the first being able to detect that in any way.
So… Megaman would be sent to the first and see no problem (or worse, see enemies that aren’t real to keep him distracted) while the other alternate OS would have no Megaman in it, but still it would be able to analyze all Megaman is doing in the first system/universe (sort of like in Matrix), and possibly even transmit/translate his actions in a modified way so that it serves a different purpose.
You would have your own personal antivirus/virus ai that battles others to get stronger, if you lose they get your data lol
But it’s not something the plugged OS can do anything about, because the malware is not running on it. It’s an attack that uses hardware, you can’t use antivirus against that, you’d need a person to physically manipulate the circuitry in the keyboard/monitor or whatever peripheral that is being manipulated.
The “advantage” compared to a simple Linux USB is that it saves the exact state of the VM I guess.
Meh, I’d rather open the applications I need again (or let my DE restore them) than running a VM just for that reason.
I was more thinking if it kept evolving it would be like dex but you actually have access to pc hardware when connected to a pc, not just desktop ui when connected to a monitor.
How can DE restore application?
I’m not sure how KDE does it but on X11 it had some form of session restore https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/plasma-desktop/kcontrol/kcmsmserver/index.html
I definitely read "soul"pad and got scifi level delusional
Reminds me of Tails OS tbh
There was a hacker news post at some point of someone achieving the same result with Ventoy.
I have bootable arch usb but there’s a problem with bios/uefi compatibility
I used to have (or maybe I still have somewhere?) something similar but relying not on a VM running on host but booting from USB. I’m not sure which assumption is more realistic, that you will be able to access boot menu or that there will be particular brand of virtualization available on the system you’ll be running on
EDIT: I think there also was a distribution with something like this in mind. Like the image of OS was compressed, after GRUB it was decompressed to RAM from which it was really running and there was some way to “updated” the image on USB
I have been trying to actually do something like this using portable virtual box on a usb along with appimages.
Ah knoppix… That takes me back. Think I still have a cd with it around here somewhere.
While others already pointed out the similarity to persistent LiveUSB, I would argue that this also feels a bit like Android desktop modes, like Samsung Dex.
reminds me of Andromium. I thought that was a neat idea, but never tried it. The last time I played with gnome mobile on a pinephone, it seemed to be getting to a point where it could probably be used for something like this. It adjusted to whatever size screen it was running on. It also looked nice on the pinetab, but really need better hardware.
Yeah it sounds closer to dex, where you cary around the os, but it fits any hardware in the ideal world for it, letting you use your pc anywhere with varying specs and an automatically adjusting frontend based on the hardware. For those that dont use dex it gives you a desktop mode when you plug you phone into a monitor and attach a keyboard and mouse. Android may be adding some kind of desktop linux mode in the future.
The soulpad way youd carry around an ssd that you plugin to whatever hardware you’re using, im imagining by 2025 itd be either more bricky phones that also function as your computerdrive or ppl would still have small phones plus a wallet sized ssd. Prob a fashion accesory wearable if it actually was a thing lol
But RAM and CPU will be used from Mobile in dex? While in live usb I can use any RAM and CPU?
You’re right, in practice tho itd work like dex having your own customized environment with all your files and software, except itd use whatever hardware its plugged into, imo if it had become common phones would be the hardware its usually using and encased in, plugging in to a computer would give you dex mode, hence working like dex (but not hardware wise when in desktop mode)
Kinda like external gpus when they were popular with slim and thin laptops hardwarewise going from laptop to desktop in the same environmennt.
Would be cool for android to have a desktop mode that uses the hardware its plugged into, let you boot from your phone like a live usb (I think thats what live usbs are)
