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Thin Client Handhelds For Multiple OSs

c0d3po3t writes "An article on CNet tells us that two Singapore programmers have developed a system to allow one handheld operating system to run any application - Windows or Linux. Sounds like a good idea, but will their idea of network emulation be solid?" I can't really see the use for this except environments where your handheld has network access (the system is network based) and you have multiple legacy systems to deal with. It just doesn't sit right beyond the gee-whiz factor for me.

9 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by phaze3000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What a great and original idea.

    --
    Blaming GW Bush for the Iraq war is like blaming Ronald McDonald for the poor quality of food.
  2. Dodgy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
    It was all sounding fine up until the point where they claimed that you didn't need to contact the server until you needed to save the file or whatever.

    As far as I can see, this would mean that they claim their system can run Word on the PDA from the server, and you can edit the document, etc, on the PDA without any network use, then the software catches the save action to save the file on the server. I.e., the code must be running on the PDA not the server, otherwise there would be network traffic.

    So their software is a full Windows emulation, Unix emulation, and apparently "Atari OS" emulation.

    Do you believe this?

    When high-resolution PDAs (640x480) come out, then this kind of software might be useful (i.e., VNC or a similar solution). X Windows already does this network stuff for you, so in that respect it is another case of "Hello wheel, nice to see you again".

  3. Re:First Post by Col.+Klink+(retired) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Except that the wireless frequencies interfere with lots of sensitive medical equipment and need to be turned off in a hospital...

    --

    -- Don't Tase me, bro!

  4. Like VNC by peterdaly · · Score: 3, Insightful

    " The secret? The heavy lifting is done on an MXI-based server that runs the actual applications and sends a stream of data back to the MXI client software residing on the handheld. "

    Wow, they reinvented VNC. Cool huh? How did the dnet folks find this one? (yes, that is sarcasm.)

    -Pete

  5. Re:Windows & Linux. by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This will provably get flamed down, but I can't resist playing devil's advocate.

    They'll stick with M$ as long as they have to wade through piles of documentation on how to use the one that keeps running and running in order to actually use it...

    --

    People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
  6. Re:impressive by mccalli · · Score: 2, Insightful
    this will allow people to replace Windows clients with more cost-effective Linux ones....And no matter how you look at it, that's a win.

    What if you look at it from Bill Gate's point of view...?

    Cheers,
    Ian

  7. Re:Windows & Linux. by scrytch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They never will switch as long as the idiots who decide what to buy continue to fall victim to both their own stupidity (why not listen to your tech staff?) and M$'s flashy marketing and salesdroids.

    Or as long as they continue to see a culture around Linux that takes every opportunity to insult and abuse them. See, I don't even care if you're right if you can't talk to me like a civilized intelligent human being.

    ... When I hear the words "linux culture" I reach for my revolver ...

    --
    I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
  8. Re:Wireless blackouts? by morcheeba · · Score: 2, Insightful

    > But even that has blackout points in the house, where construction or atmospheric conditions make it impossible to get a solid signal

    Your house is so big that it has its own atmospheric conditions?? Like, if it's raining in the living room, you can always move to the family room where it's still sunny?

  9. I doubt it is anything more than a high-tech gadge by rector · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I doubt that at the present technological level this system can be of any use except owning a high-tech gadget. Simple applications like primitive text editors (wordpad etc) will work fine. But a palm-based (or Win CE -based) editor is anyway more convenient on a small screen. More demanding applications like editing embedded objects in MS Word (that is pictures, math formulae etc.) can be slow even on a desktop. And running such an application effectively on a handheld (otherwise how will you edit a document offline? It is claimed to be possible in the article.) should be at least terribly slow if possible at all.