Everyone Needs a Personal Server

An anonymous reader writes "Intel Labs is prototyping a potentially revolutionary new 'personal server'. The tiny device -- smaller than a PDA -- comprises a hard disk, BlueTooth, a Web-DAV enabled HTTP daemon, and other technologies enabling the user to access and modify their files from any enabled PC within their "Personal Area Network." In theory, this would allow the worker to access their own data -- essentially to have their own PC -- at any suitable workstation as long as the personal server were nearby. This article at LinuxDevices.com provides background on the personal server concept, explains how the device will enable a truly mobile experience, discusses the basic technologies involved, and provides an architectural block diagram of the prototype, which is based on an XScale Processor running at 400MHz running an embedded Linux OS."

Comments

Chances are...

[cubal]

that if the designers had any sense they'd put OS level stuff in ROM -- there'd be no hax0ring that baby :)

Ack! Beat me to it...

[militantbob]

I've long envisioned something similar. At least in intent.

For a couple of years now, I've thought it would be neat to have a card or keychain attachment or something similarly small/portable, to store all of a person's files. Pictures, documents, etc..

Then I had another idea. What about having their *settings* stored as well? Their choice of options for various programs, or even the OS itself. Envision this for a moment: Windows 2007 or Slackware 12 having built-in or addable functions to read one of these cards/devices... and modify things like keymap, GUI color scheme, accessibility features...

Or even having programs themselves. So that any computer running the appropriate OS (and in this case, an OS could be a barebones software-hardware interface layer, meaning it could even be a *generic* OS) could load up the personalized settings, options, client programs, and personal files of anyone who popped in their card.

Once memory technologies can handle it, I think it would be very neat (as well as useful!) for computers to change dramatically ... so that there is the hardware platform. On top of that is a generic device-driver layer. The OS, ANY OS, would be contained on your own card (or other device), to be plugged into a port on the machine. Your OS, your configuration, your software, your files... on any computer you sit down at.

Crazy. But just in case anyone tries to DO this... consider this post to be my prior art evidence, and prepare to pay royalties. Because this could be a powerful and profitable concept.