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USB-Powered Linux Server Fits in Your Pocket
McSpew writes "A small company from Utah (no, not that one) has announced the BlackDog USB-powered Linux server. It includes a fingerprint reader, a 400MHz PowerPC, 64MB of DRAM and 256MB or 512MB of flash and it runs Debian. The host PC sees it as a CD-ROM drive."
Is that a BlackDog 400Mhz USB-powered Linux server with 64Mb DRAM and 512Mb of flash in your pocket or are you just really really really happy to see me...
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
It does co-star Darl's old IKON buddy and "Haloween memo" author Mike Anderer. There must be SCO IP in that, burn it. Oh, nevermind their "server" (you call THAT a server) just melted down anyway.
but I doubt it has a use in the "real" world besides chick-magnet
No, I don't think it will work for that, either.
No, since none or nearly none BIOS versions can boot from a USB storage device. It's used to boot a PC in server configuration, using the Debian on the USB device. No OS are needed on the machine which it is plugged in, so there is no OS suposed to be running an able to mount it.
Really, how useful is this? If you need something really secure, why not make a Live CD or memory stick linux that require authentication from a the USB dongle in the form of a password or biometrics? Most PCs are much more powerful then this is, and can provide much more function.
Welcome to the Entropy Bar, may I take your order?
"It includes a fingerprint reader, a 400MHz PowerPC, 64MB of DRAM and 256MB or 512MB of flash and it runs Debian..."
Umm.. server.. what the hell can you serve up running with these specs? Seriously, what practical applications could be run with this now-a-days, or more the relavent question, in the coming future?
Do what I say, cuz I said it.
-Meatwad
There's always the Linksys NSLU-2 with ethernet for $80, just add a usb drive.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
Their rep at Linux World said they were working with one of the mini HD vendors (I really can't remember which) and the vendor kept dragging their feet on when the drives would be available. They wanted to be able to launch the thing pronto they they released the flash based version and put off the HD version. There is a MMC card slot so you can expand the 512 with a gig card. The HD one should be out sometime soon though.
Tim Smith - Ramblings from Nerd Land
The perfect "barbie" filter if you will. 8)
--
"we live in a post-ideological world..." - Billy Bragg.
Realm Systems has secured an additional $9 million dollars in funding on July 7, 2005.
The paper SEC filing, describing the new funding has been secured by penguinistas, and is available at : Debt and bridge financing
$7.5 MM came from a single unnamed individual.
Frank Artale, an ex-M$FT VP for NT, was appointed chairman of the board of Realm in January, 2005 , when Realm had secured a previous $8 million dollar investment.
Frank Artale and Michael Anderer's stories first become entertwined over Entirenet. Entirenet is a Redmond and Bellevue, Washington based Windows documentation company. Anderer served as nominal CEO of Entirenet in the 2001- 2003 timeframe. Artale, then serving as Veritas VP for Windows had purchased Entirenet for Veritas in March 2001 for an undisclosed ammount.
Anderer, acting as CEO of Entirenet, announced the acquisition of the South Carolina M$FT training firm, HunterStone, in November, 2002.
Artale had left Veritas by March 2003 when his next venture "Consera Software" was announced. Consera had venture funding provided by Ignition Partners, a Seattle venture outfit staffed with a prominent group of ex-M$FT VP's, including Cameron Myhrvold. Myhrvold has especially close ties to Artale.
Anderer left Entirenet about this time.
Frank Artale has continued to work with Ignition Partners. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Rendition Networks in Sept 2004, as part of a $6 million dollar Ignition investment. Rendition was quickly sold in Dec, 2004.
Other Artale ventures include Therion, sold in May 2005. He has recently added to the Kenai Software board in July 2005 Kenai's executives, e.g. David Mock and Byrren Yates (CFO) overlap Realm's executives and public investors. Artale is considered an expert on the profitable exit sale of start ups. Other Frank Artale endeavors include advisory roles at Zenprise, Centrify, Accel Partners, and formerly a board position at Level 8.
Michael Anderer's continuing relationship with the Seattle-area venture capital organized by highly placed ex-M$FT VP's indicates his reputation has survived the Halloween memo release.
Everyone TOTALLY got it backwards. You are supposed to go to www.sco.com, NOT realm systems!!!
Interestingly enough, there is a SCO connection to this story.
You may remember the famous Halloween 10 memo from Mike Anderer to two SCO execs where Anderer indicates that SCO's big $50M dollar investment came via backchannels thanks to Microsoft and that SCO should go to MS for more money?
Well, it seems that the very same Mike Anderer is is CTO of Realm Systems makers of this device.
Which could mean that she's not a geek, or that she has a PhD in compiler design and resents being condescended at by someone who assumes they know more than she does (even with geeks, the nuances of interpersonal communication matter), or that she's a Lisp/Python hacker who thinks that static typing is irrelevant but doesn't feel like getting into an argument about it.
Besides which, the assumption that women who like geeks must be geeks on the same level is not necessarily true. Nor is it necessary; the ability to have post-coital conversations about kernel optimisations is somewhat overrated.