Booting an x86 Virtual Machine from an iPod

randomjohndoe writes "IBM has taken the next logical extension of booting Linux from a flash drive. Researchers were recently able to boot Knoppix from an iPod and run an x86 virtual machine in VMware, which provided an easy way to encrypt the whole operating environment. The tests were conducted on a 60GB iPod photo using Knoppix."

Comments

Eh...

[Sheetrock]

I mean, I don't want to say "so what" when someone comes up with something new that doesn't apply to my computing experience, but why can't encryption be built into the ACPI interface to the drive rather than having to jump through hoops like this.

The computer industry seems to be moving at different speeds. Today, for example, you can buy a 64-bit CPU that operates at 3gHz, 32-bit memory that operates at 400mHz, and a 128-bit graphics card with 300mHz RAMDAC. Nobody seems interested in designing a complete system in the PC industry -- instead all the "progress" is in optimizing or extending components and hoping they work when you throw them together.

For example, common computing principles show that your computer is only as fast as its slowest component at any given point -- if your memory takes seven clock cycles to perform a read and your CPU needs the results of that operation, it will sit for six cycles doing nothing. In essence, your CPU runs as fast as your memory, and in this case you are only getting 1/7 of your CPU when you use your system. If the memory people and the CPU people get together and work out a faster interface and memory access, everything works more efficiently.

We need to eliminate bottlenecks, and while this sounds like an interesting hack I wish more focus would be placed on making the entire platform secure.

doubly whammy

[pintomp3]

take one part linux and one part ipod, instant /. lovefest. i would make the analogy of combining food with sex, but that would be met with blank stares here.