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Microsoft & SanDisk To Provide Desktop on Thumb Drive
Jesus Christ writes "An Information Week article reports that Microsoft is teaming up with SanDisk to provide users a complete image of their desktops in their pockets, allowing them access not only to their data...but also their applications and user interface setup while on the go. 'The companies plan to add a security layer to the offering using SanDisk's TrustedFlash security and digital rights management technology. The effort will elevate "simple flash storage to a whole new level of customer benefit," said Will Poole, corporate VP for Microsoft's Market Expansion Group. Microsoft also plans to seek out third party-hardware developers to support the initiative, the company said. As part of the plan, SanDisk will phase out its U3 technology, which adds some smart features to USB devices. Independent software developers that have created U3-compatible applications will be offered help migrating their products to the new technology, which has yet to be named.'"
Anybody ?
Funny, nowadays anything that has "trusted" in it seems to me like something I have to distrust...
We've done this on Linux, including supporting checkpointing the state (very quick, its under a second ignoring writeback time, which is a function of the device one wants to use) so one can migrate to a different machine where one can restart it.
a c2006_fordist.pdf
http://www.ncl.cs.columbia.edu/publications/comps
It looks to me like MS finally caught on to Portable Applications and BartPE bootable CDs or USB sticks.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
I don't know whether to cheer that the U3 flash drives are going away, or to tremble in fear of what these new ones will do.
I manage college computer labs, and those damn U3 drives have been a recurring hassle. They try to auto-install software on every Windows machine they come into contact with, and require two drive letters (which doesn't work so well in an environment where several key letters are already in use). When used on a Mac, they mount an extra pseudo CD on the desktop, loaded with software that's obviously (but not to many students) utterly useless. If this is in any way an extension or "improvement" upon that, then my job is about to get even harder.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Since they plan on doing something from scratch (from what I understand), how about defining open standards that could be used on any platform?
.xml files and keep it simple.
I know some things can't be cross-platforms (executables, etc), others can (wallpaper, keyboard, mouse, language, international, email and IM settings, etc).
Put everything in pure (i.e., non-"Microsoft-enhanced")
Seeing as Microsoft is part of this initiative, however, I predict that "cross-platform" will mean "Windows Vista and future versions of Windows".
It will not be a portable run-anywhere-on-x86-liveUSB like Knoppix or DSL. It will be another useless piece of shit.
'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
On the other hand, it's good to go all the way wiht the limitations of a machine/OS now and then! :)
Agreed.
But I'm not sure why my RSS reader needs to be skinnable, semitransparent, dockable to other windows, resident in my tray with an animated popup notification, with a media player widget built in, and hooking into task manager to change the process name to show the currently playing track, finally adding an extra button to every window next to minimize so that I can tweak its settings from anywhere.
For too many programmers out there test the limitations of an OS utterly needlessly.
And after you have dropped a large stack of punch cards, you will realize that the good old days SUCKed. In addition, the card reader was monster. ppl like to remenese about the GOOD OLD DAYS, with out realizing that it is all relative. I like today. Just because MS and other companies are issues, does not mean that things are that bad.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
"As part of the plan, SanDisk will phase out its U3 technology, which adds some smart features to USB devices."
Translation.
'Our U3 technology was crap, especially when compared to what was already out there' (see the other posts on this topic).
"Independent software developers that have created U3-compatible applications will be offered help migrating their products to the new technology, which has yet to be named..."
Translation.
'We're getting into bed with MS, who have a solid history of fucking-over third-party sw developers, and end-users, (the Zune episode springs to mind). So, eh, kiss your investment goodbye, suckers!
Meanwhile, go download the stand-alone versions of Firefox and Thunderbird if you want portability.
But if you're serious about your data, DO NOT mix the OS & application environment with user data on that key. My main PC has a separate partition for data on the disk. If the OS, (any one of them), gets screwed, no problem - reinstall. Data not affected...
and all of the other IT guys out there trying to secure workstations and networks...
Thanks SanDisk and Microsoft!
"Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
Needless to say, if anyone really used it, that would be a meaningful statement. Now, Joe User will think MS/SD is the ideal solution.
If Linux users want to be relevant, they need to court Joe User and not try to alienate him. They need to provide stuff he wants, like a huge ready to go software base he can get on his next trip to Costco/Best Buy/WalMart. Careful now, you scoff, and you'll be engaging in the exact behavior that turns Joe User off.
You want to take on MS, then take Joe User away from him. Apple was successful in pulling Artsy Fartsy Franky from MS, Linux needs Joe User.
But, if all this doesn't matter to you, then don't complain when MS does something and people like me let you know you had your chance. Win the war, adopt a strategy that will beat MS.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
"The companies plan to add a security layer to the offering using SanDisk's TrustedFlash security and digital rights management technology. The effort will elevate "simple flash storage to a whole new level of customer benefit"
The first thing Microsoft cares about in this endeaver is DRM?
And this is going to provide "a whole new level of customer benefit"?
I don't think so.
If Microsoft wants to make USB useful, let Windows XP and Vista be booted off it...(Yes, I know somebody has finally made this possible but success seems to be limited.)
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
Problem: USB drives are widespread, standardized, and allow users of many competing platforms such as Mac and Linux to exchange data freely with Windows boxes.
Solution: this thing.
Viper is the preferred editor of the Emacs operating system.