
Asus to embed Linux into all motherboards - foemmel
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39418766,00.htm
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soundsop
An OS in ROM? The Amiga 500 memories come flooding back.

I guess Linux is stored in re-writable nonvolatile memory so that it can be
updated when the inevitable security bugs are found.

If I remember correctly, on the Amiga, you had to boot from floppy disk (not
everything was in ROM), and the ROM code was transferred from ROM to RAM and
any patches on the floppy disk were then applied.

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babul
The boards may even turn out to be useful in ways we cannot forsee yet. I for
one am already considering its uses in a PVR solution I am builing.

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babul
You have to remember not everyone is technically savvy and for the masses who
want 'instant-on' computing this will appeal.

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ComputerGuru
This is a stupid PR stunt. Linux is great and all (using it now), but
everything has its place. Just as it doesn't make sense to bundle 31 Cents ice
cream with all Nike shoes, it doesn't make sense to stuff Linux down all
motherboards. There's a time and a place for everything; and adding features
we don't need to products is just going to drive their price up, increase
their complexity (and vulnerability).

Oh, and the penguin inside me is screaming "Score another one for the good
guys!"

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SwellJoe
This article doesn't really make it clear, but I suspect (hope) they are
entirely replacing the old BIOS with Linux (see <http://www.coreboot.org/> ),
which means something far more important than merely having a micro-Linux
available "instantly". It also means that the BIOS boot time is reduced
dramatically. Going from zero to running a full OS (whether it's Windows or a
full-blown Linux) will be faster...possibly shaving minutes off of the boot
time (but usually only 30 seconds to a minute).

The closer to instant-on PCs become, the more likely people are to shut them
off when they walk away, which is great for the environment. It's also great
for HTPCs to allow them to be more like traditional DVD players and VCRs.

The micro-Linux is just a funny side effect of replacing the cranky old slow 2
stroke BIOS with a new jet engine. It's about damned time the BIOS gets an
overhaul, and since Linux already has most of the device detection and setup
that a motherboard needs (or can have it added with no more pain than the
BIOS, which have code bases that are reportedly extremely difficult to work
with) why not?

The article isn't very clear, however, so I can't be sure the old BIOS isn't
lurking beneath the surface just waiting for a "full boot" to kick in.

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wmf
Dream on. I have dealt with the BIOS world, and if it ain't _completely_
broken they won't touch it. They aren't even willing to adopt EFI.

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SwellJoe
I'm not sure I'm convinced of this, in the case of Asus (or Gigabyte or Intel,
who have sponsored some LinuxBIOS/Coreboot projects in the past). Asus, with
their Eee PC, are striking out into delightfully new territory, and an instant
on feature would be a pretty killer thing. Traditional BIOS makes that
impossible, because it's so damned slow and changing it is, as you note,
practically impossible.

But just because the BIOS software companies (who are, on the whole, separate
from the motherboard manufactures) don't want to rewrite their software, it
doesn't mean some motherboard manufacturer won't jump ship one day. In fact, I
would argue that it's inevitable, if the BIOS manufacturers don't get their
act together fast--people are beginning to expect a completely different
experience from their devices. The iPhone and similar devices are training
people that real computers can turn on instantly and be ready for work in
seconds. No reason PCs can't be similarly fast to boot.

