Zhang Yao Sopka computer, self-starter USB drive and Pervasive computing

According to media reports,2005years AMonth -Day, in the office of Professor Zhang Yao of Tsinghua University, a computer is quiet and dignified, bulky mainframe is missing, replaced by a magazine-size box, neat and delicate shape does not affect it andPCthe function of the machine identical. This is the simplified form of thinness.PCMachine--Sopka computer.

Zhang Yao Theory: "The cost of this computer is only PC half of the machine, using it as easily as watching TV. ”。 Sopka computer's "thin" is embodied in: it is itself a bare metal, without any software, the computer needs to run the operating system software and application software can be downloaded from the server. And this kind of download is based on user requirements, only download a small number of instructions currently running on the computer, not the operating system and application all. Thus, the large memory required for traditional computers can be reduced,theCPU is reduced, and many additional parts are not needed.

as you know, this year 1 Month 9 Day, Zhang Yao and other people won the prize and Sopka computer has a close relationship, because, Sopka computer is so-called "Transparent computing" theory of important physical evidence. However, can the theory of "transparent computing" of Zhang Yao be extended and universally applicable? Not also. Why?

looking back on the past, -years7Month1Day, I am in the passage "self-bootingUThe history of the disk "in the article, it is not easy to run the program on bare metal, the program must be able to automatically identify the surrounding hardware environment, such as automatic configuration of the driver, that is, the program must have the ability to automatically identify the hardware.

probably in -years before and after, the GermansDebianon the basis of a distribution, calledKnoppix, invented the so-called "On-the-fly "technology to compress the operating system in a singleCDon the disc, the memory is read into the process of automatic decompression, thus,2GBthe capacity of the executable program can be placed in a single -moreMBon the disc. This way, you can start and run your computer as soon as you insert a disc without resorting to anything on your hard drive. Later, people put this stuff on "LiveCD "("LiveCD ").

about in2001years before and after the Americans in FranceMandrake(i.e.Mandrivathe predecessor), based on theKnoppixof "LiveCD-ROM "tradition continues to flourish, has made a very famous so far"PCLinuxOS "release version, you can start directly from the CD-ROM, run the computer. In the2006years to -year,Ubuntudebut, put the wholeUbuntuThe system made a "LiveCD-ROM ", you can start the computer directly from the CD-ROM drive, you can also install it on the hard disk and then run the computer, the function is very powerful, described as" alitily ". The operating system of this kind of installation, it is really magical, as if time back, and return to -the situation years ago. Later, asUSB2.0the appearance, in2006at the end of the year, FranceMandrivaThe company puts the operating systemUstart the computer directly on the disk, introducing the so-called "Liveflashkey "(Capacity for2GB), within two weeks,Tensuch a small thing, just a pin and empty. This "point in time" is the birth of Sopka computer.

in the -years4Month5Day,MandrivaThe company also launched4GBthe self-primingUdisk; -years6Month Acontinue to sell to the world8GBthe self-primingUdisk. From then on, globally,MandrivaThis self-priming is established.Uthe market position of the disk.

in fact, self-booting U disk on the bare can start the machine, is a universal computer. However, the Sopka computer does not start without the help of the server.

We say that the purpose of transparent computing is consistent with pervasive computing, the technology is not the world leader, the award is a bit "farfetched."

Shimen 3 Month 4 Day

Zhang Yao Sopka computer, self-starter USB drive and Pervasive computing