Asus to Embed Linux on ALL it’s motherboards
Instant-on computers are a dream for many PC enthusiasts and Geeks alike. We’ve always wanted the convenience of pushing the on button, sitting down then being able to use our favorite program (which in most cases will be a browser) without having to wait for 30 seconds (if you’re lucky) to 3 minutes for our computer to boot.
Asus is set to add this capability to their line of motherboards with a project called Express Gate which will embed a lightweight, instant-on version of Linux called Splashtop. Sounds exciting? You bet it is.
Splashtop is (as described by DeviceVM, the company that will embed the OS) a “secured web-surfing environment” embedded on motherboards so that it can be booted almost instantly, compared to a full installed operating system. The idea first appeared on high-end Asus motherboards in October 2007 and has since been put onto the more mainstream M3 series and now, Asus intends to extend it to their entire product line.
At the moment, only four of the new motherboards is set to carry Splashtop/Express Gate:
- the P5Q Deluxe
- P5Q-WS
- P5Q3 Deluxe
- P5Q-E.
Asus and DeviceVM hopes to have proliferate the technology throughout all it’s products by the end of the year. No word if you’ll be able to add this feature to your current motherboard but I’m hoping ASUS will open up that option.
Splashtop includes a Firefox-derived browser and Skype.
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