What are the best Instant On OS options right now? Linux or Non Linux

crashnburn_in · 09-21-2011, 02:56 PM

What are the best Instant On OS options right now? Linux or Non Linux

Previous thread that was closed and I was asked to restart a new thread

My googling finds me some quick candidates:

Splashtop
Presto
xPud
Linpus Quick OS
Android (x86 port)

Any people with experiences on these?

PS: I like the Linpus Quick OS marketing video which shows instant on functionality with Internet/ Browser, Email Client & Calendar functionality.
youtube /watch?v=c0V_K0Ffl6Y

Quote:

Firstly, Linpus has now shortened boot-up time to 3 seconds totally independent of BIOS - Unlike many of its competitors Linpus’ fast boot solution is completely independent of the BIOS and doesn’t need any fine-tuning or involve any extra hardware costs to the manufacturer.

[Linpus News] New Linpus Quick OS gives you quick & easy access to Windows information

Quote:

Secondly, it has a number of applications to make it easier for you to access important Windows information in a hurry. PIM Sync and Folder Sync applications were created to help the sharing of key information between the two systems. In the case of PIM Sync, it copies your email and calendar information from Outlook and shows you a copy in QuickOS saving you valuable time in which you would be waiting for your device to start up. In the case of Folder Sync you can copy important files, music and videos from Windows to Linpus QuickOS.

Also I read somewhere that a certain Instant On OS could be functional in the foreground and BOOT Windows / other OS in the background and then relinquish/ switch to the main OS as/ when the user chooses.

This would be amazing.

H_TeXMeX_H · 09-21-2011, 04:01 PM

My experiences with splashtop are rather disappointing. It's quite useless, and even slow or laggy. It came with my new netbooks and I tried it out on one of them before installing Linux.

My question is: Why would I need this ? It's like a non-functional OS. The only thing you can really do with it is browse the web. I expected it to include at least skype, but it didn't, it's "only on certain models" ... and not mine. I just don't see any use at all for splashtop. It's just a feature they add and market, but that is not useful.

jefro · 09-21-2011, 05:56 PM

Last time I looked at that the OS was never really off. It was like Windows CE, an embedded run from rom based.

Windows CE may be one of the fastest I guess.

unSpawn · 09-21-2011, 06:11 PM

Got Splashtop branded as "ExpressGate" on an ASUS latop. Works OK, includes Firefox, Skype and wireless drivers. It boots in a few seconds and on shutdown allows you to start your "main" OS. As part of it is in the BIOS AFAIK you won't get the same "Instant On" with any alternative that doesn't hook into the BIOS.

H_TeXMeX_H · 09-22-2011, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

Got Splashtop branded as "ExpressGate" on an ASUS latop. Works OK, includes Firefox, Skype and wireless drivers. It boots in a few seconds and on shutdown allows you to start your "main" OS. As part of it is in the BIOS AFAIK you won't get the same "Instant On" with any alternative that doesn't hook into the BIOS.

That's true. From what I see on my ASUS netbook, there is an EFI partition near the end of the disk that should NOT be deleted. It allows for expressgate and boot booster features. I deleted it to see what would happen and those two options disappeared. I then re-created it in the exact same place and the BIOS options came back. So, yes it is somehow integrated into the BIOS, but it depends on this EFI partition, and wherever splashtop is installed, likely somewhere on the Window$ partition or on a separate embedded flash:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splashtop#Internals

It is not on the EFI partition, because it is only 16 MB in size.

crashnburn_in · 09-27-2011, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H

That's true. From what I see on my ASUS netbook, there is an EFI partition near the end of the disk that should NOT be deleted. It allows for expressgate and boot booster features. I deleted it to see what would happen and those two options disappeared. I then re-created it in the exact same place and the BIOS options came back. So, yes it is somehow integrated into the BIOS, but it depends on this EFI partition, and wherever splashtop is installed, likely somewhere on the Window$ partition or on a separate embedded flash:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splashtop#Internals

It is not on the EFI partition, because it is only 16 MB in size.

I am guessing and wondering if this will boot fast enough if I dont have such a BIOS. (I have a Thinkpad).

H_TeXMeX_H · 09-27-2011, 01:05 PM

It speeds it up by around 6 sec.

RockDoctor · 09-27-2011, 01:49 PM

Given my prior experience with Linpus (and the experiences of others as reported in the LQ forums and elsewhere) on the Acer Aspire One ZG5, I'll gladly sacrifice boot time for stability and extensibility. Fedora 16 (now in beta) gives me a login prompt about 17 sec into the boot process on my desktop PC. Fast enough for my purposes, but YMMV.