Date: 21 Sep 1998 20:40:00 +0200 From: dag-erli@ifi.uio.no (Dag-Erling C. =?iso-8859-1?Q?Sm=F8rgrav?= ) To: chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Network Computers Message-ID: <xzpr9x52ttr.fsf@skejdbrimir.ifi.uio.no> In-Reply-To: Sean Eric Fagan's message of "Mon, 21 Sep 1998 11:23:17 -0700 (PDT)" References: Sean Eric Fagan's message of "Mon, 21 Sep 1998 10:23:20 -0700 (PDT)" <199809211823.LAA22069@kithrup.com>
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Sean Eric Fagan <sef@kithrup.com> writes: > > Umm, exactly how long did you say you've you been using Unix? I can > > think of a bunch of different ways to achieve that with plain ol' Unix > > workstations. Slap KDE on top and you're on your way. > Then you are remarkably ignorant and have never actually tried it. The first part of that sentence is open to debate. The second is mostly correct. > Automated upgrades are *hard*. And no unix at this point is set up > for them to be done. Yes, it's hard. No, no currently available Unix is set up to do them. But I don't think it's impossible, especially if you're working under the assumption that the user isn't allowed to touch anything. 'make world' can be construed as a small step in the direction of automated upgrades... A halfway solution might be a workstation connected to application and data servers, where applications and shared (non-user-modifiable) data are cached locally. Every time you request a remote file, the system queries the server for an MD5 or similar checksum and compares it to a locally stored checksum of the cached copy. (this almost sounds like Coda FS...) In any case, I don't see the point of an NC as a separate platform. As far as I am aware, everything an NC is supposed to do can be implemented in software on existing platforms using existing operating systems (possibly with hacked kernels). The pretty blue (or black, or whatever) box and the cool name are just marketing fads. "FreeBSD workstation running custom software for automatic upgrades" doesn't sound as cool in a TV ad as "International Gizmos, Inc.'s hot new Network Computer" DES -- Dag-Erling Smørgrav - dag-erli@ifi.uio.no To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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