Thinkpads Forum

Seems Phoenix is touting a new work environment outside of Windows (they call it Hyperspace) where you can run web browsers, email and chat, media players, etc. without ever loading Windows.

Lenovo is missing the boat on this one - I've been saying for a couple year the the R&R workspace has the potential to be a comparable Windows replacement - it already has a web browser, file manager, etc. If they just add a few basic apps they can compete with Microsoft. For lots of people that is all they need - very few folks need to run enterprise class relational databases, but with Windows everyone has to load the handles and hooks for the few who do.

And if Lenovo (or Phoenix) really wanted to break out of the pack the next app to port into the workspace would be a Virtual Machine engine Then users could run Windows, Linux, OS2, or whatever in side by side windows within the R&R or Hyperspace workspace. How cool would that be?

Ed Gibbs

I'm not sure of the over-arching value of such a thing.

I have a machine in the basement that is old and slow, and runs XP Pro. No antivirus, no network support beyond basic wired, no spyware remover, no file-indexing, no Office, no .... whatever - just Windows, browser and email notifier. It starts in less than 30 seconds.

For the rest of it, I have full-function Windows machines that *do* take a while to start, but then I *want* what is being started. Then each machine has VMware (very inexpensive these days) and I do have other Windows and Linux machines that I can already run side by side.

So the only thing a new BIOS would provide is faster boot into something that has limited use for.

Still, if others would benefit, I am all for it. Thank you for the post.
... JDH

I guess I'm just dismayed at how complex Windows has gotten. Of course there are very good reasons for all that complexity, it does important stuff. But the fact remains that a high percentage of users never use more that a tiny fraction of the functions Windows is able to provide.

But the rest of it is still there, and not only does is slow down boot and hog resources, but it is a continuous source of expolits and holes, which require never ending updates.

I would think it was better to boot into something dirt simple, then load additional capability as needed - I would think that was more secure, efficient, etc. But I could be wrong - MS has lots of smart people and they have gone the 'tother way.

I've never heard of an exploit targeting the R&R environment. I do know there have been proof of concept tests of BIOS infectors, and Phoenix's Hyperspace would probably be vulnerable to that sort of thing. But AFIK they need to be targeted to a particular type and version of BIOS, which makes it hard to do mass infections with the scale of what Storm has done.

Ed Gibbs

Unfortunately, Microsoft succeeded at making everything less efficient with Vista. Sure it works well for my grandparents, but it requires pressing many more buttons to get to the same point.