On 23 Apr 2004, at 15:12, Mark Tapley wrote:
> At 19:57 -0500 4/22/04, Sellam wrote:
>> The computer is now just
>> hardware, and soon enough, with cool technology like keychain
>> harddrives
>> or what not, you'll bring in your own OS and software tools and
>> modify the
>> hardware to your purposes, leaving it as it was for the next user.
>
> I think the NeXT Optical drives were intended to provide a
> functionality like this. Carry your own OD media around, stuff it into
> the NeXT you sit down at, and your entire (256Mbyte) environment is
> right there with you. (I'm not sure I have a reference to support
> this, though. Maybe NeXT sales materials? Anyone else?)
>
> Performance didn't live up to the rapidly moving HD performance of the
> day, and the idea got overtaken by network via ethernet. Sit down,
> telnet into your machine back home.
A recent variation on this theme is the 'Home on iPod' feature that
Apple were rumoured to add to MacOS X.
See
http://www.ipodhead.com/archive/000022.php for details and
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2002/02/08/netinfo.html for a
description of how to do a cut down version of it yourself.
Another possibility which is closer to the Optical drives is the
ability of any Mac with firewire to boot off a firewire disc (including
the iPod).
Cheers,
Brian.
--
Computer programmer: n. Red-eyed mumbling mammal capable of conversing
with inanimate objects.
Received on Fri Apr 23 2004 - 09:54:44 BST