ASUS bringing Splashtop instant-on OS to all its motherboards

We've seen the Splashtop instant-on OS demoed on ASUS gear in the past, and now it looks like the company is making the love official: it's going to start shipping it on all its motherboards. ASUS is calling the platform "Express Gate," but it's the same instant-on, ready-to-browse environment we've known about since October: an embedded Linux distro that runs Firefox and Skype off a memory chip linked directly to the BIOS. You might want to hit that link and check out the screenshots, actually -- with ASUS set to ship over a million mobos a month with the feature, chances are it'll be on a machine near you relatively soon.

[Shadowise @ May 15th 2008 6:04AM]

Nothing but good news, even if you don't plan on using it. It's a very handy feature to have.

[matt @ May 15th 2008 6:08AM]

put on some diagnostic gear and partition magic and you have a VERY usefull system!

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ May 15th 2008 7:19AM]

Well, if they didn't stripped anything from usual Linux install - it would have already some bunch of useful tools which can help repair Window.

To put FireFox on mobo they would need lots of stuff anyway: X server alone is pretty heavy. Chances are that most of Linux admin tools are there too. (*)

That would help some Windows folks who have to keep Linux Live-CD at hand anyway. Windows recovery tools found on installation CD/DVD are pretty miserable and mostly useless.

(*) And nothing stops ASUS making another step forward and adding their own mobo/BIOS related tools to the mix.

[Ryan Trevisol @ May 15th 2008 8:08AM]

Ihar makes good points. Having it built into the mobo prevents you from having to FIND the live cd when you need it, too. :)

I wonder how fast this is; wouldn't it make sense for Apple to think about moving certain parts of their OS to an extremely fast memory chip like this?

Then again, with SSD's coming down in price, this sort of thing wouldn't make much sense.

[Klaas @ May 15th 2008 6:28AM]

Very nice, I wonder how far they can take this... Instant-on Ubuntu...? OSX...Vista...?

[tom @ May 15th 2008 8:42AM]

Vista will never be instant on..EVER. PERIOD!

It is very questionable will its fate will end like XP by 2010, where people demanding vista instead.

[ph @ May 15th 2008 6:58AM]

So here is what will happen... SplashTop will get update facilities so it can download packages from an ASUS repository. OpenOffice, Gimp, games, etc. A 4/8/16/32GB flash drive to store these apps and data. Then, we'll start to see it offered on cheap notebooks and domestic PCs without any other operating system. The EEE proved that Linux is not a barrier to sales, but actually an asset.

Having SplashTop on the motherboard turns ASUS's motherboards into complete systems, and adds significant value.

There's a good chance SplashTop will become the most widely-used Linux distribution, eventually and ASUS will become the leading Linux system vendor, competing mostly with Apple, squeezing Windows between them.

Smart moves, all round.

[453 @ May 15th 2008 7:05AM]

That view seems very optimistic, but I'd love to see it happen. It's a great idea, and like Matt said a diagnostic edge could be awesome.

[j_g_puff @ May 15th 2008 7:28AM]

There certainly is a good market for cheap machines with light OSs only, but I don't think that's the way the mass market will go. The great thing about this idea is that you dual boot - either to a quick, fast mode for surfing, or to a fully featured Windows or Linux mode when you can run more exotic programs (like games, compilers, office suites or matlab). This functionality hasn't really existed until now, at least not for the mass market.

I've long been fraustrated at having to wait 70 or 80 seconds for my computer to boot when I want to watch a DVD, but I'm reticent to try and streamline the boot (or change distro) because i'd loose functionality. With these boards, you get the best of both worlds.

[emailtabs @ May 15th 2008 7:53AM]

@J G Puff

I like the way you slipped matlab in there!.

[j_g_puff @ May 15th 2008 8:04AM]

tabs:

I like to slip into matlab as often as possible. It's my hero.

[giuliop @ May 15th 2008 10:41AM]

You know, that might just happen.

As soon as people realise they don't have to boot a bloated OS to do the basic stuff, they might just find themselves using SplashTop more and more and the "main" OS almost never. So people may actually be offered an "OSless" PC, and given the option to install a "full-fledged" only if they need it; and guess what, most people actually don't need it.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is that SplashTop should be very easy to access - dare I say, even the default OS to boot; no "you have 3 seconds to press F2", because that way people might never realise they do have a working OS already on their motherboard.

[prateek @ May 15th 2008 7:16AM]

skype..whats the point..does your pc take 30 mins to boot..rather have some disk util or anti-virus of sorts

[MARSHAK @ May 15th 2008 8:45AM]

i think they did skype because of people who just want the instant on stuff. like 'oh crap i forget to tell this IM friend about x time for x event' just as you're rushing out the door. in such a situation a 2 minute boot time is hell. but i kinda agree. skype? i'd prefer gaim.

[Nicolas @ May 15th 2008 7:26AM]

yeah... very useful, you may destroy your OS or hard drive, and you will still be able to use internet and see engadget =)

[giuliop @ May 15th 2008 10:30AM]

Which makes me wonder, can the Splashtop "disk" be changed in any way and thus destroyed itself? Or is it read off a ROM chip?

[YoYoYo @ May 15th 2008 7:45AM]

Now if only they'd give us a date for the notebook/laptop rollout. Already preordered a PC900, and there's reports it may or may not have it - What's the answer? Likewise, should I hold off on buying a real laptop and wait for this?

Who turns their main desktop/server/everything else box at their house off? Where this is really beneficial is on a laptop. Can't believe there's not a single one listed on the Splashtop site yet.

[Spawn Xe @ May 15th 2008 7:46AM]

woah.. this is freaking awesome!.. if this comes with basic apps and diagnostic tools, then this is any enthusiasts wet dream!.

How many of us during a week want to just boot up briefly to check the web or email.. ??.. I, like many others gamers, have a behemoth of a machine under my desk that takes about 2-3 mins to load fully (its vista 64 and full of porn.. so it aint bad!). Its such a waste of electricity and time to just check email.

the inclusion of skype is quite smart tho, it will bring it a bit closer to telephone's simplicity of "pick up and dial".. now it could just be "switch on and click"

[dawuss @ May 15th 2008 7:46AM]

The least I expect from this is that whenever my OS goes to crap, I can call ASUS support using Skype, who will point me to a URL I can visit using Firefox that will magically restore my system and make me coffee.

I am concerned about how they intend to keep the ROM up to date. We don't want any vulnerabilities in the provided versions of Firefox and Skype.

Apart from that, I would love to see a version of this with sshd for servers :)

[ryback @ May 15th 2008 7:58AM]

Hopefully this will mean better driver support for Linux!

[Homeboy @ May 15th 2008 8:22AM]

Who needs instant-on OS when you can hibernate? I always hibernate my laptop so when I power it up Vista loads in just a few seconds.

[Neoprimal @ May 15th 2008 8:36AM]

Powering up instantly is great...but the BEST thing about this is if your hard disk has crashed or your OS is messed up and you don't have another machine to work on - you can still go online and look up information, etc. etc. etc.

I think the instant power on is more of a benefit for people that don't like to, or have problems hibernating or sleeping their systems - or prefer a total power off state. Turn on - check your webmail, turn off.

It's good in every way. I hope somday Abit gets this stuff, that's my brand of choice.

[pfromg @ May 15th 2008 8:59AM]

>hibernate

maybe, when it works and f it works.
I'm in bootcamp on a macpro and hibernation has never worked.Heck , I cant remember ever having a pc here hibernation worked.it does seem to work on my laptop though.However , its stretching the imagination somewhat calling hibernation instant, it still takes a while to get going and I wouldn't dare hibernate with critical data(even if i could).

[bondsbw @ May 15th 2008 10:36AM]

I have long been a proponent of hibernate (heck, I even thought of the idea before it was ever implemented in an OS... wish I had a time machine...).

BUT... it's proven more cumbersome every day. My computer at home (XP, relatively powerful system) boots ALOT slower coming out of hibernation than just powering it on. Granted, it may take longer to get every single application up and running as it was before, but I've found that I rarely need more than a web browser at startup.

Hence, the usefulness of instant-on OS. It's the speed of standby with the power savings of hibernation.

[waterwagen @ May 15th 2008 2:05PM]

Let's remember that there are two hibernation modes in Vista - sleep and hibernate. On my laptop, Vista comes out of sleep in 2-3 seconds, but it does use some power while in that state (2-8%/hour). Hibernate does take longer to come out of, though I would say it's half the time of a boot up, but doesn't use any power. Instant boot is clearly the best of both worlds, but I do think both Vista states are pretty useful and work well for my machine.

[Kip HT @ May 15th 2008 9:02AM]

Did anyone else notice that the Splashtop link was for performancing?

[daemonios @ May 15th 2008 9:55AM]

Instant on basic OS: great asset especially if your HDD dies on you and you don't have a live cd at hand.

Advanced system repair tools: good only for advance users, basic users may enjoy the ability to turn their PC on regardless of some hardware/software problems but I doubt they'd be able to do something useful with the tools. Also, limited by the size of the flash memory on which the OS is installed.

Wish list: HTPC software + iMon! Push power button, instantly get a (decent) media centre home screen and start playing whatever media you want.

[Kemek @ May 15th 2008 10:03AM]

Wow i have even more reason to use Asus boards than i did before. It looks like i've been backing the right company. Awesome.

[retro77 @ May 15th 2008 10:40AM]

If you could install your test software at this level, it would rule out the OS as a bottleneck and provide a real idea of what the mobo is capable of.

[tiuk @ May 15th 2008 11:07AM]

I'm really excited about this, great news.

[barnz2k @ May 15th 2008 11:23AM]

if this runs purely from the mobo, and doesnt require HD, could that get a longer use from battery on all laptops its used in? so you could use net/skype for longer than if you boot into windows yeah.

[x20mar @ May 15th 2008 11:37AM]

Not a bad idea, now hey just need to add vlc player to it

[happy_penguin @ May 15th 2008 12:01PM]

Like!.... WANT!

[Reikon @ May 15th 2008 1:32PM]

I hope there's a way to change the programs included. I'd rather use Opera.

[AL @ May 15th 2008 1:33PM]

Considering that most of my computing needs are either email or web-centric, bring it on!

[Nihir @ May 15th 2008 5:18PM]

I'm not sure if I'm confused of Engadget is confused, but I already have this on my MSN-HT Deluxe Mobo from Asus.

It's called ExpressGate and loads with a web browser and Skype right off the bat. Only problem for me is that it doesn't recognize my usb wireless linksys card.

[Korgmeister @ May 15th 2008 10:12PM]

This actually seems kinda cool. Although I'm not entirely sure how often I'd use it, I'm in favour of any move towards simpler, more lightweight computing, which this certainly is.

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ May 16th 2008 11:03AM]

I can't wait till this available! Not too long before we can make a 100MB partition on my HD for this on my non-ASUS mobo!

[Alejandro Lengua @ May 18th 2008 11:37AM]

What Linux distro is it based on?
Xandros as in EeePCs?

[bb27 @ May 19th 2008 5:53AM]

This is a nice idea but Windows' hibernation feature comes close to matching this - my machine starts up in 30 seconds or so which is fast enough to me. I'd find it hard to give up all the bells and whistles of my XP box.

Paul Sanders
http://www.alpinesoft.co.uk

[Nalorin @ May 19th 2008 11:18AM]

Ah, yes... Instant on... would be nice for any quick little peek at the news, weather, or other online information. And it uses Linux to boot! I've got a feeling that this technology will soon be the norm... at least I know myself and many others have been waiting a LONG time for this!

[Jonathan @ May 19th 2008 7:29PM]

Can you download stuff or access the HD? I guess I'd assume so. The thing I always hate about repairing a system is that sometimes you have to have a second system with internet access for lost drivers or to get diagnosing tips. This would eliminate that.

Also, I have a media system in a low profile box under my television, running linux, that I put all my movies on so the discs never get scratched. The boot time is pretty short (I've never found myself wondering, geeze this has a long boot time). I looked for an instant on option on motherboards so I didn't have to boot the system to watch rented movies, but I didn't really like any of them I could find. But THIS! I'm totally going to have to rebuild the system now! This is AWESOME! And I LOVE Asus!

[kazoot @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:19PM]

If Splashtop gave me access to a simple word processor and a basic file system, then I might consider buying one of these puppies.

Until I can have an instant-on word processor, the eee, while it is certainly pretty, isn't nearly as useful as my trusty old HP Jornada 820 with it's nearly-full laptop keyboard and long battery life.

I write for a living, and the thought of having to muck around for twenty-some seconds while my machine boots up, -and then to have to go hunting for the word processor and the last file I was working on-, well, that thought just leaves me cold. When you get hit with a dancing idea, you want to write it down immediately, and with the Jornada, I press the 'on' button, and a half second later, I'm looking at a flashing cursor in whatever document was last open.

The Jornada 820, however, is useless in terms of internet work. This is why I'm paying attention to the unfolding of the sub-note market.

Splashtop is NEARLY there, but not quite. I'll keep waiting until somebody re-invents the Jornada 820.