Comments on: Asus Express Gate – fast OS or useless toy?

By: Rarst

Rarst — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:47:10 +0000

@Jeremy

More like web rather than Internet. I use quite a few programs that use Internet but aren’t browsers. :)

As above – it is indeed better fit for a notebook rather than desktop.

By: JEREMY

JEREMY — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:32:23 +0000

Personally I’ve had my laptop about 6 months and just started using the splashtop. Since most of what I do is internet based anyway, without the system hog of windows my battery life is hugely increased. The only issue I have is an occasional website that is more updated and it refuses to let me on without firefox being updated.(which cant be done if no new updates for spalshtop exist)

By: Rarst

Rarst — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:53:51 +0000

@Michael L

since its a read only linux dist, it has to be secure. Since you can’t install any apps on it, its unlikely you’ll ever get your internet account details hacked while using it.

I wouldn’t be so sure. First it runs from regular hard drive and I suspect it can write to it just fine.

Second some types of attacks won’t care about write access at all – they only need to steal cookie or something.

And since browser is bundled – it is very unlikely to get fast and easy security updates in line with main releases.

It might look like good idea for security, but personally I will take regular OS with up-to-date browser and antivirus+firewall over it.

if I accidentally wipe out windows, or the HDD crashes, then perhaps I could use it as a temp very basic communication tool.

Don’t know about Windows but it clearly won’t survive HDD crash since it runs from it. :)

IMO what would have been better is a little bit of SSD on the mobo

Intel had pushed for years to implement such feature, but it seems they gave up. It’s too much hassle for motherboard manufacturers to implement non-essential components (on already freakishly complex thing).

What can I say, large bit of SSD works wonders to Firefox performance. It becomes almost usable. :)

By: Michael L

Michael L — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:53:30 +0000

Its not for everyday use, but I have found a unique use for it, internet banking! Yes that’s right, since its a read only linux dist, it has to be secure. Since you can’t install any apps on it, its unlikely you’ll ever get your internet account details hacked while using it.

Theoretically it might come in handy if I accidentally wipe out windows, or the HDD crashes, then perhaps I could use it as a temp very basic communication tool.

IMO what would have been better is a little bit of SSD on the mobo, the really quick type, able to load an OS from, or if not that then at least a place to store apps like firefox, which take ages to start up.

By: p1ague

p1ague — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:54:08 +0000

Sleep mode is good for when you want to turn it quickly BACK on, but if I want quick access to a single piece of information from the internet when I am not and haven’t been using it lately, the solution, short of having an iPhone or any of the numerous better devices handy, requires a quick cold start. I do use hibernation far more frequently on the notebook, so that speeds up access a bit anyway, but with hybrid sleep, putting it into sleep mode would have the same effect (plus eat up some of the battery–I don’t leave the cord trailing to where I store my computer, I instead keep the cord near where I sit to use it). It’s admittedly not much of a solution, because I think the last time I used it, I posted that last message :P

By: Rarst

Rarst — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:13:08 +0000

@DataRat

Another thing I never got used to is sleep mode. :) On other had I am primarily desktop user and its easier (and better for reliability) to let it be on.

By: The DataRat

The DataRat — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:23:06 +0000

“solution in search
of a problem”

To the extent a problem exists, the solution is called
“Sleep Mode”.

Why completely shut down your PC ? Even with a laptop,
how often do we ~really~ carry it around ?

Most of the time, laptops are actually utilized as
PORTABLE COMPUTERS. Very few folks transport the thing
more than one place on a typical day.

[ Notable exceptions: Salesmen, etc. ]

Even battery endurance represents a non-issue most of
the time. Typical usage patterns are transporting the
laptop to one locale, plugging it in, and working all
day from there.

For 90%+ of us, sleep mode is the quick-start option !

The DataRat

By: Rarst

Rarst — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:22:38 +0000

@p1ague

Yeah, it seems to have crappy hardware support. And updates doesn’t seem to be frequent either so these issues stick. :(

By: p1ague

p1ague — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:03:43 +0000

I am reading this in the splashtop browser on a laptop, and I agree, can’t imagine any use for it on a desktop, it seems to me a handy thing for when I pick up my laptop just to look something up on IMDB or something, which happens often enough that I like the idea of it. EXCEPT – in my experience the touchpad is by far the worst functionality I’ve ever seen. It’s not the touchpad itself, it works great in windows, but something about splashtop can’t do it right, the mouse pointer jumps around randomly clicking things every time you touch it. As long as you KEEP your finger on the pad you can move it smoothly, but every time you lift up (like when you reach the edge of the pad, which happens constantly with touchpads) it jumps and clicks everything between where it is and where it teleported to. For me, that makes it very nearly broken. If I have to get out an external mouse every time I want to use the quick-boot functionality, it kinda defeats the purpose.

By: Rarst

Rarst — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:32:42 +0000

@Donace

Yep, if it actually had virus scan, etc. Which it sadly doesn’t as well as no option to add any software to it.