Linux Powers Lilliputian PCs

An anonymous reader writes "Gumstix is launching a whole line of dinky little PCs little larger than a Big Red Plenty Pack. The first Netstix model targets server, sniffing, and network simulation. The next model will be USB-powered, followed by models with SD/MMC slots and built-in WiFi. They come with Linux 2.6.17, and lots of room for user applications."

image a cluster of these (usb hub powered)

[openright]

ok, imagine a cluster of next years model, plugged into many usb hubs.

These aren't PCs...

[Sj0]

These aren't PCs. They're hardware platforms for embedded projects -- a hobbyists toy or something a student could use. Don't expect to be chatting on IRC with your gumstick PC quite yet.

Re:What part of "insecure PC" do you not understan

[jmorris42]

Yes it is subject to keylogging. But on the upside if you have ssh and such setup right on the little guy all an attacker gets is your keystrokes in the apps you run, the only password would be the one you login to the thing with, which requires physical possession of the unit anyway. All of the remote systems would be accessed with crypto keys stored safely on the unit and never shared with the potentially tainted windows PC. Run all of the sessions via X or VNC sessions so the output is graphical and that will cut down on how much can be snooped.

Is it safe? No. Better than carrying around a USB key with Putty installed? Hell yes.

Even safer would be one of those little Nokia tablets and a WiFi or Bluetooth+phone connection and if you just had to have a full keyboard go with a foldup bluetooth model.

Re:image a cluster of these (usb hub powered)

[Anonymous Coward]

...or you could just load one real computer up with a few gigs of RAM and run a dozens of comparable Xen VMs to simulate a network.

Don't get me wrong, though. The gumstix are way cool for robotics and other portable gadgets that need a tiny brain.

Where's it get its power?

[Ungrounded Lightning]

While the next model apparently will be a USB-powered plugin, the product documentation isn't clear about where THIS model gets its power.

Does it need a wall-wart, is it powered via power-over-ethernet, or what?

Re:How much $$$ ?!?!!!

[Khashishi]

You are missing the value of tiny. Tiny means you can carry it with you. Everywhere.

A Good First Application, in-line services.

[Kamiza Ikioi]

For these types of items to really take off, they have to be Walmart marketable. The best way to do that is to create a device everyone would want to use. An in-line firewall would be such a good application. One Lan-in, and either USB or Lan out cable, and a small server sitting in the middle acting as firewall, spam filter, pop-up/phishing blocker, and if they could squeeze it in, a virus blocker. Or, better, yet, one device that does each really well and really fast, and then chain several together to do each feature.

Connect, connect, safe and secure PC. The mass market for these products remains in constructing single, highly specialized but widely sought after features, that require no setup or a completely automated setup. LAMP on a micro-server isn't really that sort of product, even if it would be fun to play with. The market is in daemons on USB, preferably in-line or on its own dedicated node (though that's a bit wasteful, imho) - firewalls, independent shared drives, dns (plug and play opendns via in-line from modem to router), and even time servers (maybe with a little back lit LCD display, and adjustment controls on the outside). These tasks are currently being pushed into virtualization. But moving occasional services into a cheap occasionally used device would be even better.