[ug-bosug] hdesktop: An X86 desktop for Solaris, as a project with commercial intent, proposed at Open Solaris, sent to Bangalore for involvement.

[G N S]

I had a few observations/questions regarding the project proposal.

One basic observation:
Incase of a home users "Secure system" as the only value proposition is not
likely to take off. In addition, home users need variety of content to use,
publish, variety of media to play, etc.

"Secure system" with specialized hardware and pre-decided software is a
proposition that is plausible with business customers. Provide
customizations as per their requirements and charge them for it.

Some more observations related to the project:

> the standalone products such as the Ultra 10 workstation has been intended
for the tech-savvy professional
Comparison with Ultras that pre-date OpenSolaris might not be right. Since
open sourcing, OpenSolaris is now making into laptops/desktops of students
and professionals (not yet non-tech end user).
But there is still a huge segment that can be served.

> "with specialized hardware"
This is not the characteristic of general purpose home system. Also the
website says that it will be vendor neutral. In that case isn't it better to
identify a set of different general purpose widely used configurations to
support based on HCL and proceed.
Decision not to support a particular configuration can be due to either
technical reasons(not in HCL) or band-width limitations. Isn't it
restrictive to finalize on a single specialized hardware.

> Basic phase : A "crude box"is built up as a prototype with an Asus M2 NP
VM motherboard with nVidea and an amd ...
Why not list the features required and ask on the mailing lists if all the
features are working fine on any particular configuration. If so choose that
as the starting point instead of the other way round. The problems such as
the ones mentioned do not appear in my laptop running Solaris Express
(1) The display resolution now is 800x640. (2) The network is not detected
(3) star office in Java Desktop does not install (4) the cursor is invisible
on re-log in, but appears if the machine is restarted.
To start with identify the configuration that has minimum or none of these
problems. Energies can be spent better addressing other issues.

> Hardware redesign: I talked about this product and how it all makes
strategic sense for Sun
In addition to having their own product lines, OpenSourcing the SPARC
architecture (OpenSPARC) is the strategic route that Sun took.

> but the crucial observation is that this product also has a motherboard
and a processor, like any other desktop manufactured by
> any other company.
Any organization has limited resources, for each piece of technology one
needs to decide whether to build from scratch or use/buy off-the-shelf
items. If you try to build everything starting of Desktop GUI (JDS level)
till the motherboard and processors, the list is endless. What would be the
basis to draw the line.

> So, the hardware needs to be differentiated, unique
> engineered. Motherboard, yes, but of what unique features ??? And about
custom casing, with security features...

In that case it is definitely not a product for non-tech home user.

> gradually the product is to be shaped as a secure desktop with
"no-settings-to-do" secure environment, with specialized hardware
> 3. Software bundling: Here the focus is to "minimise" componets, improve
desktop features (Java Desktop) and make the product
> secure for someone allergic to command prompt and technical terms.

Minimizing components and better usability is desirable (one of the main
reasons for ubuntu's popularity). But as mentioned earlier, "secure system"
while important cannot be the central/only theme for home users.

regards
Shiv


On 2/28/07, Sivasubramanian Muthusamy <muthusamy.sivasubramanian at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> roject Proposal: hdesktop
> > > Posted: Feb 27, 2007 12:31 PM
> > > To: OpenSolaris » discuss
> > > Cc: OpenSolaris » mktg
> > > Cc: OpenSolaris » program-team
> > > Cc: Communities » desktop » discuss
> > > Cc: Communities » security » discuss
> > > *Reply*<http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/post%21reply.jspa?messageID=97138>
> > >
> > >
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > Solaris is an elaborate, advanced and secure operating system which
> > > has so far been in the realm of IT professionals, so much so that the
> > > standalone products such as the Ultra 10 workstation has been intended for
> > > the tech-savvy professional.
> > > *
> > > hdesktop* is a product intended to be a desktop, initially for the
> > > Solaris familiar professional who would love to take a solaris desktop home.
> > > But gradually the product is to be shaped as a secure desktop with
> > > "no-settings-to-do" secure environment, with specialized hardware, a GUI
> > > that requires that has a completely non-technical interface and so on.
> > >
> > > A brief description of this project is at *www.isolatednetworks.com/hdesktop.htm
> > > * <http://www.isolatednetworks.com/hdesktop.htm> The tasks outlined in
> > > the page may appear very basic, but that it the idea: Attention to the
> > > basics from the Technically Advanced Professionals.
> > >
> > > The idea is to scale down a sun server into that of a desktop, to a
> > > level of usage ease, yet secure enough for someone whose idea of virus and
> > > worm protection is an anti-bacterial casing.
> > >
> > > Project Phases:
> > >
> > > 1. The basic phase: A "crude box"is built up as a prototype with an
> > > Asus M2 NP VM motherboard with nVidea and an amd athelon processor 3600. The
> > > Hardware compatiblility list has been consulted in deciding on this board.
> > > But three attempts to install, each time a different version, Solaris 10,
> > > 1/06. 06/06 and now 11/06 - all resulted in some minor compatiblity issue,
> > > which should be solvable: 1. The display resolution now is 800x640. 2) The
> > > network is not detected 3) star office in Java Desktop does not install 4)
> > > the cursor is invisible on re-log in, but appears if the machine is
> > > restarted. The first phase to get it all working. It would help if a few of
> > > the solaris professionals at Bangalore / Chennai can physically examine the
> > > hardware and go over the installation and patching routine.
> > >
> > > 2. Hardware redesign: I talked about this product and how it all makes
> > > strategic sense for Sun but the crucial observation is that this product
> > > also has a motherboard and a processor, like any other desktop manufactured
> > > by any other company. So, the hardware needs to be differentiated, unique
> > > engineered. Motherboard, yes, but of what unique features ??? And about
> > > custom casing, with security features...
> > >
> > > 3. Software bundling: Here the focus is to "minimise" componets,
> > > improve desktop features (Java Desktop) and make the product secure for
> > > someone allergic to command prompt and technical terms.
> > >
> > > This proposal comes from a company with commercial intent, which
> > > wishes to discover ways by which it could reciprocate the help taken ...
> > >
> > > Muthusamy Sivasubramanian, India.*
> > > **http://www.isolatednetworks.com/hdesktop.htm *<http://www.isolatednetworks.com/hdesktop.htm>
> > > *
> > > **weblogs.java.net/blog/isolatednetworks *<http://weblogs.java.net/blog/isolatednetworks>
> > >
> >
> >
>
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