From Fedora Project Wiki

Instant-On Fedora

Summary

A lot of Manufactures are now implementing a min BIOS instant-on Linux environment embedded into motherboards. It give you access to a Web browser and a few other applications. You can then boot the real OS from there. It would be so small that it will be able to go on a chip on the motherboard to boot from there, but the main goal here is to have this min OS to boot quick with no logons. And will only give you access to a Browser so you can surf the net. Option in GRUB to boot full os or mini if nothing is selected it will auto boot in full OS

Owner

  • email: fastie81@fedoraproject.org

Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora11
  • Last updated: 07 January 2009
  • Percentage of completion: 0%

Detailed Description

With the pursuit to faster boot time, users are trying to get there OS to be on all the time, and with today's push to be greener every one is trying to save power. Some times a user just boot up his Laptop/Desktop just to have a quick look if he/she got mail or if there mate is online. For them they waiting for the OS to boot then to login and open there web browser to find there is nothing there. Logoff and shutdown the pc or laptop.

With a instant-on version you will have a small version of fedora that has the minimum of drivers and extras loaded. Just enough to get your wifi, X and firefox to run. then if you need to you can boot in to your full fedora OS from there. This will be like a mini Splashtop or HyperSpace

Benefit to Fedora

The User can have a quick solution to have access to there Mail, Facebook, Google Doc's,enc. Will be a little footprint.

Scope

Create a strip down X, kernel and related packages so you will get a workable but full functional Web Browser.

How To Test

You can start by just adding it to you boot process. Like loading different kernels. If there is a process where you can strip everything that is not needed out of the kernel you will have a version that could work on just about any hardware.

User Experience

User have a quick way to get internet access without booting up there full blown OS

Dependencies

Don't know the work involved to get a working strip down kernel and X ( Haven't got the expertise to do this, would like to help)

Contingency Plan

Boot in to the full OS

Documentation

Article

Other Companies

Release Notes

This is subject to change

Instant-on Fedora version that can be installed on old hardware but also be installed with a full blown Fedora OS so you have the ability to get quick access to a web browser. Just a sweet easy fully functional Browser with network for internet access. Footprint is small. It could even life on a chip on a motherboard.

Comments and Discussion