ROM

[sobranie]

Was asked today why don't MS supply windows in ROM form.
Haven't a real response to the question other than;
(a) Massively faster load time of course.
(b) Trojans, spyware etc could not modify the O.S.
(c) An end to interminable updates by M.S.
I presume spyware, trojans etc could affect add on progs but a row of say 10 eproms would go some way to counteracting this.
............. and finally, I look back fondly on my BBC!!

[Steve]

Surely each PC would have to have the same hardware ? Bit like a mac eh!

[Sebby]

I'm saying nothing.

[D-Dan]

It's too big (in terms of disk space) and too in need of regular patching, unlike the old ROM based systems (Spectrum, C64 etc).

And Mac isn't ROM based either, it's little more than a custom Linux distro.

Steve

[Rik]

It would be great to have the OS in ROM, but it's not possible for the reasons the others have given, Rick. OTOH, a solid state drive... 

[Tacitus]

And Mac isn't ROM based either, it's little more than a custom Linux distro.

Macs never were completely ROM based.  The ROM mainly held elements of Quickdraw in order to speed up the graphics display.

NextStep was originally based on one of the BSD Unix distros.  OSX inherited its Unix roots from that and, AFAIK still carries Unix certification.  Nothing to do with Linux.

[Odos]

It's too big (in terms of disk space) and too in need of regular patching

Is it though, I wonder, remove all the eye candy that has nothing to do with the OS's actual workings and I bet it would fit easily. As for the patching, don't we do that with Bios's ?

I think it would/could work if the bare OS is on an EPRom, like the bios. All that would be needed on the motherboards would be a socket to take the rom. The eye candy could be added like the OS is today, as files loaded from the hard drive. SO if you just want functionality you don't load any eye candy.

I know I'd buy such a system 

[talos]

Of course it would mean MS would have to get it right first time

[Steve]

I have in fact got a WHS (Fujitsu Scaleo)where the barebones of the OS is installed on an EPROM. This allows this headless unit to connect to a networked machine to complete install/restoration.