Eventual smartphone/desktop merge

[fantomx11]

I don't think that's quite your point, Product. You're saying it's "all so easy" to infect, while I'm saying it's "at most just as easy (and probably less so)" to infect.

Wait... you can infect mice, keyboards and monitors with viruses? Seriously? How is that even possible?

The devices would need a memory to infect in the first place, and then the hacker would have to get past the fact that it's probably ROM. I have no idea myself.

Also, the fact that a computer, as far as I know, does nothing more for peripherals than interpret signals. In order to infect a computer, you have to execute code on the target computer.

Of course, if you had a mouse that also acted like a flash drive, that'd be a different story altogether.

[Keening_Product]

I don't think that's quite your point, Product. You're saying it's "all so easy" to infect, while I'm saying it's "at most just as easy (and probably less so)" to infect.

Please remember the context of that quoted line - it's a bit different to that.

What I'm saying, based on what LL said, is when you're plugging into more things more often, as I'm sure docking will take place more commonly than plugging in flash drives, the chances for infection rise.

The ease of infection is equal, just the chance for infection is higher.

I'm just playing Devil's advocate here anyway: I don't actually know how easy it is to infect peripherals with only very minor memory capacity. I know that the tiny chips you can embed into your hands to unlock doors (woo, experimental science) CAN be infected with a virus via their wireless connections to the computer systems which open the doors.

[Levellass]

Also, the fact that a computer, as far as I know, does nothing more for peripherals than interpret signals. In order to infect a computer, you have to execute code on the target computer.

Installing device drivers...


Currently things are... mostly safe simply because peripherals aren't that complex. There ahve been documented virusings (That's a word right?) of computer mice and a few high end keyboards, at present only high end gamer parts are really a worry.

But the thing is, peripherals are becoming more and more complex. Especially so-called 'multi-function peripherals' as this happens they are becomming increasingly less about simply sending and receiving signals and more about processing those first. And plug-n-play means that device drivers can do all sorts of things, not all of them nice.

Digital cameras are slowly but surely coming under attack (Slowly because they do not all use the same operating system like PCs or iPhones.)


And if we go to a total plugin model it's going to be tempting to have your shell do more than just accept signals. Go to an internet cafe and plug your computer into a powerful shell that can run those awesome new games people love. How? Just put some processing power in the shell itself. Indeed, how far could we go? What do you *really* need to plug in? A USB that stored your operating system could be plugged into a computer shell anywhere and make it your computer in a flash (heh heh.) And if we utilize the cloud computing system, we need even less.

Heck, imagine signing in with your gmail and suddenly having access to all your 'personal' files, anywhere, anytime. Then you wouldn't need a computer at all.

[fantomx11]

Installing device drivers...

Ah, but you see, the device drivers that get installed when you plug in a standard mouse or keyboard do not come from the mouse or keyboard itself. Otherwise there I would be having problems using them on my linux box, gaming consoles, and android tablet, which I do not.

There have been documented virusings (That's a word right?) of computer mice and a few high end keyboards, at present only high end gamer parts are really a worry.

I have not found any references to keyboards or mice infecting computers. I'd like to see the article you got that from. If they are though, they would have to be acting as a usb flash drive in addition to a peripheral, in which case you have multiple infection vectors besides just driver installation. A standard mouse/keyboard can't infect your computer simply by plugging it in.

But the thing is, peripherals are becoming more and more complex. Especially so-called 'multi-function peripherals' as this happens they are becomming increasingly less about simply sending and receiving signals and more about processing those first. And plug-n-play means that device drivers can do all sorts of things, not all of them nice.

Plug n play, usually means you follow a standard protocol rather than meaning there are onboard drivers that get automatically installed when you plug the device in. That and the fact that Windows includes quite a few drivers for known hardware when you install it. If Plug n Play relied on onboard drivers, you'd have a lot of problems when you plugged into different OSes and architectures. Also, if the drivers were onboard, you wouldn't have to install specific drivers from a CD when you plugged in a new printer (granted, I haven't dealt with a new printer in a couple of years, and things change all the time. maybe they don't come with CDs anymore).

And if we go to a total plugin model it's going to be tempting to have your shell do more than just accept signals. Go to an internet cafe and plug your computer into a powerful shell that can run those awesome new games people love. How? Just put some processing power in the shell itself. Indeed, how far could we go? What do you *really* need to plug in? A USB that stored your operating system could be plugged into a computer shell anywhere and make it your computer in a flash (heh heh.) And if we utilize the cloud computing system, we need even less.

Now that is an interesting idea. I doubt that is something we'll ever see. We'll probably skip right over that one and internet cafes will be promoting the web/cloud based OSes like ChromeOS.

[Keening_Product]

And if we go to a total plugin model it's going to be tempting to have your shell do more than just accept signals. Go to an internet cafe and plug your computer into a powerful shell that can run those awesome new games people love. How? Just put some processing power in the shell itself. Indeed, how far could we go? What do you *really* need to plug in? A USB that stored your operating system could be plugged into a computer shell anywhere and make it your computer in a flash (heh heh.) And if we utilize the cloud computing system, we need even less.

Now that is an interesting idea. I doubt that is something we'll ever see. We'll probably skip right over that one and internet cafes will be promoting the web/cloud based OSes like ChromeOS.

DSL and other Linux distros have tried that. Granted, they are Linux and are naturally doomed to spend life in obscurity from standard desktop use, but the basic idea is there.

The flash drive also is not a portable device. A smartphone dock would work, but I doubt people would care for losing the function of their phone when they want to use a dock.

[KeenEmpire]

And if we go to a total plugin model it's going to be tempting to have your shell do more than just accept signals. Go to an internet cafe and plug your computer into a powerful shell that can run those awesome new games people love. How? Just put some processing power in the shell itself.

Not sure how viable this is. Is there a machine that you can plug into your computer and it'd increase its processing power? Because you're talking about the same thing (only plugging the computer into the machine).

The flash drive also is not a portable device. A smartphone dock would work, but I doubt people would care for losing the function of their phone when they want to use a dock.

Wireless headsets will probably become the norm. Holding your phone to your ear is so 1999.

[Benvolio]

Is there a machine that you can plug into your computer and it'd increase its processing power?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

It would be cool if there was a service like this for consumers, maybe it would run via some software modeled on Limewire etc. So, say I wanted to play the new fancy game on some garg computer from 1996, I could log onto this service and have 1000's of other computers process my game for me and deliver it onto my screen. Or alternatively that games would be so much more demanding on processing power that you needed to borrow some processing power, and contribute back some processing when you don't need it.

Maybe you could have a toggle to donate anything from 0 to 100% of your CPU time to the service. And maybe you'd be rated as a user based on how much you gave to the community.

Maybe this already happens.
Desktops forever, windows 8 never.

[fantomx11]

DSL and other Linux distros have tried that. Granted, they are Linux and are naturally doomed to spend life in obscurity from standard desktop use, but the basic idea is there.

That's true, I hadn't even really thought about that. I have a thumb drive right now that'll boot Ubuntu. I could, conceivably, plug it into a computer at the library (or other public location) and boot into my own desktop if I wanted to.

[KeenEmpire]

Is there a machine that you can plug into your computer and it'd increase its processing power?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing

It would be cool if there was a service like this for consumers, maybe it would run via some software modeled on Limewire etc. So, say I wanted to play the new fancy game on some garg computer from 1996, I could log onto this service and have 1000's of other computers process my game for me and deliver it onto my screen.

The thing about that, though, is that that's not so much "supplementing" your computer as replacing it (and streaming the gaming through a thin client). Sure, there's no substantial difference in the present, with the computer as the delivery mechanism, but in the context of a delivery shell, there's no point in plugging your miniature computer into that shell when the shell itself is already how you interact with it.

[KeenEmpire]

Re: Battery (might or might not deserve its own thread)

[Levellass]

What is that I hear? It is the distant sigh of a thousand cancer nuts raising their voices and protesting this new use of wireless radiation.

[KeenEmpire]

Don't worry; they're probably the same cancer nuts who wouldn't use a cellphone in the first place.

[Keening_Product]

I take back most of my previous arguments. I now have an Android phone and it's amazing. I don't like using it for word processing, but there are wireless keyboards for that.

Also the battery life is amazing.

This is neat. Really neat.

But still, viruses. (That's why I have Avast installed on my phone already.)

Don't worry; they're probably the same cancer nuts who wouldn't use a cellphone in the first place.

Haha!

[Levellass]

I've no problem with them not using a cellphone. I have a problem with them telling all and sundry not to, threatening them with tumors if they don't go back to the ol' two cans and string phone of yore.

[Flaose]

And trying to remove WiFi from schools. That's crazy.