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Re: [school-discuss] Portable applications & VPN services



Right, well the advantages / disadvantages of each technology... I was thinking in line of SimDesk & if its features held any advantages, what would a OSS method would be to get the same functional result.

R/W CD-ROM multisession drives (ala Puppy or Damn Small Linux) are more prone to getting damaged by kids than a USB stick. I can believe a college student can take good care of a R/W CD-ROM, but not inside your typical highschooler's backpack...

OTOH, there are a good number of portable OSS apps ported to work with most pre-installed OSs... This might be a plus for some, a minus for others. Students however could save the data on their local machine, as well as the VPN drive and access any local applications already installed as well. (this as opposed to the Linux-bootable CD that might not work well with Windows 2K/XP file system or the *next* Microsoft file system....).

The downside, for the time being, is the cost of USB sticks & security... but the cost of USB sticks should come way down (like the 32MB CF disks have - $5.00). Security issues could be addressed w/ on-stick thumbprint biometrics (again prices will come down....) and roaming user / VPN security features.

Another technology that has caught my attention is Shinkuro. It's a secure file-sharing relay system similar in function to gnutella (or a truly distributed file system). It also has a secure whiteboard function. Shinkuro is not OSS but - AFAICT - is "free" -- for now. http://www.shinkuro.com/products.php

What I'm looking at is ubiquity & appliance utility.

/lee

Justin Riddiough <jriddiough@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I like the original idea of using a USB stick.  If someone couldn't connect to the VPN folder from some location (firewall rules, no access, etc,) there could possibly be a sync / temporary working file space set up on the USB stick. Which would mean users could still use the portable apps without having to rely on a local drive to save information, and when possible, the benefits of the VPN drive.   

On 10/11/06, Chris Gregan <cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I guess since it would start out as a live cd, it could stay a cd. Then
you could have a tool where students would get an iso image or CD that
would log on from any PC with just a reboot. Save the cost of a USB stick.




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/lee
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