Here’s an interesting patent application by Microsoft for a PC that incorporates fast-boot, multi-boot system controlled by a hypervisor virtual machine manager.
Here’s the description for the “FAST BOOTING A COMPUTING DEVICE TO A SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE” patent application:
Described is a technology by which independent computing functions such as corresponding to separate operating systems may be partitioned into coexisting partitions. A virtual machine manager, or hypervisor, manages the input and output of each partition to operate computer system hardware. One partition may correspond to a special purpose operating system that quickly boots, such as to provide appliance-like behavior, while another partition may correspond to a general purpose operating system that may load while the special purpose operating system is already running. The computer system that contains the partitions may transition functionality and devices from one operating system to the other. The virtual machine manager controls which computer hardware devices are capable of being utilized by which partition at any given time, and may also facilitate inter-partition communication.
So you have a single PC that can boot into any number of configurations - general purpose PC, music, DVD, TV and whatever. This would allow the PC to be able to offer the user quick access to appliance-like behaviors, while a general-purpose OS was loaded into the background. Here’s how this s described in the patent application:
“For example, one partition may correspond to a special purpose limited capability operating system that quickly boots, such as to provide appliance-like behavior in a computer system, while another partition may correspond to a general purpose operating system that may load while the special purpose operating system is already running. Once at least two operating systems are loaded, the computer system that contains the partitions may transition from one operating system to the other, such as automatically when the slower-loading operating system is fully loaded, or when a transition is requested by a user.”
Certainly an interesting idea.
(Hat tip to Being Manan, via Long Zheng)
