Bullet Proof Computer.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

Trizik

Senior member
Jun 17, 2005
362
0
0
From their FAQ:

"Bullet-Proof PC is virus-proof because the operating system resides in a read-only, write protected medium. Since direct changes to the operating system are prohibited, viruses or malicious programs can't change or alter the system files. This results in a system that is highly reliable and performance that does not degrade over time."
 
C

cryptonomicon

Senior member
Oct 20, 2004
467
0
0
what about the swap file and stuff, and the active memory?

there are many viruses that can infect things that way right?

what about a boot virus too? what about stuff that exploits security flaws in other programs.. java.. ect?

no computer can be completely hack proof. i mean it would have to be a linux box at LEAST.
 
P

piroroadkill

Senior member
Sep 27, 2004
731
0
0
Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
what about the swap file and stuff, and the active memory?

there are many viruses that can infect things that way right?

what about a boot virus too? what about stuff that exploits security flaws in other programs.. java.. ect?

no computer can be completely hack proof. i mean it would have to be a linux box at LEAST.
Click to expand...

You're a complete idiot. At least read their FAQ.

This is an extract that can be quickly found:

"What are the differences between the Bullet-Proof PC operating system and Microsoft Windows?

Bullet-Proof PC is a highly tuned and customized operating system based on Linux. Linux is free under the General Public License (GPL) to use for both business and personal use. There are no costs associated with the operating system. Linux is more secure than Microsoft Windows by design. We have taken the already secure Linux operating system, tweaked it, stripped it down to speed it up and make it easier to use, and took it a step further by choosing hardware that is highly reliable. The result is an ultra secure, Bullet-Proof PC that won't crash."
 
M

Mirko

Member
Jun 26, 2005
95
0
0
They are running Knoppix from a 512MB CF card, just like people have been doing since 2001.

 
C

cryptonomicon

Senior member
Oct 20, 2004
467
0
0
Originally posted by: piroroadkill
Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
what about the swap file and stuff, and the active memory?

there are many viruses that can infect things that way right?

what about a boot virus too? what about stuff that exploits security flaws in other programs.. java.. ect?

no computer can be completely hack proof. i mean it would have to be a linux box at LEAST.
Click to expand...

You're a complete idiot. At least read their FAQ.

This is an extract that can be quickly found:

"What are the differences between the Bullet-Proof PC operating system and Microsoft Windows?

Bullet-Proof PC is a highly tuned and customized operating system based on Linux. Linux is free under the General Public License (GPL) to use for both business and personal use. There are no costs associated with the operating system. Linux is more secure than Microsoft Windows by design. We have taken the already secure Linux operating system, tweaked it, stripped it down to speed it up and make it easier to use, and took it a step further by choosing hardware that is highly reliable. The result is an ultra secure, Bullet-Proof PC that won't crash."
Click to expand...

uh, you can go to hell. i didnt spend half an hour reading their site, i looked at the main page and some other one and it didnt say it was linux anywhere.

plus, if you noticed i said it would have to be linux anyways for it to work.

moron.
 
nick1985

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
Originally posted by: piroroadkill
Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
what about the swap file and stuff, and the active memory?

there are many viruses that can infect things that way right?

what about a boot virus too? what about stuff that exploits security flaws in other programs.. java.. ect?

no computer can be completely hack proof. i mean it would have to be a linux box at LEAST.
Click to expand...

You're a complete idiot.
Click to expand...


:roll:
 
C

cryptonomicon

Senior member
Oct 20, 2004
467
0
0
in fact, its not surprising that i missed that they were linux boxes-- the site intentionally tries to hide this fact. note on the main page where it says "microsoft word *compatible*" applications. that sucks they dont tote the linux feature as a main strength of their product... maybe they are worried about alienating mainstream buyers.
 
B

bunnyfubbles

Lifer
Sep 3, 2001
12,248
3
0
Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
in fact, its not surprising that i missed that they were linux boxes-- the site intentionally tries to hide this fact. note on the main page where it says "microsoft word *compatible*" applications. that sucks they dont tote the linux feature as a main strength of their product... maybe they are worried about alienating mainstream buyers.
Click to expand...

Um, hardcore linux users and even nerds who run windows aren't exactly affraid of spyware, hackers, or viruses as they're all competent enough to get their hands dirty AND be able to clean up any messes they do make.

This product is obviously targeted towards those that either don't know or don't want to know how to get their hands dirty. They want to use their PC to surf the web, perhaps listen to music, and use it for document work. Sayling "Linux" to this crowd is intimidating because people have generally associated Linux with advanced computing, that you have to be a nerd to know how to use it.

IMHO it sounds like a pretty good idea, especially for those who do not or would not use their PC for many advanced things.

Yes, it does sound like it would work and live up to the claim, however it is also less flexible because of it. Just like with bullet proof armor, you lose agility in favor of protection. For those of us who know how to dodge bullets and / or quickly heal the wounds, it isn't all that great.
 
P

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
in fact, its not surprising that i missed that they were linux boxes-- the site intentionally tries to hide this fact. note on the main page where it says "microsoft word *compatible*" applications. that sucks they dont tote the linux feature as a main strength of their product... maybe they are worried about alienating mainstream buyers.
Click to expand...
I suspect that they're as shady as some other ebay outfits. They downplay the Linux aspect on purpose to confuse their target audience into assuming that they're getting something that they're not. They could be commended for not lying outright, though. ;)
 
R

rainepar

Member
Dec 30, 2004
54
0
0
yes, you could always be tricked into running something couldn't you? Could delete all your files, collect private info, etc..
 
P

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
Originally posted by: rainepar
yes, you could always be tricked into running something couldn't you? Could delete all your files, collect private info, etc..
Click to expand...
At this point, there isn't much (if any) spyware for Linux, given that the number of dumb users who run as root on Linux (equivalent to dumb users who run as Administrator on Windows) is rather few. However, let a rather unknowledgeable user run as root, and they'll get themselves into enough trouble without worrying about spyware.
 
A

angstsoldat

Senior member
Jun 30, 2005
623
0
0
Whatever Can go wrong will.

The recipients of the purple heart are people who were smart enough to think up a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.

A 7 second fuse on a grenade always burns down in 4 seconds.

Artillery always falls short, air strikes always go too far..

Teamwork is essentiel, it gives the enemy someone else to shoot at.

Man, so many great murphy's laws of combat. Long live (well.. assume this was 1980ish before he died when i said this) Audie murphy!!
 
A

agnitrate

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
3,761
1
0
Originally posted by: hardwareuser
How does having the OS on ROM prevent malignant sftware from running?
Click to expand...

Malignant? Damn, you must really hate them. I always thought it was just malicious, but damn, malignant? That was cold as ice.
 
Googer

Googer

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
12,576
7
81
Originally posted by: Mirko
They are running Knoppix from a 512MB CF card, just like people have been doing since 2001.
Click to expand...

Now theres a performance bottleneck.


Originally posted by: cryptonomicon
in fact, its not surprising that i missed that they were linux boxes-- the site intentionally tries to hide this fact. note on the main page where it says "microsoft word *compatible*" applications. that sucks they dont tote the linux feature as a main strength of their product... maybe they are worried about alienating mainstream buyers.
Click to expand...

Nope, Alienating customers is what Alienware has done well. It's true, when was the last time you saw some one buying one since they went from boutique to dell competitor?
 
Googer

Googer

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
12,576
7
81
Originally posted by: angstsoldat
Whatever Can go wrong will.

The recipients of the purple heart are people who were smart enough to think up a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.
(well.. assume this was 1980ish before he died when i said this) Audie murphy!!
Click to expand...

Not always true or true at all. I know some stories of medics rushing in to heavy fire and accross land mined areas to rescue a lone wounded soldier, with out cover fire and against the recomendation of their buddies. They were succesful in their attempts; injured but survived.
 
B

bulletproofpc

Junior Member
Jul 10, 2005
4
0
0
Hello All!

Just want to clarifty a few things...

We chose Ebay to feature our item to see what the response was from the general public. The outcome was very positive! The Shuttle box is NOT the only model we have available! Please visit http://www.bullet-proofpc.com/bpstorefront1.html to review the other models. The most technologically advanced model is actually the Barracuda X10 due it's small size, no moving parts, and no noise. This comes at a cost of sacrificing the internal CD/DVD-RW. However, an external USB CD/DVD-RW can be later attached. Stay tuned for a laptop model that will be released shortly!

The Bullet-Proof PC operating system resides on a read only chip. It's Linux based, but is NOT based on Knoppix because Knoppix and all of our chosen software is too large to fit onto a read-only medium effectively. We chose to use the standard linux kernel, boot loader, etc. and tweak our own distribution to satisfy the project needs. The result is a highly tweaked, smaller footprint that runs on a read-only chip and loads itself into RAM. This makes the system much more responsive and it won't slow down. Viruses and Spyware can not permanently effect the PC due to the read-only design. No permanent changes can be made to the OS. Therefore the system will still run just as well as the day purchased. If there were a serious security flaw found in Firefox or a similar program that put our users at high risk, we would upgrade the software on the chip to address the security issues free of charge while the system is under maintenance. The fact is most software has bugs/security problems. New exploits will be found in programs more people use the software. But by using a read-only medium, we stop the effects of those exploits.

We do NOT try to hide the fact that our products are Linux based! We pride ourselves in choosing and working with Linux! If we were trying to hide the fact that we chose Linux, we wouldn't state it directly on our website. We even linked directly to the software pages that we chose to incorporate into the finished product i.e. OpenOffice, FireFox, Thunderbird, etc. However, for our target audience which is for the people that do NOT want to dabble into the inner workings of an OS or tweak programs they need to use, they don't care what OS the computer is using, all they want is to be able to get work done -- fast, safe, and secure.
 
Googer

Googer

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
12,576
7
81
Originally posted by: bulletproofpc
Hello All!

Just want to clarifty a few things...

We chose Ebay to feature our item to see what the response was from the general public. The outcome was very positive! The Shuttle box is NOT the only model we have available! Please visit http://www.bullet-proofpc.com/bpstorefront1.html to review the other models. The most technologically advanced model is actually the Barracuda X10 due it's small size, no moving parts, and no noise. This comes at a cost of sacrificing the internal CD/DVD-RW. However, an external USB CD/DVD-RW can be later attached. Stay tuned for a laptop model that will be released shortly!

The Bullet-Proof PC operating system resides on a read only chip. It's Linux based, but is NOT based on Knoppix because Knoppix and all of our chosen software is too large to fit onto a read-only medium effectively. We chose to use the standard linux kernel, boot loader, etc. and tweak our own distribution to satisfy the project needs. The result is a highly tweaked, smaller footprint that runs on a read-only chip and loads itself into RAM. This makes the system much more responsive and it won't slow down. Viruses and Spyware can not permanently effect the PC due to the read-only design. No permanent changes can be made to the OS. Therefore the system will still run just as well as the day purchased. If there were a serious security flaw found in Firefox or a similar program that put our users at high risk, we would upgrade the software on the chip to address the security issues free of charge while the system is under maintenance. The fact is most software has bugs/security problems. New exploits will be found in programs more people use the software. But by using a read-only medium, we stop the effects of those exploits.

We do NOT try to hide the fact that our products are Linux based! We pride ourselves in choosing and working with Linux! If we were trying to hide the fact that we chose Linux, we wouldn't state it directly on our website. We even linked directly to the software pages that we chose to incorporate into the finished product i.e. OpenOffice, FireFox, Thunderbird, etc. However, for our target audience which is for the people that do NOT want to dabble into the inner workings of an OS or tweak programs they need to use, they don't care what OS the computer is using, all they want is to be able to get work done -- fast, safe, and secure.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a complete pain in the ass to me.
 
P

ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
Originally posted by: Andvari
Originally posted by: ProviaFan
dumb users who run as Administrator on Windows
Click to expand...
Er, I'm running as Admin. Why is this bad?
Click to expand...
Because not only do you have access to every file on the system, but so do programs that you may or may not be aware that you're running (including spyware, viruses, etc.). Leaving the Admin account for admin tasks and doing your day to day work in a limited account limits the effect that a virus could have, should you catch one (for example). I'm fairly sure that I could qualify as at least a basic-level "power user," and there have certainly been times that I've done stuff that would have really screwed up my system had it been done as Admin. If you think that your computer and you are invincible, then don't come crying to us when you screw something up tremendously. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom