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Laptop design idea that I demand

Fritzo

Fritzo

Lifer
Why can't laptops have micro-USB ports that allow you to plug a cable in to another computer and access the hard drive (like we do with tablets now). You know how much easier it would be to transfer files like that? No networking, sharing, permissions, and other crap hassles. This should have been a standard feature 5 years ago.

:colbert:
 
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Fritzo said:
You can do this with any tablet or smart phone, so it must not be much of an issue.
Click to expand...

Completely different security consideration. You can't push from tablet/phone TO the laptop (at least not without some non-trivial asshatery).

On the other hand, a laptop has bi-directional ability to it's target. And there's a good-many more things you can do with a laptop connected directly to another laptop that a security conscious person wouldn't ever want you doing. Ever.
 
Fritzo said:
Why can't laptops have micro-USB ports that allow you to plug a cable in to another computer and access the hard drive (like we do with tablets now). You know how much easier it would be to transfer files like that? No networking, sharing, permissions, and other crap hassles. This should have been a standard feature 5 years ago.

:colbert:
Click to expand...

Been done. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10725

Just not via USB.

What about one of these? (I have no idea how they work.)
 
dave_the_nerd said:
Been done. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10725

Just not via USB.

What about one of these? (I have no idea how they work.)
Click to expand...

You know how hard drive enclosures work? The A side of a USB cable plugs into a PC, and the B side plugs into the enclosure, and then BOOM you have a drive available.

I want that built into a laptop's hard drive.

I want this on the side of my laptop:

musb.jpg


Then use this cable:

2_DC_M400.jpg


And plug it to another computer like this:

usbport-laptop-300x258.jpg


Then have it show up as a removable drive like this:

removable-disk-g.jpg


Imagine how much easier it would be to move files when you get a new laptop, or if Windows won't boot but the PC still powers up you could probably still access your files.
 
So you're telling me that you want to rip all of the security controls out of what is already available over network connections, and change the transport medium from Ethernet to USB.

I'm not buying it...
 
seepy83 said:
So you're telling me that you want to rip all of the security controls out of what is already available over network connections, and change the transport medium from Ethernet to USB.

I'm not buying it...
Click to expand...

But you can already do that with a portable hard drive...there's no difference. You could put security into the BIOS if you wanted.
 
I'm not feeling it. The very few times something like that would be convenient would be offset by the security risks.
 
lxskllr said:
I'm not feeling it. The very few times something like that would be convenient would be offset by the security risks.
Click to expand...
Well, physical access pwns anyway.

The problem is that a USB drive enclosure goes: USB port -> bridge chip -> SATA controller -> HDD.

A computer goes Chipset -> SATA controller -> HDD and Chipset -> USB controller -> USB port.

So getting a computer to work as a USB target disk would require some rejiggering of the chipset (which would presumably make it not be "proper.") Apple got away with it because, well, they're Apple and they can work around their own kludges and say "screw you, third-party developers."

I suppose, if you had an HDD that was, internally, connected to the USB bus, you could give the internal "hub" a second uplink port accessible from the outside of the machine. You'd have to wire it so the port was only active if the computer was shut down, though. I'm guessing that trying to address the same hard drive from two different USB controllers would not work well.
 
dighn said:
complicated for laymen and inconvenient even if you know how to do it.

i support this idea. for security, just prompt the user for access rights.
Click to expand...

So get a MAC, they're made for laymen!
Implementing target disk over IEEE1394 should be possible as well, without even OS support. After all, you've got DMA.
 
_Rick_ said:
So get a MAC, they're made for laymen!
Implementing target disk over IEEE1394 should be possible as well, without even OS support. After all, you've got DMA.
Click to expand...

I want this on a PC and you are not gonna change my mind!

actually this is mostly a non-issue now due to the prevalence of large usb flash drives and external hdds. If you really need to transfer a lot of large files, then setting up an ad hoc wired connection isn't so bad.
 
dave_the_nerd said:
Apple has done this over 1394, Thunderbolt, and SCSI. Not USB though.
Click to expand...

I think that the difference is that USB is from the chipset, so requires a lot more of the computer to be on, and an OS loaded in order to handle instructions. Firewire and Thunderbolt both have their own controller that bypass the chipset.

And yes, Apple can get away with it because they control the entire hardware and software stack on both ends.
 
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