Asus Notebooks Offer 8-Second Boot Up for Instant Online Access with Innovative Express Gate

Notebooks have become indispensable both at work and at home as Internet related activities take an increasingly important role in our daily life. With its continuous effort to provide the most advanced technology with the simplest usage experience, ASUS unveils the latest feature, Express Gate.

This additional built-in operating system enables ultra fast boot up for access to a host of most commonly used features on its full range of notebooks based on Intel's latest platform.

With this truly convenient, instant access to the Internet, users can now send a last-minute email before rushing off to work, browse the Web in between appointments and reach friends and family via instant messenger all in the blink of an eye.

In addition, Express Gate has also effectively created two computers in one that it is now easier to share the computer. When under the Express Gate environment, Internet, music and photos can be shared without disturbing the files and setup in the Windows operating system reserved for personal use.

"ASUS is always committed to bring customers the most innovative solutions that helps to simplify usage experience while enjoying the best performance," said Tony Chen, General Manager of ASUS Notebook Business Unit. "With Express Gate, users will enjoy instant Internet access with new levels of fast speed and ease of use like never before."

Source: Asus

   

• Enthalpy - Jun 02, 2008
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (1)
  This "Express Gate" operating system offers an acces to the Internet. So it must provide a firewall, an up-to-date antivirus, an antispyware...
  
  Does it?
  
  How many suppliers for this software on an OS that runs only on Asus hardware?
  
  Can the virus signature base be updated? If all the OS resides in ROM, no.
  
  Danger! A second OS on a machine is a second weakness, as it will access the disk. A single supplier for security software isn't enough: Windows needs 20 suppliers to have 2 or 3 good ones, and Asus has zero experience in security software.
  
  Has Asus any very clear and convincing response to this?
  
  If not, I prefer to put W2k or XP on a Flash card and boot in 15 seconds without additional risk.
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• JohnC - Jun 03, 2008
  • Rank: 4.5 / 5 (2)
  I believe that "Express Gate" is Linux-based and brings up a functional OS in seconds. See http://www.vnunet...erboards for some more info.
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• Enthalpy - Jun 03, 2008
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
  Good link, thanks!
  
  If it's a full Linux and not a subset, OK.
  
  But don't be too confident with Linux neither: if it gets as popular as Windows, it will be as heavily attacked.
  
  Recently, a horrible weakness was discovered in Linux's SSL keys (only 65536 different keys!!!!) that had lasted for years - this gives a devastating feeling about Linux's security.
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• Nichevo - Jun 04, 2008
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
  Ah yes... the OpenSSL package in the Debian system ( and derivatives ) was broken by some people back in 2006 I think. Amongst the things that openssl did was to use an uninitialized variable as seed for the random-generator, this variable was discovered using some tool and subsequently caused portions of the code to be commented out. That left only the 16bit pid available to the random-generator. I guess everyone is prone to make stupid errors, but consider that had this been close-source it would not have been revealed by the researcher :)
  If you want to hear more about this download the latest q&a episode of security now at http://twit.tv/sn146
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