Intel Vanderpool: One PC, Multiple Users

[SimGuy]

Intel Vanderpool: One PC, Multiple Users

A single PC for all members of your family to use at the same time?

By far the most interesting “Technology” Intel presented at Day 2 of the Fall 2003 Intel Developer Forum (IDF) was Vanderpool Technology. Our enterprise users may be familiar with similar technology running on large scale supercomputers, and those linux users out there who want to run windows in a window via VMWare will also have a grasp of this.

Essentially, Vanderpool Technology is hardware virtualization for the desktop – allowing multiple users to use the same PC as if it were multiple PCs. The fact that this is a hardware implementation gives Intel a huge leg up on software like VMWare though. During Intel's demo of VT hardware, one user was able to watch a dvd while the other played a game, and even rebooted the computer and installed drivers, without interrupting the first. This technology enables a plethora of options that could really assist Intel in their digital home focus.

This is one very good use for the incredible power today's desktop microprocessors are given, since you could buy one 4GHz PC and share its power among multiple independent users, each with their own OS, drivers and programs.

Source: Anandtech.com (http://www.anandtech.com/IT/showdoc.html?i=1868&p=4)

[edcentric]

and running windoz we could crash them all at once.
With pc prices down where they are now what is the point.
If they needed to share info or interact I could see it.

[Geeky1]

All I can say is this:

4 copies of FightSim 2004 on one computer, at one time :eek: :eek2: :aol: :hiding:

[SimGuy]

Think about the families or small businesses that have absolutely no need for extreme performance out of their PC, and only Internet browse or word process or e-mail.

All of a sudden, there is hardware support so a company (or family) can go out, purchase a $1500.00 PC and share it between 4 employees... or 4 family members.

Sure, it's not viable for people who need extreme performance out of their systems (ie. enthusiasts who fold or play FS2004), but for the majority of the computer buying public, this technology makes having 2 seperate PC's completely redundant.

[Leonardo]

I think technologies like are going to blossum in the future. Better RAM, better CPUs, better bus configurations: it's only natural that, what shall we call it, truly expanded multi-tasking would arrive.

Still though, it would have to be a very powerful computer for say three users simultaneously to be performing complex tasks, like UT2 on one "computer", DVD ripping on another, and Folding or Prime95 on yet another. Maybe in three or four years we'll see CPUs with multi-threading, like five or six threads. (Wow, six instances of Folding running simultaneously, each treated as if they were tied to their own CPU!) :D

[WuGgaRoO]

this is by far one of the most ingenious concept ever...i mean...it could easily save thousands of dollars...im suprised m$ isnt bitching about it yet.... :)