On Asus P5Q and Express Gate Linux

ASUS recently introduced Express Gate technology, and the first on-board Energy Processing Unit for those who care about the environment and want instant access to their PCs. As we all know by now, all the latest Asus P5Q series motherboards based on latest Intel P45 chipset, will feature Express Gate Linux version, which previously was featured only on very-high-end motherboards.

ASUS Express Gate SSD is a neat feature which uses an optional Linux OS bootup installed on a small flash drive on the board for quick access to the Internet in just a few seconds. Express Gate allows you to enjoy commonly used functions like accessing the Internet, VoIP, and Web emailing without entering the OS.

20xk0 On Asus P5Q and Express Gate Linux

Despite the fact that its original designers, DeviceVM have released the source code under GPL, Asus is adamant this feature should remain locked down to updates for the foreseeable future. Asus is afraid that opening it up leaves all sorts of potential security risks that could scupper the reputation. It’s a shame because, while innovative, this feature is still very limited, such as you cannot install any add-ons for Firefox.

The only current advantage we can see is if you’re the forgetful type and often need to make a quick phone call with Skype, or to quickly check the net or send a message to someone, without having to wait for the PC to boot completely.There’s still not media player either because this is limited to license issues and however much while we’d love to see VLC ported to it because the SDK is open to all, it isn’t going to happen because Asus has locked it down. What’s the point of DeviceVM trying to create a catalogue of software and a community when only Asus uses its product exclusively and denies anyone else access? Another big problem, or should I say limitation, is that you can’t download from it as there is no room on the flash drive for storage and and you can’t even access your system’s hard drives.

(I am quite sure she will be late at work ….)

BTW, who really needs to fire up a PC quickly for some instant photo management or watch youtube? I’d rather prefer a simple file browser instead so I can quickly throw those documents I forgot onto a USB memory key … but then again, this is not possible. Is Asus using the ExpressGate in the wrong way!

This definitely has the potential, but from my perspective I guess the limitations are need to be looked at and added on later versions to give it more juice.