On 03/18/2013 08:10 PM, Kevin Chadwick wrote: > On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:28:04 -0400 > Michael Mol wrote: > >>> >>> Even though it is from a DVD it can be updated just like standard >>> linux. The problem is, if you run out of ram then things get killed. >>> >>> >>>> (Frankly, this sounds quite nice for kiosk environments.) >>> >>> Could be if you have a good enough network connection for Linux >>> kernel updates or cut it right down ;-) >> >> Local gigabit is cheap, and a gigabit connection would transfer the >> image in under a minute. A bit more, of course, if you've got an >> overloaded server being slammed by ten or twenty machines. >> >> (I wonder if one can anycast TFTP on a local segment. Hm. I think you >> could just barely pull it off, since you'd have resolved the layer 2 >> address for your syn packet, and that should stick with the >> connection.) > > Kiosks are notorious for having difficulty in getting to connections > as there place is determined by other factors. Still it may make a good > choice of OS except for reboot time. > I was thinking POS-style setups in a makerspace I help with. If I had to cope with wireless or cellular, and I was seriously concerned about security on a budget, I'd use an internal USB stick with a fuse diode to prevent further writing, or an SD card with a similar fuse tripped. Expire on a schedule. Send updates as replacement data devices.