persistant home via webdav.org (true network computer)

**kbreen** · 02-23-2003, 01:53 PM

Would this be possible/useful/sensible?

Just thought that it could be useful to have a persistant home available anywhere on the internet (no need to carry around USB drives etc). You would just need to carry your Knoppix CD to have access to your network computer. All you personal data would be safe on a remote host.

This could be a new CheatCode of where to pickup your webdav homedir.

Also, webdav works over http (I've not actually used it, but thats my current understanding) so this persistant home would be firewall friendly.

Anyway, just a thought.

**eadz** · 02-23-2003, 02:00 PM

Yes I have thought of this, but havn't worked out what would be the best server. Webdav wouldn't, as you can't mount a webdav directory.. ( afaik )

I was thinking that the network block device, or some soft of nfs/afs system would work.

**kbreen** · 02-23-2003, 02:40 PM

Looks like you can mount davfs:
http://www.mandrakeuser.org/docs/connect/cnetips2.html

(again, i've not actually tried the above, but it looks like an option)

**fiasco** · 05-23-2003, 10:20 AM

Hi,

You are not the only one thinking of that possibility -> In fact this
idea is one of the main strings relevant for a project which initially
started about one month ago, called newthinking linux:

The main goal ist to be able to provide a simplified os based on knoppix
(big probs once again). Aimed not to the advanced linux user, but people
willing to get an alternative to their usual windows environment. And all of
this for the costs of the cdr and flyer... Linux is the best -let people use it!

Most of them I know do not have the courage/time/friends to knee deeply
into linux technology - they want to work with it and they want to have fun.
In my point of view the barrier of people willing to change is not that linux
offers too less, but they have too many alternatives to choose from.
Reducing complexity is the key: That means reducing the number of
applications to the ones mostly needed (one thing that users will be able
to decide democratically) firstly.

Furthermore and there is the linkt to this idea, geographic independence is
most important:

>You would just need to carry your Knoppix CD to have access to your
>network computer. All you personal data would be safe on a remote host.

Yes, yes, yes. And to think even further, it does not play a role where you
are. Just take your newthinking/knoppix cd and enjoy your personal
environment wherever you are.
We have talked to many boys (and even some girls

how to implement
this in the best way. Many suggestions, but still no solution.

newthinking will soon open its doors at sourceforge, input warmly welcome already now!

**probono** · 05-23-2003, 08:23 PM

ftpfs would even allow to do this with an ordinary (i. e., free) ftp account!

**kbreen** · 06-05-2003, 10:34 PM

anyone got any news on newthinking Linux?

It does sound interesting...

**sim** · 06-19-2003, 02:11 AM

Around the office here we use WebDAV quite a lot (to the point of developing webdav clients and servers). DavFS seems to work pretty well for us, and would be a good way of implementing a web-based persistent home - another one that is really interesting is LUFS, which includes sshfs and ftpfs (ssh is a particularly good way to implement this kind of thing)
http://lufs.sourceforge.net/lufs/