[nylug-talk] Emergency Transfer project

[JH Earthlink]

Hi all,

I'm an amateur inventor, and was struck by a cool idea for using Puppy Linux to recover data remotely from Windows computers that won't boot.

I don't want to go into too much detail without having people sign a NDA, but in a nutshell, it's a way for non-Linux users to put a Puppy Linux-based CD into a Win computer that won't boot, and use it to recover data over the Internet.

The program I envision would act as a 'shell' sitting on top of an unmodified Puppy distro, (distribution),  with the first option being to run the data recovery program, which I've given the provisional name of 'Emergency Transfer' - or ET, for short, and the second option being to boot directly into Puppy. Why it's called ET will be evident from the full disclosure (grin).

I am (of course) totally open to using other distros, but v2.15 CE of Puppy works well with older computers and/or low ram.  Whatever distro we use, I'd like to tithe a portion of the profits to it for support.

The ET code would be closed-code, but work with, and through, the unmodified Puppy distro to maintain the legality and spirit of the GPL copyright. The concept is to create a service for data recovery that could work globally to recover data, and ALSO to distribute Puppy (globally) at the same time.

I don't know how many Windows computers crash and need data recovery every day, on a global basis, but my guess is thousands - every one of whom is a potential customer for ET services. We could create a business that would help support free (and legal) software, and do a lot of good, helping non-technical people recover their data.

I'm not a programmer, just a computer tech with a knack for inventing. So I'd need the help of programmers and sysadmins from within the Linux community to create this project. But from working with Puppy for several years, I feel certain that the ET project is not only do-able, but actually pretty simple - if you have the expertise - which I don't.

If you're interested, please contact me, and I'll send you the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) form. If you like the concept, welcome aboard! If not, please just don't talk about it.

And for those of you who do wiring, especially audio wiring, please check out my book on wiring audio recording studios that will be out later this year: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Wiring-Guide-popular-connectors/dp/0240520068

The book is a project I started in 1991, and have finally completed. It's 325 pages with 520+ full color pictures.  So I do have a track record of bringing large projects to fruition.

I'd appreciate it if the email for this project went directly to me - since it is, by its nature, confidential.

My email is: jhecht at ix.netcom.com

Thanks for reading! 

John Hechtman
www.zenarrow.com
jhecht at ix.netcom.com
"Computer help in NYC"
service 212-459-4323