HyperSpace (software)
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Operating systems |
| Founder | Phoenix Technologies |
| Products | Linux-based instant-on operating system |
| Parent | Phoenix Technologies (until June 2010), then HP |
HyperSpace is a Linux-based instant-on operating system created by Phoenix Technologies. It serves as an application platform capable of running either independently or alongside conventional operating systems such as Microsoft Windows.
In January 2009, Asus revealed intentions to incorporate HyperSpace into its forthcoming notebook models. The product was showcased again during the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. Subsequently, Phoenix enhanced HyperSpace to support the Cortex-A8 ARM processor, aiming at embedded system applications.
By June 2010, the intellectual property rights for HyperSpace were transferred from Phoenix to HP.
Overview
HyperSpace provided a Linux-based user environment accessible immediately upon boot or through a shortcut within Windows. Its interface featured a main screen with widgets and preloaded applications, including a web browser derived from Mozilla Firefox, an office suite, and RealPlayer. Phoenix asserted that HyperSpace could increase notebook battery longevity by up to 25%.
The product was available in three editions:
- HyperSpace Dual configured as a conventional dual-boot system, where only one OS could operate at any given moment.
- HyperSpace Hybrid enabled simultaneous operation of Windows and HyperSpace via the "HyperCore" hypervisor, allowing instant toggling between the two. This edition required Intel virtualization technology (VT-x).
- HyperSpace Dual Resume employed unconventional ACPI techniques to maintain both operating systems in memory without using a hypervisor, although only one OS was active at a time. During startup, a bootloader allocated specific memory areas for both Windows and HyperSpace. Switching between OSes involved suspending one to RAM (using ACPI S3 standby), while an "OS Steering Module" adjusted ACPI tables to boot the alternate OS in its reserved memory region.
The HyperSpace system resided within a concealed disk partition; meanwhile, the Windows partition was mounted as read-only using NTFS-3G, but a UnionFS overlay enabled limited read-write access specifically to the My Documents directory. When transitioning back to Windows from HyperSpace, a device driver managed synchronization of filesystem modifications through a journaling mechanism.
Phoenix marketed HyperSpace under a subscription model and collaborated with OEMs such as Asus, Gigabyte, and Samsung Electronics to have it pre-installed on hardware products.