Kozhikode: You have heard of desktops and laptops, but now two engineering students in Kerala have come up with a virtual computer that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. All it needs is an internet connection.

K. Ansar and P.P. Ismail, final year computer science students at an engineering college in Vatakara, about 45 km from here, have set up www.bloxtr.com, the prototype of a virtual computer in which you can store all your important documents, favourite music, colourful pictures and even videos.

"The idea is that no one needs to carry a laptop or pen drive around. You can upload any files to the website and access it from any corner of the world. What you need is just an interface to access the internet," Ansar told IANS.

Ansar and Ismail are fans of Richard Stallman, the free software guru, and they are also keen on popularising the prowess of open source software.

Ismail said bloxtr is just a project and doesn't yet have the speed and features of professional applications. They are hoping for investment by corporate firms for the further development of their prototype.

According to the students, people are largely ignorant about the opportunities that open source software provides. They stumbled upon the idea of a virtual computer while mining the internet.