Virtual Desktops as a Broadband Service PCaaS comes with pros and cons but it IS coming An article over at GigaOm yesterday takes a look at the fact that many broadband service providers are on the verge of beginning to offer virtual desktops to their customers in the form of PC as a Service (PCaaS). You would use either a hardware-based or software-based thin client to connect your keyboard, screen and mouse to the service provider and then all PC functions would take place on the network server. This is something that has been discussed for years but hardware advances in keyboards and mice along with the spread of broadband Internet have now made it a serious consideration for broadband service providers. There are pros and cons to using the service, of course, but more than that there are a lot of questions that still need to be addressed. One key issue mentioned in the article is the fact that broadband service providers who are exploring metered bandwidth would need to find a way to offer virtual PC services without charging the customer for the transfer of data from the keyboard/mouse to the virtual desktop.
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 | | lets all get stupid ya take away the persons freedom to invent , have fun where they want and totally commercialize it and overprice everything.
ya like the bell canada pvr that allows external hd's sound good?
well at 130$ for the programming youd want to put there
is triple the cost of the internet with a phone and the cheapest package from TSI ( 200GB cap)
that gets me 200GB a month compared to paying more.
The current trend is not to have smarter people but sheep that are blind and stupid to do anyhting but what they are told.
YOU won't be able to look stuff up on a net, youwill be adverted to as they see fit, control control.
Didn't hitler envision this?
and doomed to fail this is , where can i get my music , that tv episode or other stuff thats free. ( and im not only talking aobut what pirates say is free anyhting pre 1958 in canada = no copyright :50YEARS) | |
|  |  MikePremium,Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA | Re: lets all get stupid Everyone knows Hitler supported KVMs. | |
| | | Reviews:
 ·Cox HSI
 ·World Lynx
3 edits | Re: lets all get stupid said by Mike:Everyone knows Hitler supported KVMs. Geeze....first post has already kicked in Godwin's Law....downhill from here...
Seriously, this service might be useful for small businesses who don't want or can't invest in servers, software licensing, etc to run their business.
A friend of mine works in a small insurance shop with his mother and they have been checking out back-office services offered by third parties. You install their client and basically RDP into a remote desktop session that runs the software....(can't recall the name of the service)..
Might also be handy for grandma/pa that don't want to hassle with setting up a PC and configuring it to get on the web.....
Personally, I would rather have me own box and software... | |
| | | |  funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5 | Re: lets all get stupid said by N10Cities:said by Mike:Everyone knows Hitler supported KVMs. Geeze....first post has already kicked in Godwin's Law....downhill from here... That took 5 hours and 22 posts for anyone to mention. Gawd, I am old.
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| | | |  ctceoPremium
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN
 ·magicjack.com
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Midwest
| Just what you need, another middle man, a place for data to get lost or stolen, especially when the data you collect is Drivers Licence Numbers, SS#'s, Birth dates, Addresses, and More.
While were at it, why don't we invent a service that allows you to access your Virtual Desktop over a wirelessly connected laptop, that's tethered to a cell phone which communicates with a tower that communicates with a satellite that forwards your data to a warehouse for storage that sends you data to its intended target. This service to me is both redundant, not worth it financially, and simply an extra hole that data must pass through where it may encounter problems getting to its destination.
I mean heck a server for a small business doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg and doesn't need to be made from the top of the line most recent rig. Nor does it need to use Windows, It can use completely open source software Such as Open Office, with Linux, and a GUI similar to what the employees are familiar with.
If the company is so small they can't afford a hardware server of their own, they won't be able to afford this service either. Unless it's like 5 dollars a month. | |
|
bgraham
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY Reviews:
·Verizon VoiceWing
·Verizon FiOS
·VOIPo
1 edit | Just a New Way. Just a new way to get more money from subscribers.
Maybe if I wanted to use a very expensive program very occasionally, i.e. Photoshop, this might be a cheaper way. Other than that I don't see any advantage. Maybe this would allow people to easily take their desktop computers with them anywhere, but I can access my home computer with virtual desktop if I want to.
Edit: Maybe it would be a way to run processor intensive programs on an old underpowered computer? | |
| |  bear73Metnav... Fly The Unfriendly SkiesPremium
join:2001-06-09
Grand Forks Afb, ND | Re: Just a New Way. with the rediculoously low cost of hardware, why would anyone sign up for that. A more realistic turn of events would be for $ony and Micro$oft to add a keyboard/mouse package to the "gaming systems" and BAM!... heck, M$ is already trying to tie the XB360 with Netflicks... so there you go. a STB that can do all your entertainment and websurfing needs...
Someone just give me warning before SKYNET comes on-line...
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If ya gotta go, Go with a SMILE!
»www.thereligionofpeace.com/ | |
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| | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: Ain't gonna happen! This is actually pretty easy. Just not counting local network traffic as part of the metered portion.
Really easy to do. Having worked for a provider that did it we had to take out phone traffic, internal network traffic (like email and stuff) and other local services. Simple as adding an exception in the management hardware.
So I think that this is just a way to "fire up" the anit-cap people. get em a little more angry, because the problem does exist but was solved 5 years ago.
The problems I really see are getting my Ipod and other peripherals to work. That concerns me more than CAPS! | |
| | | Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO | Re: Ain't gonna happen! IF the point of the caps is to prevent local congestion(which is what they have suggested), then this would just prove that local congestion is not the issue. | |
| | | | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: Ain't gonna happen! No, since most of the traffic is headed out bound, through the bottleneck points which are usually there peers. There links to the net.
Congestion on cable nodes is easy to fix, just split it, done all the time. So if they claim congestion is the cable node itself then they are lying. I am pretty sure the problem is to the net, not locally. | |
| | | | | wentlancYou Can't Fix Dumb..
join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH | Re: Ain't gonna happen! Funny, when anyone points out that peering bandwidth is cheap and plentiful, we are told that the issues is access from the node to the headend. Now we find that that the opposite is true. I'd just like to see an agreeing argument on this issue. And I'll say it again, if they can exclude their own bandwidth, then they are being anti-competitive. Plain and simple...
cw | |
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| bgraham
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY Reviews:
·Verizon VoiceWing
·Verizon FiOS
·VOIPo
| said by spewak:One key issue mentioned in the article is the fact that broadband service providers who are exploring metered bandwidth would need to find a way to offer virtual PC services without charging the customer for the transfer of data from the keyboard/mouse to the virtual desktop. To quote Gordon Gecko: "Greed is good"..... If they are offering metered bandwidth why would they want to not charge for transfer of data from the mouse and keyboard? They charge bandwidth for everything else including pop up ads and cookies that breed even more unwanted ads.
I have not put a great deal of thought into this and frankly I would probably have no use for it but as I mentioned I could see a couple of uses. I could take a virtual PC anywhere that has a broadband connection and maybe use a powerful expensive program that I don't own perhaps running it on a PC that is not capable. | |
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1 edit |  Back to the future
A thin client environment can mean a low cost method of accessing your data from anywhere, but it does depend tremendously on continuous availability of the back end systems that hold your data and run the applications. The problem is when those back end systems seize up( see Amazon S3 problems), you lose all access to your application and your data.
As for me, I'd rather keep my critical data and application systems local(e.g. my financial systems), and just use the web to encrypt and back up that data.
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| | | | Re: Back to the future Maybe we can even go one step better, get keypunch machines and send our deck to the data center for processing. Then when processed, the output could be mailed back to us or as a real advance, even sent back over some sort of high speed data line. | |
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| | Security and privacy issues abound. With identity theft rampant (and set to grow even more), why would anyone buy in to this? I can understand marketing guys trying to sell anything (including snake oil). However, I would hope that people haven't lost all common sense. Not to mention the issue of productivity when the network is down--gee, all your data, including applications, would reside on your ISP's computers. And don't think you could use this kind of a set up for occasional telecommuting. Most large employers that allow telecommuting have information security policies that would put the kibosh on this. Dumb, dumb idea thought up by people with no appreciation for security or data compliance standards. (I hope the marketing departments sit down with legal before trying to roll something like this out.) | |
| | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Security and privacy issues abound. said by voipdabbler:With identity theft rampant (and set to grow even more), why would anyone buy in to this? I can understand marketing guys trying to sell anything (including snake oil). However, I would hope that people haven't lost all common sense. ... (more of the same snipped) (I hope the marketing departments sit down with legal before trying to roll something like this out.) You have it completely backwards. Putting the application and OS layers back on the server will greatly IMPROVE security. The IT organization can actually manage users' environments and stop them from doing stupid stuff.
Most of the identity theft, malware, viruses, and data loss comes from EXACTLY the fact that PCs are under control of the user, and not hosted back at the ranch.
In some ways the PC was a really, really bad idea. Making ordinary people into system admins is a recipe for disaster, both from a usability and productivity point of view, and also security. | |
| | | | | Re: Security and privacy issues abound. Sorry, but I have no faith in ISPs being any more successful at preventing their networks from being hacked than an individual. In addition, you would have a new layer of danger, too--disgruntled ISP employees. (Yes, there are documented cases of data being stolen by disgruntled employees.) Most importantly, I suspect many ISPs, if they want to turn in to data warehouses, won't be able to comply with various state-imposed data compliance laws. (States have been much more active at imposing various compliance standards for electronic data than federal officials. However, as identity theft continues to climb, expect to see more stringent federal laws being enacted.) I will say it again, this is a dumb, dumb idea. | |
| | | | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Security and privacy issues abound. said by voipdabbler:Sorry, but I have no faith in ISPs being any more successful at preventing their networks from being hacked than an individual. You have got to be kidding me. I've seen a lot of stuff on this site but this takes the cake.
Please do some research from any organization that does IT security and then tell me that giving end users control over their security improves it. | |
| | | | |  koma3504AdvocatePremium
join:2004-06-22
North Richland Hills, TX | Re: Security and privacy issues abound. I trust only my Secutity. FYI: Att has internal servers with their directories wide open to anyone on the internet.
Just look at the Dns exploit. &
»Huge Internet Security Hole Demonstrated | |
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| | funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5 | For the ultimate in security, users should disconnect the power and bury the box in a huge concrete hole. Everything else is some degree of a compromise between the users' flexibility and security.
That said, I like this idea. I probably won't be signing up, but choices are a good thing. MyDogHsFleas  , are you going to sign up for this, yourself? | |
| | | | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Security and privacy issues abound. said by funchords: MyDogHsFleas , are you going to sign up for this, yourself? Personally, probably not, because I am a "power user". I think this is more for the person who just wants no-hassle Web browser and e-mail access.
However, I am really getting into Google Apps, which delivers the ability to do email, IM, presentations, documents, and spreadsheets, with full collaboration with others, with online presentation broadcasts, and also teamroom type capability... all with just a Web browser.
I think this would all really take off if there really was a true network appliance (rather than a PC) that users could buy, with no maintenance or configuration necessary, that would tie into Google Apps, do Web browsing, and maybe this virtual desktop deal. Kind of like a set-top box rather than a PC. | |
| | | | | wentlancYou Can't Fix Dumb..
join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH | Re: Security and privacy issues abound. For web browser and email access, a thin client is a stupid idea because of the overhead required at the server side. Why not just put a browser on a stripped Linux Kernel instead? Maybe MS could write such a minimalistic OS, and give it away for these types of users.
cw | |
|
Reviews:
 ·T-Mobile US
| Good for the basic user This is great for people who just need basic computer needs and don't want to have to deal with thing like anti-virus, firewalls, etc. The person that comes to mind first, is my grandmother. She just needs e-mail, web access, and a word processing.
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This Space for Rent... | |
| | bear73Metnav... Fly The Unfriendly SkiesPremium
join:2001-06-09
Grand Forks Afb, ND | Re: Good for the basic user this was tried with WebTV a few years back. You could surf hte web from your TV and just have to buy a propriatary STB and keyboard/mouse combo. just another attempt to revitalize an old idea
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If ya gotta go, Go with a SMILE!
»www.thereligionofpeace.com/ | |
| | | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Good for the basic user said by bear73:this was tried with WebTV a few years back. You could surf hte web from your TV and just have to buy a propriatary STB and keyboard/mouse combo. just another attempt to revitalize an old idea Yes there are no new computing ideas in general. However, things move from being failed experiments to being wildly successful when it's their time.
The big differences between WebTV and now are:
1) the large uptake on broadband
2) the use of "standard" desktops rather than a unique platform that requires developers to add support for it | |
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bear73Metnav... Fly The Unfriendly SkiesPremium
join:2001-06-09
Grand Forks Afb, ND | The more things change, the more they stay the same... Thin Client is just another name for dumb terminal. and I really wish the PR pundits would quit comming up with slick words for old tech.
the dumb terminal was the way to go back in the 60s and 70s. I remember my dad bringing home a terminal that he would plug the phone handset onto, and then dial in to work to "work" on the mainframe at DEC. When the PC was just barely starting out, the big players maintained that the mainframe and dumb terminal was still going to be the way of the future. too bad they just couldnt see the road from there to here. Yes, for the business environment especially, the dumb terminal has alot of benifits. All of your licencing issues are all at one location, all of your software updates are at 1 location, no worries of employees adding unauthorized software or hardware.
AND even better news for the software developers as they can better monitor the software licences businesses use.
back in 2000 Microsoft started talking and looking into a system that would allow people to actively load software from their servers, rather than you buying the software disks and loading the program on your local machine...
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If ya gotta go, Go with a SMILE!
»www.thereligionofpeace.com/ | |
| | | Funny And "they" said the mainframe was dead. (which it isn't by the way)
I can see 2 types of people using some "PCaaS" feature from their ISP: (1) people who don't actually need/use/understand PCs, and (2) idiots (trust someone like Comcast with your desktop/data/personal info? then you deserve what you get) | |
| | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Funny said by mod_wastrel:trust someone like Comcast with your desktop/data/personal info? then you deserve what you get The average user's desktop would be WAY, WAY safer with any IT provider than where it is now.
I can't tell you how many times friends and family have lost data or completely f'ed up their PCs because they didn't follow even the most basic IT practices. What? I was supposed to back up my pictures? My POP3 email on Outlook Express is gone because I switched to a new computer and didn't copy 47 hidden files? Clicking "OK" on that installation security warning from that porn site was a bad idea? etc. etc. etc.... | |
| | | KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | Re: Funny yea but the whole thing would have to be majorly idiot proof, to the point that even the typical ISP customer couldnt screwup the setup. id almost say as far as intigrated cable modems, because most people cant even identify an ethernet cable even when you say it looks like an oversized phone cord.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
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| | remember Webtv lets all go back to that...lmfao/ | |
|  TzaleProud Libertarian ConservativePremium
join:2004-01-06
NYC Metro
1 edit |  Long Time Coming...
Don't get me wrong... This isn't going to take place overnight... But I think within the next decade or so we're going to start seeing a migration back to dumb terminals. Imagine an interconnected world with your mobile devices, automobiles, home "PC", tvs, work etc all using one service... I think once we hit the limits of silicon CPU technology, we're going to be forced to migrate.. It'll help reduce waste too... You could have your phone / tv / computer all in one device.
-Tzale
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Neoconservatives (G.W.B) are not true conservatives. A conservative believes in defending the Constitution. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - RON PAUL 2008 | |
| | TheMGPremium
join:2007-09-04
Canada
kudos:1 Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| Re: Long Time Coming... Oh I think it's going to take much longer than that, if ever. As it stands, the internet is not ready to take on the insane load that would be required to connect dumb terminals to central servers.
It made sense in the past... when terminals were pretty much text only. Nowadays there's an abundance of games and multimedia applications, and monitors of ever increasing resolutions. The amount of bandwidth required would be far beyond anything we can come by in a decade's time! We're talking billions in new and upgraded network infrastructure here. | |
| | | Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| Re: Long Time Coming... It is taking place. Adobe has Photoshop-Express online. There is more and more Webex installations and support. There are plans for Office online (Office Live). Direct printing to Kinkos and other "print" services.
Imagine the millions of users that "would" justify a subscription service to access software and features that would be out of their reach.
Then imagine the problems with that model.
It will take over a decade to convince another generation that this is cheaper and more reliable than "owning" a powerful desktop. Kinda like leasing: you can have more, for less. (but not in the longrun).
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Weeeeeeee! | |
| | | | TzaleProud Libertarian ConservativePremium
join:2004-01-06
NYC Metro | Re: Long Time Coming... said by cableties:It is taking place. Adobe has Photoshop-Express online. There is more and more Webex installations and support. There are plans for Office online (Office Live). Direct printing to Kinkos and other "print" services. Imagine the millions of users that "would" justify a subscription service to access software and features that would be out of their reach. Then imagine the problems with that model. It will take over a decade to convince another generation that this is cheaper and more reliable than "owning" a powerful desktop. Kinda like leasing: you can have more, for less. (but not in the longrun). I'll tell ya' one thing... It definitely will help reduce piracy, so I'd expect the software companies to be 100% behind this.
-Tzale
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Neoconservatives (G.W.B) are not true conservatives. A conservative believes in defending the Constitution. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - RON PAUL 2008 | |
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| wentlancYou Can't Fix Dumb..
join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH | You are half right. We have, in fact, been migrating more and more to a dumb terminal. You are using it right now. It's called a browser. But you will not lose users to networked workstations anytime soon. The main reason is lack of connectivity. If you are not online, you cannot work. This product will only appeal to a very slim portion of the users out there. And they are not a growing number of users. They are actually dwindling.
cw | |
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 dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | Uhmmmmmm NO! | |
| MySay
join:2008-04-08
Mansfield, TX | I smell... I smell a propietary keyboard/mouse set, in which you'll be charged $5-$10 a month for (for each set). You can't adjust wallpaper, customizations, etc. W/O purchasing through them!
Every little way that can nickel and dime you to death, you can bet your sweet ass it'll be there! | |
|  NOYBSt. John 3.16Premium
join:2005-12-15
Forest Grove, OR
kudos:1 | Kiss the BOT Nets FarewellThis would be a great services for all those people out there who can not keep their computer from participating in BOT nets and sending spam.
This would be a great service for non-power users who do not need local nor offline computing capabilities (grandparents, parents, some non techie siblings, young children, etc.)
It is obviously not for everyone, not for a long time to come anyway, but for many people it could be a great service. One size does not fit all goes both ways.
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Ain't gonna happen!
