Web desktop

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A web desktop or webtop is a network application system for integrating web applications into a web-based workspace. It is a virtual desktop on the web, running in a web browser as software.

Web desktops often are characterized by an environment similar to that of Windows, Mac, or Linux, but are now considered to have much more functionality being dependent on the internet. Typical benefits include the ability to save work and settings over the internet rather than to the local desktop.

Contents

[edit] History

In the context of a web desktop, the term Webtop was first introduced by the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) in 1994 for a web-based interface to their UNIX operating system.[1] Andy Bovingdon and Ronald Joe Record, who both explored the concepts in different directions, are often credited as the inventors.[2] The initial SCO Webtop, developed by Record, utilized a Netscape Navigator plugin to display applications in a browser window via TightVNC.[3]

Bovingdon's three tiered architecture (TTA) concept was launched as the Tarantella Webtop. This technology originated from early commercial use of web server technology by SCO. the first OS vendor to include a commercial web server, NCSA HTTPd, and commercial web browser, NCSA Mosaic. Their X.desktop product line, obtained when they acquired IXI Limited in the UK, was the first to have icons for URLs and an HTML-based help system. Tarantella allowed real UNIX and Windows applications to be displayed within a web browser through the use of Java to form a true web based desktop or Webtop.

The first SCO Webtop releases were part of SCO Skunkware[4] before being integrated into SCO OpenServer version 5 and UnixWare 7. Tarantella was subsequently purchased by Sun Microsystems and integrated into their Sun Secure Global Desktop.[5]

Byte magazine referred to the Webtop as a NUI (Network User Interface).

[edit] Webtop versus Desktop

[edit] Advantages

Convenience: Own a personalized desktop on every PC which has a simple internet browser installed

Simple Software Management:

  • Always use the latest software
  • No need to install updates/patches
  • No need for software to distribute software over the network

Other points:

  • Minimum hardware requirements
  • High security level (if using https)
  • Less downtime (one single system can be protected easier than twenty)

[edit] Drawbacks

  • Security: Due to the fact that all data is transferred over the internet, it might be possible for a hacker to intercept the connection and read data. Although with the use of https 256-bit encryption and access control lists, this can be easily safe-guarded.
  • High-speed internet: When using a web-based desktop, the whole code used for visualization (.js/.css files, Flash player files, etc.) needs to be transferred to the local computer, so that it can be displayed.
  • Some say that there is no point to web operating systems and that they are "inherently an inadequate application development platform."[6]
  • Application: Applications written for a web desktop are generally limited in functionality compared to their offline counterparts.

[edit] Comparison of web desktops

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of web desktops. Please see the individual products' articles for further information and external links. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date.

Name Current Browser Support Developer Engine Free License Support external applications Graphical User Interface Downloadable to Web server
Browser OS (Online Operating System) IE7 iCube JavaScript + Ajax Yes Open Source (proprietary API) Yes Linux+Windows-like No
Desktop On Demand IE7 Desktop On Demand NX No Open Source GPL Yes (Premium) Linux+Windows-like No
Deskjump IE7 Deskjump Java Yes Proprietary Yes Linux+Windows-like No
DesktopTwo IE7 Sapotek Flash Yes (Beta) Open Source AGPL Yes Windows+Mac-like No
eyeOS IE7, Firefox2, Safari, Opera eyeOS Team PHP + AJAX Yes Open Source GNU Affero Public License Version 3 (AGPL3) Yes Mac-like Yes
G.ho.st IE7 G.ho.st Inc Flash Yes (Alpha) Proprietary Yes Windows-like No
ISDesktop IE7 ISDesktop Team GWT GWM Java J2EE No Proprietary Yes Linux / Windows / Mac-like No
Netvibes IE7 Netvibes Team Ajax Yes Proprietary Yes Tab-based No
Stoneware webOS IE7, FF2, Safari, Opera Stoneware, Inc. Java/ Ajax No Proprietary Yes Linux / Windows / Mac-like No
YouOS IE7, Firefox 2 WebShaka, Inc. Ajax Yes Proprietary Yes OS/2-like No
Ulteo IE7, Firefox 2, Opera, Safari Ulteo Java Yes Proprietary Yes KDE like No

[edit] See also

[edit] References

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ US6,104,392 (PDF version) (2000-08-15) Shaw , et al. Method of displaying an application on a variety of client devices in a client/server network  This application was based on the provisional application entitled "The Adaptive Internet Protocol System" filed Nov. 13, 1997, serial number 60/065,521 and is the U.S. patent for the technology used in the Tarantella Webtop.
  2. ^ The Santa Cruz Operation Technical White Paper, Tarantella --The Universal Application Server, July, 1997
  3. ^ A trademark application for "SCO Webtop" was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on November 8, 1996. In order to avoid confusion with the more complex technology incorporated into the Tarantella Webtop it was abandoned on December 24, 1997 by The Santa Cruz Operation. See uspto.gov, click on "Trademarks -> Search TM Database", and perform a Basic search for "Webtop". The only earlier occurrences in both the Patent and Trademark databases are for systems unrelated to a web desktop context.
  4. ^ SCO Skunkware Release Notes
  5. ^ Sun Microsystems Completes Tarantella Acquisition. Associated Press (2005-07-13). Retrieved on 2008-04-04.
  6. ^ Pain and Glory from the Trenches of the IT World » Blog Archive » Keep the Web in the browser, please