Virtual Computers (ARE YOU CRAZY!??!!!?!)

G.ho.st is trying to solve a problem that is being flagged up more and more as users flock to web-based services like Facebook. Namely: how do you ease the hassle of logging in everywhere? One solution is so-called 'open ID', where websites work out a way to share login information so that a user can have a single sign-in for multiple sites.


G.ho.st is approaching the problem in a slightly a different way - by transferring the entire operating system of a computer onto the web. That way, a single login on any computer with a browser effectively opens up the entirety of the web and PC-based applications that a person regularly uses. All document management and storage, for instance, becomes web-based. Creating and writing documents happens via free web-based products, like Google Docs.


G.ho.st is effectively trying to make us move towards a world where the entirety of a computer's 'functions' occur on the web - a type of computing that is referred to in the industry as 'the cloud'. Zvi Schreiber, the company's founder, said: "For 30 years we've all worked with the assumption that everything has to exist on the computer, but these days a browser is all we need."

from: http://timesonline.typepad.com/techn...-with-you.html

You sir haven't seen much light lately, as this is absolute craziness!

Uh... no thanks!!

I don't see what y'all find so weird about that. Basically all they're doing is porting a remote desktop to a browser....

The Blade terminal server at my school can handle 250 remote desktop connections at once without blinking, so processing capability isn't at all a problem.

What about security?

Its fine. My mum has to log in to the NHS. To access here desktop

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That's remote desktop I'm guessing which is relatively safe.
But this is accessible via web apps, which are insecure - no exceptions.
Gmail - anyone could access someones email with 5 minutes work. Scary

What about data privacy?

Yes....they would have to make sure that they are not breaking any laws about privacy such as the Data Protection Act and I guess any laws that are relevant in any other country as they will be freely available in all countries seeing as they're webpages

NOT! Take for example, online banking for private users. You're looking at 256bit SSL plus a five digit pre-shared code that gets sent to you in the mail. Each code is only valid for one session and be the time you've hacked you way into a session, it'll most likely be invalid already....

I'm also not sure about hacking google mail in 5 minutes.... How about a providing a source along with your wild claims?

Ooh, ok how about a wild claim from the land of 'my pc'. I can;t keep track of my own pc, what with the left over wires and screws etc, don't give me a virtual one to use as a potential transplant source :P

But, frinkky, if you have trouble "keeping track" of a "real" PC, then a virtual one is just the right thing. The hardware at the client end can be minimized to just a processor, RAM, a network card and any other necessary interfaces (grafix, USB, etc.) because the server will then take care of everything else. And a server is much less prone to hardware failure because the backup functions are more advanced (RAID systems for the hard drives, power supply backups, backup servers if the main server crashes....).

It's not a wild claim Jan is was on a security website not so long ago.
It's been fixed now of course.
I will try and find it.

OK, so it was a bug that allowed hacking. Gotta hate those insects

http://www.theregister.com/2007/09/2...vulnerability/

it got bug, it got another and then another, and loads of all sorts.

But back to topic, the first thing i thought of is reliablity, i don't want to have everything i need lost for a few days as england is just bad at keep things running!

True.
The Germans are a bit better....

No Thanks, google knows enough about me already.. This just sounds scary.. insecure and prone to failure (especially in Australia with our cruddy communications networks..)