WebOS – the remote virtual desktop
Web 2.0 and the sudden rise in popularity of hosted services over the past few years have, in a away, given rise to a new definition of what an operating system is. Thanks to application frameworks, integrated development environments (IDEs) and tools such as Ajax, Ruby on Rails, Javascript and Flash, developers have come out with what they call the next big thing in hosted services. Web Operating Systems or WEBOSes for short, Some insist that these applications don’t fall under the traditional sense of what an operating system is, as they don’t act as an intermediary between the hardware and software layers in a computer, and that they should be dubbed Web Apps instead.
A WebOS, as defined by most, is a virtual desktop that resides, where else, on the Internet. In other words, imagine interacting with your computer desktop, shortcuts, documents and everything else you see when using your computer, but through your browser window.
This open up a whole slew of potential usage models and applications, the biggest of which is the ability to have your desktop in one central location, and accessible form anywhere, so long as you have a broadband connection and a web browser. You can take a break from working on your virtual desktop in the office, save the virtual desktop, go home, load up your browser, reestablish your virtual desktop and it’ll be like you never left the office; with all the same files and applications at your disposal, In a nod towards productivity, this also enables user collaboration on the same virtual desktop from multiple individuals.
The fact that they are designed to run out of a browser makes WebOSes indiscriminate of hardware platforms; enabling users to access the same set of applications and data online without having to worry about whether or not their hardware and software is supported by the operating system; much like how Mac OS, Linux and Windows users find it a messy affair when interchanging files and applications.
No emerging technology is without its limitations however, and that’s exactly the case with the WebOS. Reliance on an internet connection is by far the biggest weakness f the WebOs, when your Internet connection fails, you’re cut off; which is why the ability to also be able to work on your computer offline weighs heavily against the basic principles of a WebOS.
In addition, there are security concerns between the point when data leaves your terminal, and the point when data reaches the servers where your virtual desktop resides and vice versa; how can you be 100% sure that your data is safe from prying eyes? Many feel that issues of authentication and privacy haven’t been sufficiently addressed.
What about gaming? It seems pretty far fetched that you could be able to play 3D-acceleratedgames on a virtual desktop. Peripherals too, are an issue. Bluetooth headsets, USB add–ons, external storage devices; are all those going to work with a virtual desktop? How about the server itself? What’s going to happen if the service provider’s server farm crashes and takes down a couple of hundred (or more) virtual desktops along with it?
The main premises behind the WebOS-collaboration, remote virtual desktops that can be accessed from anywhere, independence from hardware platforms- all currently paint an optimistic picture of how computing will charge in the future. Until other equally important issues such as security and the reliability of your internet connection can be adequately addressed, the WebOS still has quite a way to go.
Thankfully, there is no lack of enthusiasm from the WebOS community, with various flavours floating around such as the likes of YouOS, EyeOS and DestopTwo. Will the virtual desktop take off? With related to the Internet, who knows. Check back in a year or two and we might have a definite answer for you.
