The fastest and easiest way to try Linux

Workspot : Your Web-Notebook is Here

By:- Ravishankar Shrivastava

It seems that your wish is finally going to become true. It is now apparent that the way Hotmail has changed your e-mailing habit, Workspot (and several other, perhaps, in similar lines) is going to change your computing habit, and hopefully, in near future, most mobile computing may follow this holy path. Workspot is offering you a complete Linux desktop with 100 MB space through a Java enabled browser via Internet, and the offer is true platform independent. It means that you can access your Linux Desktop on top of any Operating System e.g. MacOS / Windows or Unix etc., through any computer connected to broad-band Internet. You can access Workspot Linux Desktop from anywhere and anytime in the world through Internet. It means that the need to carry your Notebook or Laptop on your back everywhere is now finally going to be eliminated (well, if certain things e.g. bandwidth requirements and availability of Internet Computers at everywhere etc. are addressed; which, they will, eventually) through Workspot Linux Desktop.

Workspot: A Remote Linux Desktop Anywhere

Workspot is a true platform independent, full graphical desktop running Redhat Linux 8 which can be logged in as workstation through a web browser. The only pre-condition is – the web browser should be Java enabled. Workspot uses the full potential of free software and extend it to the user in an innovative way. Workspot uses free software - VNC, which is capable to show remote desktop in a Java applet. Through VNC and similar other tool, you can access remote desktop of proprietary Operating Systems for System Administration purpose or Help / Remote Assistance only, and not for work, since they are licensed that way. But as Linux is free, you can access and work free Linux Desktop from anywhere, any time with Workspot. Workspot is giving you this facility for a very nominal charge of $9.95 per month.

Workspot: the easiest way to try Linux

Workspot is the fastest and easiest way to try Linux. Without registering with Workspot, you can try its Linux Desktop demonstration for 10 minutes. It is easier even than Knoppix or Lify CD where you need to boot in to purely Linux environment through CD. For working on Linux with Workspot, with a computer having Internet connection and Java enabled browser, you simply need to go to http://www.workspot.com , put your user name and password if you are a registered user and if not a registered user, then click on “One click Demo free” and within no time (depending upon your Internet connection speed), you will be able to work or have a demo as the case may be, on a running Linux Desktop. The Linux Desktop will appear inside the window of your browser. All your work is performed at remote end i.e. at the Workspot server and what you see on your browser is screen of Workspot remote desktop.

Workspot: some possible use

With Workspot, you can do following and much more:

• You can try out / learn to use and finally use Linux and its thousands of software that are free.
• Use it as a teaching tool with shared desktop – since a single Workspot desktop can be seen and shared with multiple users at the same time.
• Workspot Linux Desktop can be used for file upload and download.
• It can be used as Web-Notebook similar as web-mail. You can work on a running Linux Desktop instantly from anywhere, any time through a web browser. You can access Workspot Linux Desktop from your home computer or from your friends or from a cyber café’s computer. This type of freedom was one of the most important reasons behind immense popularity of web based email and with Workspot, similar facility as a complete remote desktop is extended to you. Finally, you can now travel without your Notebook or Laptop computer. Workspot not only provides you access to your Linux desktop computer anywhere in the world in any OS through Java enabled browser ready to work on it but it is always instantly available to you as you left it, intact. Further, there is no need to reboot – no worry to software upgrade – no need to software fixing – no need to tackle virus threats etc. - and finally no need to purchase and carry notebook or Laptop, simply use Workspot Linux Desktop from a computer nearest to you connected to internet.
• Through Workspot , you can work on most of the free software released for Linux platform including Office suites like OpenOffice. Further, in Workspot Linux desktop, there is Ximian, the Outlook Express like tool through which you can access your POP-3 mails as web mail (since you are accessing your Linux Desktop through Internet), real fast, without web-pages.
• For total privacy, browse Web, get your work done from your local computer through Workspot, which is again on another server. No traces of what you have done except connection details will be there in local computer. SSL support is underway for Workspot.
• It is fully flexible – you can work on any Internet capable PC or workstation as thin client. Further, Workspot offer you complete secure environment and you will be able to use Workspot in a firewalled environment too, through some open, secured TCP port.

Future of Workspot

Presently, Workspot is providing you Redhat Linux 8 on its desktop. There is plan to provide you option to choose among major distribution like Debian, Mandrake, SuSe, UnitedLinux etc. Similarly, though the Workspot is designed to work as true platform independent tool, presently, it is not available in certain Hardware and Software environment and refuses to run on certain other. For example, during testing, while it works well on WindowsXP, but produces error while running on Windows98. Workspot is terribly slow in Dial-up connection, and it cannot be used other than demonstration purpose. For a fair work, 64 KBPS ISDN is necessary and broadband connection is essential for smooth work. Similarly, Workspot is presently not supporting Networking and Multimedia. There is plan to extend support in these and more areas as well including website / application hosting and server programming environment.

Workspot has promising future as the Internet bandwidth and ISP charges are no longer major issues now. At the rate of less than Rs. 500 per month, which is probably less than the maintenance / upgrade cost of a Notebook computer, you are getting a true mobile Compuing environment that is virtual and has potential to appear on any computer near you.

Screenshot Descriptios:

Workspot01.png To have a demo of Workspot Linux Desktop, simply open your Web browser that is Java enabled, go to http://www.workspot.com and click on “One-click Demo, Free” button.

Workspot02.png Workspot Linux Desktop playing Poker in Mozilla browser on top of Knoppix Linux.

Workspot03.jpg Workspot Linux Desktop ready to use in Internet Explorer on top of WindowsXP.

Workspot04.jpg Click on “Disconnect” button in the browser window to close Workspot Linux Desktop. The Linux Desktop will remain available to you in the state as you left it next time when you start Workspot again.