Understanding Web-Based Desktops
A web-based desktop, or webtop,
is essentially a virtual computer desktop displayed inside your web
browser, delivered over any Internet connection. A web desktop has a
graphical user interface (GUI) like Windows or the Mac OS, and often
comes complete with one or more productivity applications. The webtop
and all its apps, as well as your personal preferences for how the
desktop looks, are stored in the cloud, and you access it over the web.
What kind of apps come
with a typical webtop? In almost all cases, it includes basics such as a
web browser, email program (for the hosting site’s web-based email
service), web calendar, and maybe even instant messaging client. In many
instances, the application suite also includes a word processor and
spreadsheet, and maybe even a presentation program. In other words, all
the apps you need to be functional in the office or on the road are
included.
Of course, the chief benefit
of a web-based desktop is that you get your own personalized computing
environment that follows you around from computer to computer—or even to
compatible cell phones and handhelds. All you have to do is log on to
your desktop from any web browser, and everything you do—all your apps
and files—is right there, same as it was the last you left them. And
it’s all completely personalized with the colors, backgrounds, and order
you specify.
Note
For the best results with any web-based desktop, run the desktop full screen—not in a window.
Interestingly, some
people refer to web-based desktops as web-based operating systems,
because they deliver OS-like functionality over the web. I don’t buy
that, because a webtop does not replace your current operating system;
it sits on top of it—or, more accurately, inside your web browser.
That said, many web-based
desktops look and feel a lot like your favorite operating system. Some
mimic Windows right down to the taskbar and Start button. Others do
their best not
to look like Windows, figuring you’ve had enough of that. Naturally,
you should pick the webtop that looks and feels most natural to you.
Evaluating Web-Based Desktops
There are a number of
competing web-based desktops. Some are free, some are subscription
based. We’ll look at the most popular in alphabetic order.
ajaxWindows
One of the most fully developed web desktops is ajaxWindows (www.ajaxwindows.com). This webtop integrates several key applications, including ajaxWrite, ajaxSketch, and ajaxPresent.
As you can see in Figure 1,
the ajaxWindows interface is very Windows-like, which should make it
easy for beginners to get comfortable with. The desktop duplicates much
of the functionality of the standard Windows desktop, including desktop
icons, a start menu, taskbar, and Sidebar-like widgets. Of course, you
can add your own programs as icons to the desktop and customize the
desktop’s background and color scheme.
Although you
have to sign up to get full functionality (with online storage thanks to
Gmail), registration is free. The wide range of apps plus the free cost
makes ajaxWindows a good choice for all users.
Deskjump
Deskjump (www.deskjump.com) offers a variety of easy-to-use applications housed on a common desktop, as shown in Figure 2. You get a simple word processor, spreadsheet, email client, address book, online calendar, picture viewer,
and file manager, as well as 1GB online storage space and your own blog
and website. Although Deskjump doesn’t offer the most sophisticated
applications, it is free and easy to use.
Desktoptwo
Desktoptwo (www.desktoptwo.com) offers a relatively uncluttered desktop, as you can see in Figure 3,
except for an annoying ad window that just won’t go away. (That’s how
they get away with their free service, I suppose.) The apps included
aren’t as plentiful as with some other desktops; there’s email, a
calendar, an address book, instant messaging, an MP3 player, and a
notepad—but no word processor or spreadsheet.
eyeOS
The eyeOS (www.eyeos.org)
offers a suite of useful applications, including a word processor,
spreadsheet, presentation program, email client, contact manager,
calendar, photo viewer, and file manager. All apps are compatible with
Microsoft Office file formats. As you can see in Figure 4, the desktop is very simple, with a task-based “start” panel helping new users get started.
g.ho.st
The initials stand
for “globally hosted operating system,” which is exactly what g.ho.st
is. (And the URL mirrors the name—yes, it’s actually g.ho.st.) You get
5GB of online file storage, FTP access, instant messaging, a web
browser, and
an email client. Productivity apps are courtesy of Zoho and include
Zoho Writer and Zoho Sheets. You also get a bevy of desktop widgets, as
shown in Figure 5—enough to feel cluttered, at least until you personalize your own desktop.
Glide
We’ve discussed Glide’s
various web-based applications; combine them all
into a single desktop and you get the Glide OS (www.glidedigital.com). The Glide OS, shown in Figure 6,
includes a word processor (Write), spreadsheet (Crunch), presentation
program (Present), photo editor, calendar, email client, media player,
virtual online hard drive, and more.
Nivio
The Nivio (www.nivio.com) desktop should be familiar to most computer users; as you can see in Figure 7,
it’s essentially Windows 2000, hosted on the web and piped into your
web browser. For $4.99/month you get Nivio’s web-based version of
Windows 2000, complete with Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint), Microsoft Explorer, Adobe Reader, and other popular
applications. This makes Nivio perhaps the most full featured of all
web-based desktops—certainly the one with the most familiar productivity
applications.
StartForce
StartForce (www.startforce.com) provides a Windows-like desktop, complete with green Start button for the start menu, as you can see in Figure 8.
The desktop is integrated with Zoho’s web-based productivity
applications, and also comes with an instant messaging client, web
browser, and media player. Also included is a file loader for bulk
uploading.
YouOS
Our final web-based desktop is YouOS (www.youos.com), which is a simpler desktop than some of the others discussed here. As you can see in Figure 9,
the desktop contains a simple text editor, file manager, web browser,
chat/instant messaging client, and sticky note app. Not a lot of
customization is possible. For what it’s worth, the company bills YouOS
as an “application community,” where developers can create their own
YouOS apps or widgets.
While
these companies don’t offer complete web-based desktops, you can put
their apps together into what amounts to a virtual desktop of your own
making.
As of mid-2008, Google
and Zoho have a new competitor in this web-based suite space, in the
form of Apple MobileMe. MobileMe is Apple’s foray into cloud computing,
with a variety of useful applications hosted on Apple’s cloud.
MobileMe includes the following applications:
Mail (email)
Contacts (contact management)
Calendar (calendar and scheduling)
Gallery (photo gallery and sharing)
iDisk (online file storage)
One of the unique
things about MobileMe is that it isn’t limited to just PC (Windows or
Mac) access; you can also access your MobileMe apps and documents via
Apple’s iPhone or iPod touch. That makes MobileMe the ultimate in
on-the-go application suites, accessible virtually anywhere you have a
Wi-Fi or cell phone signal.
MobileMe is as
snazzy as you’d expect from Apple, which should appeal to trendy users
everywhere. While Google and Zoho offer their equivalent web-based apps
for free, Apple charges $99/year for a single-user MobileMe
subscription, or $149 for a five-user “family pack.” For that you get
access to all the MobileMe applications plus 20GB online storage (40GB
for the family pack). That makes MobileMe one of the pricier cloud
offerings available today—although if anyone can command the price,
Apple probably can.
You can learn more about Apple’s Mobile Me at www.me.com,
which is a pretty cool URL, if nothing else. If you’re serious about
cloud services, and especially if you’re an iPhone user, it’s worth
checking out.
