A colleague has a web application (using various technologies & plugins) that keeps crashing when there are lost packets on the network. One brain-storming idea got me wondering about Microsoft's plans.
I said that for this big customer, in your office run the web server AND Terminal Server nearby - then have the customer run Terminal clients instead of web clients.
The immediate advantage is that the plugins etc can all be installed on the Terminal Server. It will also handle lost packets better than their application. Windows or Mac clients can access the server. (Apparently Terminal server can now serve just a single application instead of the whole Windows screen - though I haven't seen this.)
If MS allows this method, people can write windows applications for the internet, instead of web applications. Forget HTML etc - just write a windows app and have the client run it remotely. You'd just setup everything on the server, the client access would be provided by MS.
Further to this - MS could integrate Virtual-PC into Terminal Services. VPC allows a standard disk image to be used for multiple sessions, each session changing it's own version of the disk but leaving the original disk image alone. Adding this to terminal services, each person connecting would have a fresh, clean version of the application (and in the background, a clean windows install). The users can do anything they like to it, but when they disconnect it will revert to its original state.
I thought this technology combination was a neat way for MS to sidestep the web standards war, in a way that works for both Mac and Windows users. Personally I want standards - I just think MS may have a grander plan in the works.
Just putting my thoughts out here - what do you think?
I said that for this big customer, in your office run the web server AND Terminal Server nearby - then have the customer run Terminal clients instead of web clients.
The immediate advantage is that the plugins etc can all be installed on the Terminal Server. It will also handle lost packets better than their application. Windows or Mac clients can access the server. (Apparently Terminal server can now serve just a single application instead of the whole Windows screen - though I haven't seen this.)
If MS allows this method, people can write windows applications for the internet, instead of web applications. Forget HTML etc - just write a windows app and have the client run it remotely. You'd just setup everything on the server, the client access would be provided by MS.
Further to this - MS could integrate Virtual-PC into Terminal Services. VPC allows a standard disk image to be used for multiple sessions, each session changing it's own version of the disk but leaving the original disk image alone. Adding this to terminal services, each person connecting would have a fresh, clean version of the application (and in the background, a clean windows install). The users can do anything they like to it, but when they disconnect it will revert to its original state.
I thought this technology combination was a neat way for MS to sidestep the web standards war, in a way that works for both Mac and Windows users. Personally I want standards - I just think MS may have a grander plan in the works.
Just putting my thoughts out here - what do you think?