DesktopTwo offers a powerful web desktop for free

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1. Martin
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 12:41 pm

   Wow that looks really nice i’m going to try that!

2. asha
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 12:45 pm

   looks like a copy of eyeos, except that eyeos had this idea more then a year ago.

3. Robert Dewey
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 1:00 pm

   asha,

   I don’t believe in first mover advantage, and EyeOS certainly hasn’t dominated anything yet.

   All of these services are moving in the right direction - I can very well imagine that thin-client computing might be the way of the future. Instead of carrying around medium (CD’s, USB cards, etc.), you could theoretically walk up to ANY terminal and login, as long as it’s hooked up to the internet.

   I could also envision “standalone” editions for corporate use - just install the server “package” on your corporate intranet, and you now have your own network without the cost and hastle of expensive multi-user licensing issues and expensive equipment.

4. Ben
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 1:35 pm

   Just tried it out!

   It works great. The interface is clean and fun to use. I uploaded a couple mp3s, created a playlist, and started listening to music within a few minutes. I also noticed future implementation of OpenOffice software (great idea). Most of all, I like their purpose of creating desktoptwo: “accessible to all regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.”

   It’s these types of ideas that help breakdown the barriers of technology between rich and poor. I applaud their efforts.

   Business model: based on online file storage. I’m interested to see how their pricing structure will play out. How will it compare to that of dedicated online file storage currently in the market?

   Good post

5. pwb
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 1:57 pm

   Some of these offereings, including DeskTopTwo, EyeOS and Goowy, are extermely well done but after you use them for about 5 minutes you realize that you would never use them for day-to-day activities.

   Any “web-based version of Office” is going to be nothing more than a way to use Office when you’re not on a computing device that has the (far superior) local client versions of the software.

6. Robert Dewey
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 2:14 pm

   pwb;

   You’re right. Why would somebody want to use notepad via a browser, when you can just call it up locally? Even with the “socioeconomic” issue, you still need hardware and a REAL operating system, correct?

   The first implementation of a web-based operating system that can run standalone from commercial-based operating systems might be a winner. Imagine a true barebones computer running a flashdrive with a lightweight verion of linux installed. When it boots, you’re in a browser-like environment (without ever knowing it) that accesses the web operating system.

   Then imagine 10 years down the road, where that client chip comes preinstalled in computer monitors, which plugin to a cat5 or fiberoptic, bypassing the normal components of a computer.

   Of course, there are some BIG limitations to web-based operating system… You definitely couldn’t use it for gaming or hardware intensive applications.

7. ABCota
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 2:39 pm

   Besides impressing geeks as some interesting computer science project someone dreamed up, what problem does this solve? So, while using an OS that has a “desktop”, I fire up a brower to launch……a desktop???? Is that what I’m understanding? I run a web based version of a desktop….from my desktop!!!!????? Huh? I must be missing something blatantly obvious and must be missing some huge problem this solves for the AVERAGE PERSON!

8. EP
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 3:03 pm

   I love what they are doing. I personally dont see myself using this, but for the demographic my business serves this is perfect.

   It seems that people dont understand the idea that “Internet Access” doesnt necessarly mean haveing a computer in the home. Many people (especially in third world countries, and imigrant commiunities in the US) have to access the internet from libraries, friends homes, and other locations. So haveing a desktop they can personalize and add all of their information to, and then access it from whatever computer they have access to is a fantastic service.

   I wish them all the luck in the world!

9. Flo Schneider
   

   August 7th, 2006 at 4:57 pm

   OK, looks like kind of a nice tool but what are they thinking with a business model that relies for revenue on selling storage beyond the 1 Gig they offer for free. How in the world can they think that that business model has any profit potential - or any future - attached to it. I found a much more robust service at http://www.dashboardxm.com - it has real productivity tools and although I have to pay a minor amount for it they will probably be around to take care of what I need in the future.

10. Curlysue
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 5:58 pm

    Actually, I think this is a very cool webtop and one that could be of great benefit to individuals without computers (many people, as noted previously) but also small businesses, schools, etc. that are looking to lower costs and migrate toward hosted solutions. It’s robust and very useful. Also, I read a comment above about eyeOS having had this service over one year ago. Well, Sapotek created an earlier version of the desktop in Spanish (http://computadora.de) and released it over 3 years ago. My cousin in Mexico tells me that everyone in her class (she’s in the 11th grade) uses it and that she’s made friends in Peru, Argentina and Spain through the chat rooms, etc. I definitely see this desktop evolving in an impressive fashion and if this is just an early beta, I can’t wait to see the offical release. I’m also curous about the business model. My understanding from having read their website is that it’s not so much from purchasing more disk space as it is in offering the Enterprise Version. We’ll see, but it looks very promising to me. The more of these the better.

11. ABCota
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 6:43 pm

    Okay..so… they are appealing to people that may not own their own computers and/or live in 3rd World countries. Sounds like a demographic that doesn’t have much disposable income. So, they plan to make their money selling additional storage to a target market that has little to no disposable income??? Again, unless I’m missing somethng this likely has little chance for much profitiability if that is the audience they are going for.

    Curlysue, wouldn’t an Enterprise Version be targeting a population that more than likely own or have access to their own desktop?

    Now I’m more confused than ever on how they plan to make money.

12. GRex
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:08 pm

    I agree with EP. I don’t see myself using it either, but it’s really cool to have something that free myself from my own PC. If I travel frequently around the globe, I’d love to have the freedom to not lug a notebook around, and yet have the benefit of personal data following me.

    And yes, I have to say the demographic for people who hop from PC to PC makes it kinda hard to justify the storage-selling business model. But then again, it’s web 2.0, everything can evolve as we go, nothing is written in the stone.

13. Fido
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:19 pm

    ABCota, I hear your point but from their website it doesn’t seem as if their revenue model is based on purchasing extra storage. It looks like they plan to roll out a customizable enterprise version on a subscription basis - SaaS, in other words - that would be good for SMBs and others looking for On Demand solutions. I can think of a few verticals that would definitely use this. For example, I teach in a public school where there is a good computer lab but most of the students use free services (Gmail, AIM, etc.). A tool like this could be used by the school to give to the students and also serve as a way to distirbute content (homework assignments, etc.). Education is a no brainer, and I know my students would love this. I’ve read these comments with interest and it appears to me that the “early adopters” among us (don’t get me wrong, I’m a geek) forget that the most useful technology is that used by the most people, not the few of us who always adopt the “latest and greatest.” Speaking of which, I liked their reference to Mr. Spock in the credits on Desktoptwo. Wrath of Khan was the best of the ST movies.

14. John
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:24 pm

    This benefits us greatly. Cool! It will bring more facility only if every computer can meet its requirements.

15. Ebrahim
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:26 pm

    “Besides impressing geeks as some interesting computer science project someone dreamed up, what problem does this solve? So, while using an OS that has a “desktop”, I fire up a brower to launch……a desktop???? Is that what I’m understanding? I run a web based version of a desktop….from my desktop!!!!????? Huh? I must be missing something blatantly obvious and must be missing some huge problem this solves for the AVERAGE PERSON!”

    So True. Besides the “wow-factor” there’s nothing great about WebOS.

16. Curlysue
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:42 pm

    Wow… so much animosity out there. Can’t you people see that numerous individuals, not to mention businesses… and as Fido mentions, schools, etc. could really use this?? Has the MSFT evil empire made us so jaded that even our expectations are have become unrealistic. As avowed “webhead” I just appreciate all of these new web services/apps that are popping up everyday. Like I said, the more, the better and this is the best of the so-called “webtops” that I’ve seen. Does it compare to a local desktop?? No, but you can’t carry your CPU with you on a plane, or in a car (unless you’re really bad) or anywhere else, but you can access this from just about any web device. That’s one hell of an improvement beyond the old ASP/client-server models. Congrats to Sapotek for embracing the Next Generation!!!

17. Ianne
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 7:47 pm

    It may be nice, but what I see are just blanks. I am using Fedora Core 2 and Firefox 1.0.7.

18. Skeptic
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 9:04 pm

    Hey, neat, it’s Octopus! Can’t wait for the Kozmo relaunch.

19. ABCota
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    Er…um..CurlySue..how will I access this from a car or a plane…if I DON’T HAVE A DEVICE from which to access it? And if I did have a device, wouldn’t it likely be MY OWN, if I was in a car on on a plane? Is which case..I would have my own desktop.

    I’ve not flown on many airplanes or driven may cars that have shared computer devices.

    I do, however, see the value for students, and 3rd world populations…i.e. people with little disposable income. In which case…how does desktop OS generate revenue?

    Fido, when I hear “public schools” I also hear “little to no money to spend” The GMail example is free, but makes its money via….anyone? anyone? Look, I now see where this can have some pratical application and I was a bit myopic in my initial assessment. But, I don’t see how it generates much revenue given it seems to appeal to a market that has no money.

20. pwb
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 10:13 pm

    “Can’t you people see that numerous individuals, not to mention businesses… and as Fido mentions, schools, etc. could really use this?”

    No.

    But I also think the lame-o’s wondering about the business model are off key. If the thing proves useful, it’s more than likely it can find revenues. If there’s anything that can be gleaned from the burst bubble, good ideas, well executed can make money. So lay off the busines smodel quastions, please.

21. ABCota
    

    August 7th, 2006 at 10:31 pm

    I’m simply wondering about their STATED business model. Hey, if they can make money from people that generally don;t have it, great!

    And if they find another, better business model, more power to them. Congrats.

    So, call me lame for questioning their current stated business model.

22. Fletch
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 12:23 am

    I’ve been having a play with the website editor in this app. Has anyone worked out how to place an image on the page? I can’t seem to do that - maybe my browser settings?

23. Shrikant Joshi
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 4:41 am

    OK, is it just me and my machine or is it way too much flashy AJAXy effects on that one?

    Creating a login almost killed my browser there…

    Maybe I’ll try it again and come back with a less irritated report…

    Regards,
    Shri.

24. Robert Dewey
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 4:42 am

    I think most of you are missing the point, and it’s a BIG point.

    This is a *STEP* in the right direction, not a leap to the top. Where will web-based operating systems be in 10 years, 15 years, and so on, especially when broadband might be as free as air?

    Web-based operating systems might fail completely, or they could bring new meaning to consumers who use their computer for nothing more than general computing (think 85% of the population). Think of it from a enterprise standpoing - corps could install the backend on their intranet and ditch the extremely expensive multi-user agreements.

    There are plenty of uses, but I don’t think they will be realized until +8 years from now.

25. Justin Mack
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 5:27 am

    Robert, I agree that the WebOS concept is a *step* in the right direction but it still carries a bit of that dot.com bubble smell with it: Great concept, but the practicality of it at this point is in question. Yes, there are some individuals that find this useful, but I just feel like there are other things that need to catch up before it has any sort of mass appeal or usability. As someone mentioned earlier, the development of a true thin client is one of the first things that needs to happen for this sort of technology to become relevant or useful for the masses. I’m not trying rip on this stuff, just trying to see it beyond the coolness factor and trying to envision its place in the everyday life of the average person.

26. Robert Dewey
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 6:06 am

    I agree with the whole thin-client thing… There needs to be a way to access the “operating system” without the use of licensed software. It would be pointless to install the web o/s on a server, if that server and all of the clients still need to run MS Windows.

27. jedipunk
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 6:32 am

    I wonder is a Wyse Terminal would be able to run this drectly. IT would be like Citrix Terminal Services without MS. Except for the initial Wyse Browser which may be Windows CE or the like.

28. Fathead
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 7:39 am

    Yup… I’m using a thin client Net PC from Novatium right now (similar to Wyse but even more stripped down). Works perfectly. From what I can tell, Desktoptwo only requires a Flash-enabled browser with Java plug-in. Most devices nowadays allow for that and it’s only a matter of time (months, really) before everything else has that capability. I see the business model for sure if they play that up… fully virtual… platform agnostic, device independent. I Read their website and it looks like that’s their play. Good for them.

29. InfoGeek
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 10:34 am

    Looking through the comments here and the comments on Sapotek’s website, I’m far more interested in what’s not being said.

    The communicated focus is on providing applications through the desktop to the user. But I think a far more interesting angle is looking at the communication and management of digital assets. Right now, if I use a multimedia based ASP and I want to share my content with someone, I need to go find it, download it, and then send it out on my email. This kind of service allows for the distribution of the online multimedia burden for the media service providers. And because it’s server based, sending email from my webos to someone else on the same service requires no bandwidth.

    So I’m far more interested in what’s not being said. I have a feeling that Sapotek’s communicated business model is intended for their competitors as much as anyone else. I think there’s more here than meets the eye.

30. Nudecybot
    

    August 8th, 2006 at 1:50 pm

    Comments:
    -Lots of people doing cool stuff with Flash these days, impressively intuitive and useful interface.
    -Great for folks who need to use shared computers.
    -Possibly a good privacy tool, would probably leave little trace on the host computer and also provide reasonably anonymous browsing etc… assuming the local host is not compromised already.

    Questions for Flash platform gurus:
    -how would I import data from my computer, will this be possible? (e-mail would work I suppose)
    -is the data channel cleartext, obfucated or encrypted
    -does this use RTSP to communicate with the server
    -will custom app dev be possible?

31. alex
    

    August 22nd, 2006 at 1:34 pm

    I think some people are missing the value of web-based hosted applications. Forget about the consumer for 1 minute (although if there wasnt a lot of value in web based applications for consumers, why do so many people use web based email rather than a desktop client? - would the same argument apply to using other web based applications as well?)

    Think about SMBs. Companies that do not have a network admin, that do not want to license exhange, plus other apps and then have to worry about managing it all themselves.

    Solutions such as these provide a low cost, low headache option for common everyday tasks such as email, contacts, calendar, rss, file management and more. Don’t think about this as a desktop over your existing desktop but rather an integrated simple to use toolset that you can access and interact with from any computer.

    Does that have value? I believe it does…look at companies that have built successful businesses based on that principle - salesforce.com.

    There are other companies such as goowy, zimbra, webmail.us, intranets.com, etc. that are focused on a huge growing SMB market with a very similar value proposition.

    One last point, it is much easier to be a critic than to be open minded and to think about the potential value that something may have, even if its not immediately apparent.

32. hezy.metuky
    

    August 28th, 2006 at 4:33 am

    why

33. Seoulsister
    

    January 23rd, 2007 at 3:14 pm

    Because it’s very cool. I like this one more than any of them. It’s got the most functionality for sure and looks the best. And… because many people like me who move around a lot like having a remote solution that cuts corners or quality. That’s “why”

34. Mr. T
    

    January 31st, 2007 at 10:14 am

    Web desktop is really just another Ajax application. It’s not a platform because it runs on the browsers. So anyone can create this kind of application. We already have plenty of PHP and Perl scripts. Incorporating Ajax into them is relatively easy from programming and cost perspectives.

    So it all comes down to values for the users. What problem is it trying to solve? Right now, I can’t think of any for myself. I have 4 laptops and use about 50 desktop applications. Very few of them can be replaced with any Web-based applications. Even Gmail is a part-time solution.

35. Andre
    

    January 31st, 2007 at 2:40 pm

    Well Mr. T., you are, ironically, precisely the reason why a product such as Desktoptwo is useful. You are evidently lost in a world of your own, but if you don’t mind my asking, how many people in the “real world” have 4 laptops or use 50 desktop apps? I suspect that of the 6 billion people on the planet, the vast majority of whom are not nearly as fortunate (or myopic) as you, perhaps fewer than .0001 % have the gratuitous hardware that you possess.

    Moreover, since you evidently don’t read too closely either, the makers of this “web desktop,” Sapotek, don’t refer to this as a WebOS or a platform. To the contrary, they make a point to say that it’s not a WebOS and that calling it such would be “premature.” And, one last thing Mr. Smart Guy… the front end is in Flash, not Ajax… so if “anyone can create one,” I suggest you go and do it with your four computers and 50 apps. For the rest of us plebes, Desktoptwo is a life saver, not to mention a great service.