Open Source Guacamole Puts VNC On the Web

tbitiss writes "A new open source project dubbed Guacamole allows users to access a desktop remotely through a web browser, potentially streamlining the requirements for client support and administration. Guacamole is an HTML5 and JavaScript (Ajax) VNC viewer that makes use of a VNC-to-XML proxy server written in Java. According to its developers, Guacamole is almost as responsive as native VNC and should work in any browser supporting the HTML5 canvas tag. Supporting 10 Linux desktops in 10 browser tabs? I like the sound of that."

10 desktops

[macbuzz01]

Eavesdropping 10 Linux desktops in 10 browser tabs? I like the sound of that.


There, fixed it for you

NX

[blkwolf]

I'd like to see something like this using the NX protocol as the response time is much faster than VNC.

Re:Old news

[cbuosi]

Yeah, but LogMeIn is an private, non-free app. Wake me up when an zero config behind-router to behind-router VNC-like app hit the road. The remote desktop integrated app used in MSN (live or whatever is its name now) is very good, but have some flaws (send EVERY FRAME of the remote desktop, becaming slow very fast) and its Windows/MSN only.

What's old is new

[rwa2]

Heh, all the way back since the late 90's I've been logging in to my VNC sessions via the built-in java client (just go to http://vnchost:5801/ [vnchost] instead of vnchost:1 ). I guess that means that HTML5 + JIT compiled Javascript is the new Java?

If you like Guacamole, you'll probably also like AJAXterm, which can give you a webpage-based shell. It works well with GNU screen. It's nice for workplaces that block SSH but have an HTTPS proxy. Can't find a definitive webpage for it, but it's not too hard to set up from the debian repository. But it does seem to work a bit better than Mindterm (the Java ssh client from the 90's).

For mobile phone use, I've been fairly content with the java MIDPSSH [xk72.com]. Unless your smartphone has a native ssh client, of course.

Re:Back ... TO THE FUTURE!

[hax0r_this]

How is that the worst of both worlds, or a hack? This uses Java and Javascript both in the environments in which they work best. And I'm not even sure why you would call this a hack. Do you have a problem with working with XML in a Java server? Java is far from my language of choice, but thats hardly a hack. Or is it the drawing in an HTML5 canvas that you consider a hack? Because thats exactly what its for.

Re:HTTP has benefits

[somersault]

Well apparently version 1.0 was released in 2006 so it's not that new.. but I've definitely noticed that too.. like I'll have never heard a word before in my life and then it'll turn up two or three times in as many weeks..

Re:Back ... TO THE FUTURE!

[moosesocks]

Javascript's gotten fast/mature enough to be taken seriously as a real programming language. Google in particular have made some truly impressive progress [geek.com] with Chrome.

Although the server-side Java applet seems annoying to have, and indeed hack-y, it's awesome that we're starting to see "real" applications in the browser.

We'll hopefully start seeing lots more of this sort of thing, thanks to Apple's "war on flash."

Re:Name?

[AK Marc]

I had an IT director that required I buy a Microsoft server and setup RADIUS on it because he refused to buy something called Steel-Belted RADIUS from Funk Software. His business excuse was that he'd never heard of "Funk" and didn't trust them to be able to give support because it's got a stupid name.

So, what's in a name? Geeks think it's cute, and the people with the buying power pass it over, that's what.

Though if done again now, he'd probably spring for it, since it's now Juniper and not Funk.