[dot] aKademy Interview: NX - Revolution of Network Computing?

[Dot Stories]

URL: http://dot.kde.org/1094109094/

From: pipitas <>
Dept: one-network-to-bind-them-all
Date: Thursday 02/Sep/2004, @09:11

aKademy Interview: NX - Revolution of Network Computing?
========================================================

   In their own series of aKademy [http://conference2004.kde.org/]
interviews, the German IT news website Golem.de [http://www.golem.de/]
has talked to KDE contributors Fabian Franz (also a member of the
Knoppix [http://www.knoppix.org/] development team) and Kurt Pfeifle
about FreeNX. Now OSnews [http://www.osnews.com/] carries the English
translation [http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=8139]. NX, developed by
NoMachine.com [http://www.nomachine.com/] aims for nothing less than to
revolutionize network computing. The software allows to connect and work
on remote desktops even across low bandwidth links such as ISDN or
modems. While at its core it speed-boosts X11 connections, as an addon
it also can accelerate VNC/RFB and Windows Terminal Server/RDP sessions
by a factor of 2 or more.

     Fabian and Kurt had initially presented FreeNX
[http://www.kalyxo.org/] as a preview during LinuxTag2004
[http://dot.kde.org/1088363665/]. FreeNX is a Free Software NX Server
based on the GPL'd libraries from NoMachine. During the aKademy week
they released FreeNX Server for the first time as a public snapshot
(which also ships with Knoppix-3.6 aKademy Edition)
[http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html]. The license is
GPL. Debian FreeNX packages are hosted at Kalyxo.org.
 [http://www.kalyxo.org/]
     Also, a first working 0.1 version of the FreeNX kNX Client is now
checked in into kdenonbeta. Fabian, Aaron J. Seigo and Joseph Wenninger
are working on a deep and seamless integration of the new NX Client into
the KDE framework, utilizing DCOP, KParts, kio-slave and KWallet
technologies and integrating it with the existing KDE Remote Desktop
Connection utility.

     The FreeNX and kNX initiatives will bring efficient, lean and high
speed Terminal Services to KDE which work well even over very distant
and low bandwidth links. They will connect KDE workstations with
multiple Operating System platforms and enable users to seamlessly
operate their favorite or required applications, regardless on what
platform they run. Overall they will make Linux desktop migration plans
significantly easier to implement and give a big boost to KDE adoption
as the desktop environment of choice for corporate and enterprise usage.

     The OSnews piece [http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=8139] has
some nice examples of NX/FreeNX use cases outlined by Kurt and Fabian.