kde Digest, Vol 29, Issue 12

[Jason Bassett]

This sounds great, I am aware that The Cutter Project 
(www.cutterproject.co.uk) are working on an app called Grabber which 
operates as a desktop broadcast tool to allow tutors to multicast their 
screen to a classroom to demonstrate stuff (same idea as RM Tutor tool used 
in many schools).  May be helpful to see what they are upto.  My sources say 
it is to be opensourced upon completion.

I would be interested in assisting with this project at some level, even 
just documentation or maintenance of website.  I have studied programming at 
University but not sure if I would be at the standard required, I would like 
to help where I can though.  Let me know.  Jason

>Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 19:00:21 +0300
>From: Janne Ojaniemi <janne.ojaniemi at nbl.fi>
>Subject: [kde] Proposal: Shared network-enabled virtual desktop for
>	KDE 4.0
>To: "KDE mailing-list" <kde at mail.kde.org>
>Message-ID: <200508101900.22063.janne.ojaniemi at nbl.fi>
>Content-Type: text/plain;  charset="utf-8"
>
>PROPOSAL
>
>KDE 4.0 should have network-enabled shared virtual desktop that could be
>shared with other users on the network. The proposal is tentatively called
>?Foresight?.
>
>RATIONALE
>
>Network-awareness seems to be the order of the day these days. And while 
>KDE
>3.x is network-enabled by default (different IO-slaves for example) that is
>really just baby-steps when compared to things that KDE could and should be
>able to do. With Foresight, KDE would take a huge step forward when it 
>comes
>to true collaborative working between individuals over the network. And as
>networked KDE is, there?s currently no way to substitute physical meetings
>and on-location brainstorming. Foresight would make those possible, using
>nothing but the internet and KDE.
>
>DETAILS
>
>KDE (as do other desktops in Linux/UNIX) offers virtual desktops by 
>default.
>What if one (or more, if the users so wishes) of those desktops were
>network-enabled and shared? Meaning, all the people who are sharing that
>desktop would see the exact same thing. If one of the users launches an app
>on that desktop, it would appear on everyone?s shared desktop. Every user
>could use the apps on that desktop, and everyone could see the others 
>working
>on it. Each user could also have a mouse-cursor of their own. The desktop
>would clearly state ?Shared with: Linus Torvalds (torvalds at osdl.org), Bill
>Gates (billg at microsoft.com) and Janne Ojaniemi (janne.ojaniemi at nbl.fi)? 
>(for
>example). Or it could simply say: ?Shared with: The IT-department?, where
>?IT-department would be a group of people. Foresight could tie in to
>Kaddressbook for providing the user with names of groups and users.
>
>The shared desktop would look different from the other desktops. This is 
>done
>in order to differentiate it from the private desktops, so users won?t use
>the shared desktop for personal work. Also, moving a running app from a
>private desktop to shared desktop would pop up a dialog-box warning the 
>user
>that he?s about to share the application with others.
>
>By default, the shared desktop could offer an area for ?doodling? and 
>typing
>text. This way the people using the shared desktop could quickly type text
>and/or make doodles demonstrating an idea they have. This way there would 
>be
>no need to launch a separate IM-client or send emails.
>
>A small-scale variant of Foresight could be a shared plasmoid on the 
>desktop.
>That plasmoid would be shared with other users. Users could drop files on 
>to
>the plasmoid and it would appear on everyone?s desktop. They could write
>texts in the plasmoids and it would appear on everyone?s desktop as well.
>They could also share output of apps there (presentations etc.). While this
>functionality could be replicated with IM, shared folders and the like, 
>this
>would allow central place to handle this, and it would make ad hoc
>collaboration easier. This would allow users and developers to quickly 
>share
>something they have been working on.
>
>TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION: ROUGH DETAILS
>
>Sharing could be done through peer-to-peer networking using NX-compression.
>This way there would be no disruption to others if one user loses
>network-connectivity. Also, by using peer-to-peer, the bandwidth-strain on
>one particular machine will be lessened.
>
>The actual networking could be done through Zeroconf, where the user could
>simply pick and choose the users with whom he would like to share the 
>desktop
>with. Or the user could pick people up from Kaddressbook. Shared desktops
>could also announce themselves to the network using Zeroconf, and other 
>could
>join them with a click of a mouse, if the desktop is ?open? for joining.
>?closed? shared desktops would require authorization/password in order to
>join. Authorization could either be handled by anyone sharing the desktop, 
>by
>voting, or by decision by the master user. Master user would be the user 
>who
>created the shared desktop. Should the Master User lose network-connection
>while sharing a closed desktop, the approval procedure would automatically
>default to popular vote. Annd since the networking would be done through
>peer-to-peer, there would be no disruption in the shared desktop evn if
>master users loses connection.
>
>INTENDED USES
>
>This system could be used in following environments:
>
>- Education & training. Students could share a desktop with the teacher, 
>and
>the teacher could actually show the users what he?s talking about on the
>screen (code for example). Also, training users to use some app (or KDE
>itself) would be easier when the instructor could actually show to the 
>users
>how to do something.
>
>- Distributed projects & teamwork: All members of a distributed team could 
>see
>the same desktop. Working would be smooth when each team-member could
>actually see in real-time what the other person is doing. It would enable 
>the
>?why not change this thing here??-communication with instant feedback. 
>Also,
>one person could write code, while others read what he?s writing. One 
>person
>could create artwork, while others provide instant feedback as he?s 
>creating
>the artwork. Instead of waiting for the user to finish working and
>mail/upload his work, others could see it as it is being created.
>
>WHY NOT?
>
>What problems could there be in creating this technology? The technology 
>might
>not be there yet. NX might not work with peer-to-peer. Hopefully people 
>with
>needed technological expertise will provide feedback on possible issues.
>
>SUMMARY
>
>This proposal, if implemented, could turn KDE in to de facto standard when 
>it
>comes to distributed teamworking at this level. Not only would this be an
>immense help to open-source developers (who are often physically separated
>and work over the internet), it would really help companies with offices 
>and
>teams around the world. And my proposal presents a paradigm that simply 
>does
>not exist in competing products, open or proprietary. With Foresight, KDE
>would take ?network-awareness? to a whole new level. This could become a
>?must have? feature in the future.
>
>GLOSSARY
>
>Closed Desktop: Shared desktop that requires authorization from the Master
>User or from the other users of the desktop for new users to join the
>desktop.
>
>Foresight: Set of technologies that enables user to share a desktop and
>associated applications with other users in the network
>
>Master User: User who creates the shared desktop and shares it with others.
>This user can decide who can connect to the desktop, or whether such
>decisions will be made by popular vote.
>
>NX: Compression-algorithm created by NoMachine that allows remote-X even 
>over
>dial-up links. Core libraries are licensed under the GPL, and free
>implementations exist (FreeNX)
>
>Open Desktop: A shared desktop anyone on the network can join freely.


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