VMware Virtual Desktop Now Accessible Through HTML5 Devices

If you have never heard of the VMware virtual desktop then you really should give it a look. This virtual desktop basically allows you to access important documents from any computer and do it quickly and easily. However, the VMware virtual desktop is not the same kind of application that you see popping up all over the place that will allow you to access your desktop computer through a mobile device. VMware is actually a desktop all its own.

Now it appears that the VMware virtual workstation has been updated again. It should also be pointed out that this particular software has been around, in some form or another, since 1999. That means that this software has basically existed ever since the Internet really took off. The VMware Workstation Technology Preview 2012 is gaining a lot of mention for one major addition. This new iteration of the VMware has a technology that technically does not have a name but is currently being called WSX.

WSX appears to give the software the added bonus of making it accessible from any browser, without downloading a memory heavy application. This means that the newest generation of the virtual desktop will be accessible via a Web browser that can incorporate HMTL5 (in other most modern Web browsers today.) There is no need for an installation and the company is billing this new version of the virtual desktop as “ready to go, out of the box.” This means that you can access the desktop using a tablet, smartphone or regular old computer much easier than before.

This technology operates with the latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari and iPad iOS, with no plug-ins or clients necessary.

“WSX makes use of some modern Web technologies, such as HTML Canvas and WebSockets, along with a small but powerful server to turn your browser into a full-on remote console,” said Christian Hammond, VMware developer and virtualization blogger, as reported on InfoWorld.com. “The WSX server talks to your Workstation, ESXi, and vSphere instances and relays the appropriate data up to the client running in the Web browser. With that data, the client can stay updated with the latest changes to the virtual machine and offer a full display of the console. We don’t use any plugins, meaning there’s nothing to install.”

Edited by Tammy Wolf