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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>In the context of a web <a href="/facts/Desktop_computer/edFPINdK">desktop</a>, the term Webtop was first introduced by the <a href="/facts/Santa_Cruz_Operation/jLoYByEf">Santa Cruz Operation</a> (SCO) in 1994 for a web-based interface to their <a href="/facts/Unix/0pNL2seI">Unix</a> operating system. This application was based on the provisional application entitled "The Adaptive Internet Protocol System" filed Nov. 13, 1997, serial number 60/065,521 and is the U.S. patent for the technology used in the Tarantella Webtop.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> Andy Bovingdon <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> and Ronald Joe Record, who both explored the concepts in different directions, are often credited as the inventors.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> The initial SCO Webtop, developed by Record, utilized a Netscape Navigator plugin to display applications in a browser window via <a href="/facts/TightVNC/wcuE73zn">TightVNC</a>. A trademark application for "SCO Webtop" was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on November 8, 1996. In order to avoid confusion with the more complex technology incorporated into the Tarantella Webtop it was abandoned on December 24, 1997 by The Santa Cruz Operation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>Bovingdon's three tiered architecture (TTA) concept was launched as the <a href="/facts/Tarantella,_Inc./zSAB8nad">Tarantella</a> Webtop. This technology originated from early commercial use of web server technology by <a href="/facts/Santa_Cruz_Operation/jLoYByEf">SCO</a>. the first OS vendor to include a commercial web server, <a href="/facts/NCSA_HTTPd/TGkGRAj9">NCSA HTTPd</a>, and commercial <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browser</a>, <a href="/facts/Mosaic_(web_browser)/qrA52r1E">NCSA Mosaic</a>. Their <a href="/facts/X.desktop/l2eCuzzg">X.desktop</a> product line, obtained when they acquired <a href="/facts/IXI_Limited/WGbqHmBE">IXI Limited</a> in the UK, was the first to have icons for URLs (controlled via the Deskshell<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> scripting language) and an HTML-based help system, called DeskHelp, which extended the <a href="/facts/Mosaic_(web_browser)/qrA52r1E">NCSA Mosaic</a> <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browser</a> to include APIs and scripting linked to the <a href="/facts/X.desktop/l2eCuzzg">X.desktop</a> product for interactive control. The <a href="/facts/IXI_Limited/WGbqHmBE">IXI Limited</a> scripting language based on <a href="/facts/Python_(programming_language)/YbuGqofa">Python</a> was later replaced with <a href="/facts/JavaScript/XhhIIEsl">JavaScript</a>. <a href="/facts/Tarantella,_Inc./zSAB8nad">Tarantella</a> allowed real UNIX and <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a> applications to be displayed within a web browser through the use of Java to form a true web based desktop or Webtop. </p><p>The first SCO Webtop releases were part of <a href="/facts/SCO_Skunkware/NRjnzGHq">SCO Skunkware</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> before being integrated into <a href="/facts/SCO_OpenServer/MuIplPGX">SCO OpenServer</a> version 5 and UnixWare 7.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> Tarantella was subsequently purchased by <a href="/facts/Sun_Microsystems/VJ9EzEFd">Sun Microsystems</a> and integrated into their <a href="/facts/Sun_Secure_Global_Desktop/krYgrmt6">Sun Secure Global Desktop</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>Byte magazine referred to the Webtop as a NUI (Network User Interface).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>More recently, <a href="/facts/Google/GT9Sugza">Google</a> released an operating system for web connection called <a href="/facts/ChromeOS/zH0B5Xtk">ChromeOS</a> and several 11-12" netbooks from Acer and Samsung have implemented the system. It is thought to represent a useful fraction (~10%) of the current (2012) netbook sales. </p> <h2 id="advantages">Advantages</h2> Convenience A personalized desktop on every supported client device Mobility Access your desktop anywhere there is a supported client device Session management Server-side session management allows roaming users to access restored sessions from anywhere Software management <ul><li>Ensures all users are running the same current versions of all applications</li> <li>Updates and patches need only be applied to the server - no need to update multiple clients</li> <li>No need for software to distribute software over the network</li></ul> Security <ul><li>Less prone to typical attacks, viruses, worms, unpatched clients, vulnerabilities</li> <li>Sensitive data stored on secure servers rather than scattered across multiple potentially unprotected and vulnerable clients (e.g. smart phones and laptops)</li> <li>Encrypted transmission of all data between server and clients (e.g. <a href="/facts/Https/MSWYz4zo">https</a>)</li> <li>Software Management features (above) accommodate quick and easy application of security advisories on server side</li> <li>Webtop administrator can control which applications and data each user is allowed to access</li></ul> High availability <ul><li>From a single device access Windows, UNIX, Linux, and Mainframe applications, all at the same time</li> <li>Minimal hardware requirements for client devices (except for rendered technologies such as Flash/Flex/SilverLight)</li> <li>Less downtime - robust server system more easily protected and less likely to fail than multiple client desktops</li> <li>Fault tolerance - if a client device fails for any reason simply replace it with any other supported client device without loss of data, configuration, preferences, or application access</li></ul> <h2 id="drawbacks">Drawbacks</h2> Security Because all data is transferred over the internet, it might be possible for a cracker to intercept the connection and read data. Although with the use of <a href="/facts/Https/MSWYz4zo">https</a> 256-bit encryption and <a href="/facts/Access_control_list/t38J9Vao">access control lists</a>, this can be safe-guarded. Speed When using a web desktop the whole code used for visualization (.js/.css files, Flash player files, etc.) needs to be transferred to the local computer, so that it can be displayed. Further, network latency or congestion can intermittently slow webtop activity. Offline application storage can mitigate this issue.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Application features Some webtop-delivered applications may not contain the full feature set of their traditional desktop counterparts. Network Access Web desktops require access to a network. If the client device is misconfigured or the network is unreachable then the web desktop is unavailable. Controlled access In some webtop implementations and deployments a user's access to some applications and data can be restricted. This is also considered an advantage of webtops but can be viewed as a drawback from the user's perspective. Central control The normal webtop user is not able to install additional applications or update existing applications. Updates typically must be performed by an administrator on the server side. Webtop users are dependent upon the webtop administrator whereas in the traditional desktop environment the user can fix and/or break the system by installing new software or updates. This can also be seen as an advantage for webtops. <h2 id="comparison-of-web-desktops">Comparison of web desktops</h2> <p>The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of web desktops. </p> <table><tbody><tr><th>Name</th><th>Browser support</th><th>Developer</th><th>Engine</th><th>Free</th><th>License</th><th>3rd party applications</th><th>Productivity Suite</th><th>Graphical user interface</th><th>Downloadable to Web server</th><th>Still Active</th></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/G.ho.st/Gbb5Mxb9">G.ho.st</a></th><td>IE6+, Firefox2+, Safari. Partial: Chrome & Opera</td><td>Ghost Inc ("G.ho.st")</td><td><a href="/facts/SWF/5qwLlUC5">Flash</a> + AJAX (mobile version is WAP)</td><td>No</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yahoo! Zimbra, Zoho, Google Docs, ILoveIM</td><td><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a>-like</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Glide_OS/H3jgTIL0">Glide OS</a></th><td>IE7, Firefox 3, Safari, Chrome</td><td>TransMedia</td><td><a href="/facts/SWF/5qwLlUC5">HTML5</a></td><td>Yes (30 GB limit)</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>From Glide Community</td><td>Glide Write, Glide Presenter, Glide Crunch, Photo Editor, Email</td><td><a href="/facts/Mac_OS_X/Y93vVpTm">Mac</a>+<a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a>-like</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Nivio/fna14k3w">Nivio</a></th><td>IE7, IE8, Google Chrome, FF 4</td><td>Sachin Dev Duggal, Saurabh Dhoot</td><td>In development</td><td>No</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a></td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Online_OS/fV157rWu">Online OS</a></th><td>FF 1.5 and higher, IE7</td><td>iCUBE Network Solutions</td><td><a href="/facts/Java_(programming_language)/9ScgFyAL">Java</a>, <a href="/facts/Ajax_(programming)/cS0P0whT">Ajax</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a>-like</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Open-Xchange/2efbJGh9">OX App Suite</a></th><td>FF, IE 9/10, Chrome, Safari</td><td>Open-Xchange</td><td><a href="/facts/JavaScript_(programming_language)/XhhIIEsl">JavaScript</a>, <a href="/facts/HTML5/HBAxEAr6">HTML5</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>Backend: <a href="/facts/GPLv2/S75KhLSX">GPLv2</a> Frontend: <a href="/facts/Creative_Commons/b1fKDQHE">Creative Commons</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Customizable</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Sun_Secure_Global_Desktop/krYgrmt6">Oracle Secure Global Desktop</a></th><td>Any browser with a <a href="/facts/Java_Runtime_Environment/l9Nzrsun">JRE</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Oracle_Corporation/0z14FygH">Oracle</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Adaptive_Internet_Protocol/6Haxm4wQ">AIP</a></td><td>No</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Customizable</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/VMware_View/HWqGsAHX">VMware View</a></th><td>IE, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome</td><td><a href="/facts/VMware/lKHGULx3">VMware</a></td><td><a href="/facts/PCoIP/vsuDhXFt">PCoIP</a>, <a href="/facts/Remote_Desktop_Protocol/A5e9ILdI">RDP</a>, <a href="/facts/HTML5/HBAxEAr6">HTML5</a></td><td>No</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Customizable</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/ZeroPC/MLFRcoPJ">ZeroPC</a></th><td>IE 8/9, Firefox v12.0+, Chrome, Safari</td><td>ZeroDesktop, Inc.</td><td>HTML / HTML5, JavaScript, Java Applet, AJAX</td><td>Yes</td><td>Proprietary</td><td>Yes</td><td>Thinkfree Office, Cloud Storage Mashup, IM</td><td><a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a>-like</td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Comparison_of_remote_desktop_software/fQ4kqmaf">Comparison of remote desktop software</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Hosted_desktop/dIeJ2f3s">Hosted desktop</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Online_office_suite/Hk4lw5eN">Online office suite</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Rich_Internet_application/en12v9La">Rich Internet application</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Virtual_Network_Computing/xTmWVgV4">Virtual Network Computing</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.networkcomputing.com/1101/1101sp1.html">SCO Tarantella Offers New Twist On an Old Thin-Client Dance</a>, "Network Computing Magazine", Mark Andrew Seltzer, January 24, 2000</li> <li><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,32022-page,1/article.html">Ditch That Desktop for a Webtop</a>, <a href="/facts/PC_World_(magazine)/GNhThM8d">PC World</a>, October 16, 2000</li> <li><a href="http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/fa-sco.htm">SCO Company History</a>, Operating System Documentation Project</li> <li><a href="http://www.news.com/2100-1001-222044.html">SCO revamps UnixWare with Linux features</a>, <a href="/facts/CNET_Networks/FefqENNr">CNET News.com</a>, February 23, 1999</li> <li><a href="http://www.ncns.com/news/2/showcase.html">SCO Showcases Latest In Network Computing for Real-World Environments</a>, Network Computing News, April 29, 1997</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>US patent 6,104,392, Shaw, et al., "Method of displaying an application on a variety of client devices in a client/server network", issued 2000-08-15 <a href="https://worldwide.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US6,104,392" target="_blank">https://worldwide.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US6,104,392</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Andrew J Bovingdon presented a Human Computer Interaction poster on the subject of Webtops at WWW2 in Chicago, 1994 entitled "Adding a new dimension to the desktop", https://web.archive.org/web/20041231084638/http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Agenda/Posters-received.html <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20041231084638/http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Agenda/Posters-received.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20041231084638/http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Agenda/Posters-received.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>The Santa Cruz Operation Technical White Paper, Tarantella --The Universal Application Server, July, 1997 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>See uspto.gov, click on "Trademarks -> Search TM Database", and perform a Basic search for "Webtop". The only earlier occurrences in both the Patent and Trademark databases are for systems unrelated to a web desktop context. <a href="http://uspto.gov" target="_blank">http://uspto.gov</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>DeskShell <a href="http://osr600doc.sco.com/en/man/html.XC/deskshell.XC.html" target="_blank">http://osr600doc.sco.com/en/man/html.XC/deskshell.XC.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>SCO Skunkware Release Notes <a href="http://www.sco.com/skunkware/relnotes.html" target="_blank">http://www.sco.com/skunkware/relnotes.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>UnixWare <a href="http://docsrv.sco.com/Webtop/Webtophome.html" target="_blank">http://docsrv.sco.com/Webtop/Webtophome.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Sun Microsystems Completes Tarantella Acquisition". Associated Press. 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2008-04-04. <a href="http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2005-07/sunflash.20050713.1.xml" target="_blank">http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2005-07/sunflash.20050713.1.xml</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"BYTE Magazine - July 1997 / Cover Story / Good-Bye, GUI....Hello, NUI". www.byte.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 1999. Retrieved 17 January 2022. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19990420054209/http://www.byte.com/art/9707/sec5/art1.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/19990420054209/http://www.byte.com/art/9707/sec5/art1.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Web Application <a href="/wiki/Web_app" target="_blank">/wiki/Web_app</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>How offline application cache works <a href="http://diveintohtml5.org/offline.html" target="_blank">http://diveintohtml5.org/offline.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>