Windows 365 streams a full PC experience to any device

[HEXUS]

Available from 2nd August, these 'Cloud PCs' will initially be only available to businesses.

Read more.

[Tabbykatze]

I'd be interested in testing this and seeing what they're providing as the connection method because RDP really isn't sufficient for a lot of designers, CAD-ers and visual needs. Something like Parsec, Shadows tech or at least a competitor to how Citrix does things.

If things like GPU/DL stuff can be bolted onto these, I could actually see a great scalable use case to get rid of the 20 or so ad-hoc desktops in our development office. Well, i'll have to calculate operational costs to compare and depending on the hourly cost of these desktops!

[philehidiot]

I'd be interested in testing this and seeing what they're providing as the connection method because RDP really isn't sufficient for a lot of designers, CAD-ers and visual needs. Something like Parsec, Shadows tech or at least a competitor to how Citrix does things.

If things like GPU/DL stuff can be bolted onto these, I could actually see a great scalable use case to get rid of the 20 or so ad-hoc desktops in our development office. Well, i'll have to calculate operational costs to compare and depending on the hourly cost of these desktops!

Might well be a suitable option for a business that needs a large number of new workhorse machines which mostly run webapps. Thinking the NHS where a huge number of computers are running on 2GB of RAM and it's full / into virtual memory as soon as you have booted. Obviously replacing a few thousand machines is expensive and they still work so they don't calculate the massive cost in wasted time and frustration as staff fight to get anything done. Something like this might be doable on the existing machines, offloading the compute and memory stuff elsewhere.

[cheesemp]

I'd be interested in testing this and seeing what they're providing as the connection method because RDP really isn't sufficient for a lot of designers, CAD-ers and visual needs. Something like Parsec, Shadows tech or at least a competitor to how Citrix does things.

If things like GPU/DL stuff can be bolted onto these, I could actually see a great scalable use case to get rid of the 20 or so ad-hoc desktops in our development office. Well, i'll have to calculate operational costs to compare and depending on the hourly cost of these desktops!

Cost would definitely be key. As a software dev I've been deliberately turning down a swap from desktop to laptop due to the performance drop. With something like this where I could do my work on any basic laptop (+ monitor/KB/Mouse ). I guess said laptop wouldn't even need managing by corporate that much which would also reduce costs.

[Saracen999]

It has some potentially interesting possibilities, if the minimum period is short enough, but personally I loathe the trend to subscription models. I'm not saying they don't have their place, especially for business users but they aren't for me. I moved my workflow (of about 20 years or more) away from Photoshop and Lightroom (albeit more latterly than 20 years) to ACDSee and Affinity Photo and this was a major part of why. If I won't use it for Adobe, I won't use it for MS.

But I do remember the jeers and catcalls during the W8 farce when I said MS's "direction of travel" was to subscription models and, well, nobody likes to say "I told you so" but .... nah, who I kidding, I love saying it.

[ik9000]

This could be handy if it lets you have in effect a couple of VMs where you can install all those expensive 1-user licences that people can then log into as they need to. I imagine that will be frowned upon as MS will want you to buy lots of those licences (MS Project, Visual Studio etc) and more other software companies are demanding user accounts and online log-in via their portals now even for licenced software. It's rather invasive IMO but they have you over a barrel when it's the industry defacto and you don;t really have a choice.

[Rubarb]

Oh lordy...... it begins

[LSG501]

Honestly, for businesses that mainly run 'office' software I see this as a natural progression from thin clients. The server is just in the cloud rather than in the basement type of thing.

We've already got (Samsung I think) displays with built in remote desktop software and support for keyboard mouse so it's less stuff to buy too in theory.

I wouldn't want to use it for my 3D work mind but the 9-5 workers in an office wouldn't likely notice any difference imo.

[darcotech]

So MS will make "Egdebooks" as the clients for this?
Because one needs to think about what happens if the internet is down. How do you continue your work?

Other than that, if the price is right, it is a good solution for the applications that are not latency sensible (like most Office applications).

[cheesemp]

So MS will make "Egdebooks" as the clients for this?
Because one needs to think about what happens if the internet is down. How do you continue your work?

Other than that, if the price is right, it is a good solution for the applications that are not latency sensible (like most Office applications).

I think based on my own experience internet down time even on crappy 35Mbps FTTC connection is in the years (I had one outage of a day in 8 and 1/2 years). I think we're almost at the point where its as reliable as power. It'll also only get better when openreach final lay FTTP everywhere. I don't see this as a big issue like it use to be for most people (and if you're using them in the office you likely have backup connections).

[ik9000]

I think based on my own experience internet down time even on crappy 35Mbps FTTC connection is in the years (I had one outage of a day in 8 and 1/2 years). I think we're almost at the point where its as reliable as power. It'll also only get better when openreach final lay FTTP everywhere. I don't see this as a big issue like it use to be for most people (and if you're using them in the office you likely have backup connections).

am i the only one who does work on planes and trains with no/intermittment signal, sometimes no signal for hours in the case of a TA flight?

[cheesemp]

am i the only one who does work on planes and trains with no/intermittment signal, sometimes no signal for hours in the case of a TA flight?

No but probably in a minority. My firm use to send engineers round the world but since the increased use of remote access solutions increasingly does all our setup, install and support remotely. I think for 90%+ of users this would do the job. Plus don't forget how much connectivity has improved in recent years. Give it another 5 years and lack of connectivity will be unusual.

[AGTDenton]

aaaah so this is what they've been working on. Explains why Windows 10 has never really left beta in my eyes.