VMware opens client virtualisation
EMC's virtualisation company, VMware has launched an open source virtual desktop client, VMware View Open Client. It is intended for use by EMC/VMware partner companies who want to give their clients the benefit of open source software running virtual machines and the company believes that a marriage of open source and virtualisation could be attractive to many companies.
It means that for large companies they can host their users' desktops in their own datacentres and users access their own desktops, according to the company.
The prospect for companies and users could be appealing. VMware's software does not come cheaply but being able to run View Open Client on their own applications through VMware virtual machines can provide more flexibility for virtual environments.
Commenting on the move, VMware's Jocelyn Goldfein, general manager of VMware's Desktop Business Unit said: "VMware feels strongly about industry collaboration to move the market forward to develop the best solutions."
Because VMware is sharing source cost in View Open Client , he said, "vendors can easily optimise devices to create the best virtual desktop solutions". As a result, he said, IT departments are "able to reduce the total cost of providing desktop environments by allowing low-end or less-expensive devices that provide the same feature set as higher-end devices".
The analysts Gartner projects that approximately 50 million user licenses for hosted virtual desktops will be purchased by 2013 and the thin-client terminal will account for about 40 percent of user devices for hosted virtual desktop deployment.
VMware's View Open Client is available through the GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1.