back to article Amazon now renting cloudy desktops for $0.22 an hour

Amazon Web Services' “Workspaces” desktop-as-a-service offering can now be paid for by the hour. Workspaces are a cut of Windows Server 2008 with a Windows 7 skin and are consumed with a custom client application. Until today, the service was sold by the month for a fixed price that included storage. That's now called the “ …

  1. Doogie Howser MD

    Difficult to see AWS winning on this one

    Simply because Microsoft owns the desktop OS (in all but a name). On this basis, you'd expect Azure to have a much more flexible and cost effective solution simply because they can. AWS will always be subject to more stringent licencing constraints, or so you'd assume.

    I wonder if MS will jump into bed with Citrix for desktops too?

    1. gregthecanuck

      Re: Difficult to see AWS winning on this one

      They are working with Citrix right now - did you miss the announcement? Or else I missed your sarcastic tone?

      Register article here

      1. Doogie Howser MD

        Re: Difficult to see AWS winning on this one

        As I understand it, that's just dropping in XenApp "Express" (AKA Crippled Mode, no doubt) to replace RemoteApp for application delivery. I was referring to Microsoft using XenDesktop for VDI in the cloud.

    2. mister_kleen

      Re: Difficult to see AWS winning on this one

      If you are looking for a bit more power at an even lower price checkout Paperspace (www.paperspace.com). All plans come standard with a GPU and your virtual desktop can be accessed through a web browser -- no install or plugin necessary.

  2. Baldy50

    UMMMM!

    No Linux client!

    1. keithpeter Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: UMMMM!

      @ Baldy50: Any desktop client that can run a Linux distro will probably be able to run a *version* of ChromeOS using the neverware iso...

      https://www.neverware.com/

      ...but then that would be even more licencing costs for a company.

      Disclaimer: I have no connection with the strangely named neverware. I just think it is very neat.

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