Linux, Windows or both? Doesn't matter to virtual desktop vendor, Ulteo

Ulteo is poised to offer commercial support for its free virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software, which the open-source startup says will cost companies a fraction of established offerings from Citrix Systems, Microsoft and VMware, while offering, in some cases, more choice in platforms.

The Paris-based company has already released a second version of its Open Virtual Desktop software, which lets companies host Windows and Linux apps on the same server and then stream them to remote desktop or laptop PCs.

The software has been downloaded by tens of thousands of users, mostly IT managers who have been testing OVD as a less expensive, more flexible substitute for [Microsoft's Terminal Services] or Citrix's [XenApp (formerly MetaFrame Server),] according to CEO Thierry Koehrlen.

Neither the Microsoft nor the Citrix app can deliver Linux apps, according to Koehrlen. VMware's technology, like Ulteo's, can support either OS, he said.

Dual OS support is something cost-conscious IT managers are seeking, Koehrlen said, since it enables them to reserve pricier Windows for power users, and then offer free Linux to the rest.

"We have several dozen users who are using OVD today to manage several hundred users each in production, and are itching to go into the thousands," Koehrlen said in a phone interview.

Ulteo hasn't finalized prices for its [enterprise] support plan, though Koehrlen said it "will be very cheap compared to Citrix or VMware. We want it to be a no-brainer in terms of cost compared to the big guys."

Ulteo was co-founded by Gael Duval, founder of Mandrake Linux (now [Mandriva)] , and Koehrlen, who co-founded [Intalio,] which makes an open-source [business process management] software.

It is small -- 10 employees -- though Koehrlen said that development and testing is aided by hundreds of contributors.

Though called Open Virtual Desktop, Koehrlen said the current version of the software is neither true desktop nor application virtualization.

Rather, Open Virtual Desktop's "session virtualization" technology rides on top of simple streaming technology such as [Terminal Services] to paint the screens of users with Java-enabled Web browsers running on their clients, said Koehrlen. Applications can be hosted at Amazon's EC2.

Ulteo is working on offering [true application virtualization] , but Koehrlen said it's not urgent. Companies won't start adopting application virtualization en masse until they start planning their upgrades from Windows XP to 7, he said.

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