Why Desktop Virtualization is a Bad Idea

 Desktop FanDesktop virtualization is all the rage these days. Instead ofrunning applications and your favorite O/S from your desktop, your"desktop" runs in a VM on a server that is centrallymanaged by IT. Dozens of different desktops are crammed on to thisserver, and your desktop is streamed to the lightweight PC whenneeded. Several vendors (Citrix, VMware, even Sun) have products inthis space. Now, let's turn the clock back 12 years to 1996. The Macarena crazeis sweeping the nation, and a much-younger Larry Ellison is ravingabout how the network computer will change the computing landscape.All of your apps run on powerful, centrally managed servers (mostlySun servers running Oracle databases), and the network computerrenders the results in a browser. Wait a minute, doesn't that soundfamiliar? Now let's rewind another 9 years to 1987. U2 and Madonna aretopping the charts, and X11 is all the rage in the computing scene.(Okay, two out of three are still around and thriving.) Everystudent developer and every corporate developer has the latest XWindows terminal with a fancy windowing system and applicationsthat run on more powerful servers. As Yogi Berra would say,"It's déjà vu all over again." Here's why desktop virtualization is a bad idea in this day andage: The desktop is much cheaper than the server. I can go to my nearestFry's or Best Buy and buy a dual-core laptop with 2 GB RAM for$500-$600. Desktop hardware is a commodity, whereas servers arestill pricey. Have you priced a 4-socket server with 32 GB RAMlately? And add in the price for your favorite hypervisor. Yourfavorite server vendor still has to pay for their kids' bracessomehow. As a developer and as an end user, I like to install stuff on mydesktop/laptop: iTunes, Yahoo IM, Apache, Eclipse, you get thepicture. My former VP of HR wanted to actually regulate the IMclient used by everyone in the company. Now, he was anex-paratrooper who's now retired to become a surf bum. Go figure.But I'm glad we didn't standardize on IM clients. And how about unplugging your laptop and working from your patio,or your dining room, or your sofa during an NBA playoffs game? I'vegot 802.11g at home, but 54 Mbps is still way too slow to stream mydesktop (or any apps) from my corporate server over VPN. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of virtualization. VM's aregreat to have on your desktop so that you can run Linux instanceson your Windows box. You can develop and test your app from thecomfort of your living room. Virtual desktops on the other hand,ain't such a hit in my book. Related Links: Citrix , VMware , Sun , Oracle Database , VDI - Redo or Breakthrough? , The Case Against Desktop Virtualization