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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
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 "Always On" mode. There's now also a new "AutoStop" mode in which desktops shut down after you disconnect for a certain amount of time. AWS promises that desktops will emerge from AutoStop in 90 seconds, complete with all data.
[...] The service still needs a device running Windows, Android, iOS, Amazon's own Fire or Chrome OS. There's still no Linux client, which seems an oversight as those considering Workspaces on a PC would surely like the chance to run them without having to worry about Windows licences. Nor is there a way to use Workspaces on a thin client or Raspberry Pi, arrangements that look like matches made in cloud desktop heaven.
But why grump about such things on the day that slightly slow and weird desktops became something that can be rented by the hour? Truly we live in an age of wonders .... ®
(Score: 2) by SunTzuWarmaster on Saturday August 20 2016, @10:38PM
"Killer app" is the Chromebook. Chromebook is super-good at running Chrome. But that's about it. Wanna play Alpha Centauri? Tough. Edit a Microsoft document someone sent to you? Tough. Mix some sweet tracks? Tough. But it has a really good battery life, a keyboard, ability to bluetooth/chromecast to screens, and you can one for $100 (not kidding: http://www.cnet.com/news/get-a-hisense-11-6-inch-chromebook-for-99-99/). [cnet.com] You can get some good code editors and actually write/test code on it (I developed an app, compiled it, tested it, and put it in the app store inside of 12 hours).
That said, it is pretty much lacking when it comes to content creation tasks. The ability to access a production-class desktop for $2/day ($230/year, AKA "one computer every 3 years") turns "shitty Chromebook" into "legitimate business laptop".