X compression techniques (was Re: VNC server based on kdrive using damage extension?)

[Jim Gettys]

Yes, NX looks very interesting.

SSH by itself makes a big difference, and I understand that NX goes
well beyond that. I'll try to somehow dig up the time somewhere.
Our paper shows that there is a tremendous lot to be gained
by various bandwidth and latency fixes.

The performance issue will primarily come to the fore in environments
like LTSP, where scaling on servers is an issue (how many people
you can support on a single box).  NX, or SSH, for an individual
user talking to a single machine I'm sure presents little issue.
But on a single box with 100 users, it is something to worry about,
I would guess.

*The* big issue right now about X and network transparency over
any network is the security and authentication piece; without
handling that, we don't have a long term viable solution.

                               - Jim


On Fri, 2004-02-20 at 11:48, Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
> Jim Gettys wrote:
> 
> Jim Gettys wrote:
> 
> > I've honestly
> > been to busy the last six months to investigate their work
> > to the extent it deserves
> 
> [....]
> 
> > Going through external proxies
> > is almost certainly a performance problem.
> 
> Hi, Jim,
> 
> the way Gian Filippo has designed and implemented the NX proxies
> is certainly a huge performance *win* over any non-proxied (naked
> or "ssh -C") remote X-setup, even within a company LAN when you run
> multiple users's sessions over the wires.
> 
> I've also been busy for the last 10 months. But once I took my
> first 10 minutes to explore NX (it doesn't take more to install
> it and set up your first connection to testdrive.nomachine.com in
> Rome/Italy, honest!) back in April 2003 I was hooked, and changed
> my way of using computers. My desktop is always with me. And soon
> I will even be able to access it from a Knoppix CD put into any CD
> drive of the world (with the host's internet connected).
> 
> So, not "almost", but for sure (because I have that 10-minute time
> gain over you ;-)  I can tell you with all my confidence: the
> NX external proxy doesn't have any performance problem. It is a
> big perfomance win. And Gian Filippo says, there are even some
> more gains to be made......
> 
> Just try and invest these 10 little minutes and see with your own
> eyes....
> 
> Cheers,
> Kurt
-- 
Jim Gettys <Jim.Gettys@hp.com>
HP Labs, Cambridge Research Laboratory