| Pyro delivers Web apps to the Linux desktop |
Jul. 20, 2007
 The Pyro project has launched its "Pyro Desktop," a new Linux application with the lofty goal of "true integration between the Web and modern desktop computing." Pyro offers an interesting new approach to deploying Web-based applications on the Linux desktop, reminiscent of Opera's and Vista's widgets.
According to Pyro's website, "Pyro works fundamentally by drawing your entire computer screen as a Web Page, all from within Firefox." Indeed, at core, Pyro seems to be a window manager that renders Web content alongside existing native applications.
Pyro screenshot showing Flickr feed
(Click to enlarge)
"By leveraging the trusted Firefox Add-On system, all the capabilities of dynamic HTML, JavaScript, CSS, SVG, and Adobe Flash are available to enable incredible applications, extensions, and themes," continues the project's website.
The project is led by Alex Graveley, working in conjunction with Chris Toshok, a Mono developer. In announcing the alpha release of Pyro this week, Graveley stated, "Web content is no longer confined to the browser's window. Instead, trusted web sites and extensions are given access to the full range of interactivity and control enjoyed by native applications today."
Pyro's announcement teases readers to imagine...- Rich Web pages running side-by-side with native applications
- Single programming environment for the whole desktop
- Desktop-wide mashups
- Killer Web integration
- Novel desktop effects
"Pyro enables a desktop that tracks the latest in Web technology, and helps mold the future of the integrated Web," continues the announcement.
"Bringing all these Web technologies together with the newest generation of Linux display technology, called window compositing, allows Pyro to integrate native applications as an intrinsic part of the overall Web Desktop, seamlessly merging the two," the Pyro website adds.
Such interoperability is, of course, an expected capability of Web browsing, where Java and other machine- and OS-independent technologies and services flourish in relative comfort. However, fusing these technologies with the desktop window manager could open up serious security risks if not done carefully.
How safe is it?
In an email interview, Graveley told DesktopLinux that "security issues are exactly the same as with Firefox... any Firefox add-on you download could potentially snoop all your keystrokes, capture all your website passwords, forward all your email to Uganda, delete all the files in your home directory, etc. Just as any .exe or .deb or .rpm or .dmg could do. You must trust what you install, no matter what."
"Pyro does not however expose any new security vulnerabilities to regular websites that you visit," he continued. "Nor does it expose your interactions with any native applications that you run under Pyro to such websites."
Since Pyro can be installed now, we asked if it was safe to try for users who could not afford to lose data. Graveley intimated that Pyro should be treated as any Alpha: "Pyro is unsafe in that it might very well crash in the middle of composing an important email, after which you would have to rewrite it. But there's not any more risk than running an experimental build of compiz, or metacity, or any other window manager," he said.
"It's the first public release, after all, version 0.1. I'm honestly quite surprised that most people that download and try it have actually had something happen when they run it," added Graveley.
Availability
Pyro is currently available for download from the project's website, Pyro project's website. Additional screenshots are available here.
Our advice: proceed cautiously -- this is "alpha" level software.
Related stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.
Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.
Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.
Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.
Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.
Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.
Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.
SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.
Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.
Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed