Knoppix and NoMachine

I just read an entry on slashdot about how Fabian Franz has put together a free version of the NoMachine server. The slashdot description is as follows:

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The first day of LinuxTag, Europe's biggest Free Software event (expecting 25,000 visitors) already has one big highlight. It seems that Fabian Franz from the Knoppix Project hacked up a 'FreeNX Server' based on NoMachine's NX technology (poor NoMachine might lose business now). Fabian Franz presented a first preview of the 'GPL Edition' in a live demo together with Kurt Pfeifle. The demo showed sessions going from Germany to Italy just based on a slow WLAN connectivity (shared with hundreds of visitors). A connection lost due to bad network conditions was easily re-connected to, and a deliberately suspended session was revitalized too -- it was just like 'screen' with a GUI! A report on the official LinuxTag webpage says FreeNX will be publically released for the first time as part of the upcoming Knoppix-3.6 release. The Kalyxo project is building and hosting Debian packages of FreeNX and NX/GPL for everyone to use."

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I don't really know much about NoMachine. Has anyone here tried it out and if so, what are your impressions? It sounds like this will be a usefull tool as it is supposed to be much faster than vnc.

BTW, isn't the slashdot post is in error when it says that Fabian's FreeNX work will be released on Knoppix 3.6? As I understand it Knoppix 3.5 is being released at Linuxtag so I would think it would be included there. Have any of you who are at Linuxtag gotten a copy of the new release? Thoughts? Impressions?

My WAG is that 3.5 will apply to the DVD, and that 3.6 will be the next CD release, but I have absolutely no facts to support that.

Froms slashdot postings:
http://www.orangecrate.com/article.php?sid=677
http://www.newsforge.com/software/03...7.shtml?tid=11

http://www.nomachine.com/faq.php

Since it seems to be able to be a client for TerminalServer and Citrix as well it seems pretty nifty

When I saw the NX Client on knoppix 3.4, it got me intriged.

I did try the non gpl version and installed it on an HD knoppix.

On a LAN it is not better than VNC, because VNC is quite reactive already, certainly more a hassle to install, configure users ...

Talking to a server on the internet through an ADSL connection, I would say I feel it as twice as fast as VNC (very subjective). Still it is not as usable for your day to day work as on a LAN.

So I am still wondering where exactly its usefulness is.

Ok I was finally able to get to the Linuxtag site and "read" the information regarding Nomachine.

I'm pasting in the following translation from an online translation site I found. Like all such translations it's far from perfect, but you can get some details that weren't mentioned in the slashdot blub. If any German speaking person want's to make a more readable translation, feel free to do so.

Here's the url: http://www.linuxtag.org/2004/fullnew...fd5296fa2a0053

The translation is as follows:

Quote:

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How Kurt Pfeifle gave confessed and Fabian Franz in the train of its presentation during the Linux day, the coming version is delivered of Knoppix exclusively with a free NX-server-implementation.

While the libraries are accessible the not until recently on per-Linux of introduced NX-server free under the GNUS general Public License (GNU GPL), the business of a characteristic server represents some problems. To introduce reason enough for Kurt Pfeifle and Fabian Franz a free implementation of the server the user shaft. The light of the public will perceive that under the working title »NXFree« introduced solution exclusively in the coming Knoppix-version 3.6. After information of per-Linux, the new distribution should appear presumably end July. Corresponding packages in the Debian-standard are published shortly on that of the Kalyxo-project.

The free NX-server is based completely on the freely available components of the commercial NX-server and was expanded moreover around freely accessible configuration script and management scripts. As a client, the cost-free available, commercial solution of the firm serves further »NoMachine «. A free version is in planning. A Release is planned for this year's summit meeting »aKademy« of the KDE-Community of that 21st until 29 August 2004.

A complete release for other distributions will follow after statements of the involved authors after the Release from Knoppix 3.6. The download-URLS want confessed give Pfeifle and Franz at a later time.

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Indeed the article does say that this will be released in Knoppix 3.6 (sometime at the end of July) and that it will be presented at the aKademy conference at the end of August.

For those interested some more info can be had here.

Can anyone with the ability to preview the LinuxTag DVD confirm or deny if the freeNX server is on it? The slashdot and KDE articles are a little sparse on details?

I think this and klik / serverside-apt could be killer apps from a network management perspective.

Can anyone with the LinuxTAG cd confirm / deny if the freenx server is included? Waiting with bait on my breath for this one ;)

~pau1

The way I understood it: The server will be included in the upcoming 3.6 CD download edition. The free server was work in progress at LinuxTag and is not included on the 3.5 LinuxTag DVD.

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Originally Posted by probono

The way I understood it: The server will be included in the upcoming 3.6 CD download edition. The free server was work in progress at LinuxTag and is not included on the 3.5 LinuxTag DVD.

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Is there anything else holding up the release of 3.6 now that LinuxTag is over?