VMware's WSX promises to bring virtualized desktops to the web browser with HTML5

It's not quite ready for widespread use just yet, but it looks like we could soon have yet another way to virtualize one computer desktop on another device. Tentatively dubbed WSX, VMware's latest option relies on HTML5 to do away with plug-ins or dedicated applications altogether (a "lightweight Web server" acts as an intermediary), which means that you'll need nothing more than a web browser to run Windows or other operating systems on any capable device. As of now that includes laptops and desktops running Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, as well as iPads, but not Android devices (though that is apparently in the works). What's more, while it's still described as experimental, it apparently offers "near-native quality and framerates" when viewing 720p YouTube videos, and VMware is already toying around with optimizing it for the new iPad's Retina display. Those interested in a sneak peak can try it out with VMware's Workstation Tech Preview for Linux, although there's no word yet on a wider release.