Office to go

For those of us who travel often and work out of the office, it is often difficult to stay in touch. For years, software manufacturers have been trying to create portable offices and means by which we can all stay in touch while out of the office.

Remote connections are the most common methods to connect to the office. Companies like Microsoft and Citrix Systems

have created portals or utilities called Remote Desktop. Windows 2000 and upwards come with this utility built in, and have even integrated it into Microsoft Messenger and Microsoft Live Messenger.

Other companies such as GoToMyPC
built applications that allow users to connect to any of their own computers anywhere in the world. All one needs a subscription to the service. This enables users to install a program on all of their PCs that will accept incoming connections.

Remote desktop allows users to have their exact desktop from their main computer and access it through the Internet as if they were actually on that PC. You are not on that PC in fact, just sharing the screen.

Now, with AJAX, a new Java Script and XML programming language for the Internet, new doors are opening to accomplish old tasks in new ways. Ajax is a shorthand nickname for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is a web development technique that helps create interactive web applications. The idea is to make web pages feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes. Users don’t have to wait until a page reloads whenever they ask for a change. This helps increase the web page’s interactivity, speed, and, by extension, its usefulness.

There are now desktop portals that do not require your home PC, or work PC to be involved. Users can access these new portals anywhere using the Internet. If you are at the library, school, the airport, simply log in to your desktop portal and you have everything you need.

Some of the leading companies offering Internet desktop applications include ORCA, although they are still in beta testing. This one offers a complete Windows XP, Vista, and MAC interface, all done through your web browser. You can browse the Internet from your Internet desktop even! Dekoh is another desktop portal that has recently launched.

These web sites, along with web sites like Yahoo, Pageflakes, Netvibes, and yourminis all deliver content users can customize completely. There is also a wide array of content that users can add, such as a to-do-list, calendar, address book, e-mail, flickr photo sharing, chat utilities, RSS feeds, YouTube videos, MySpace profiles, news, weather, reminders and appointments. All these features are available wherever there is an available Internet connection.