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Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

mainframe2.com

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Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#21

Post by TallGuyShort »

jareds wrote: post #6

As a Mainframe programmer I was Disappointed when I looked at the page. I was hoping this would be a web based Mainframe emulator possibly running public domain versions of OS/360.

... then you must enjoy this classic: http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM

I've toyed with the idea of setting up mainframes-as-a-service. I would probably just run the various Linux distributions running inside Hercules and abstract it away as cleanly as possible. You'd never get the performance or capacity, but you'd get a cheap, easy emulation for coding and small-scale testing. It's been a while since I had time for a side-project but I'd still love to work on this.

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#24

Post by mtdewcmu »

lcampbell wrote: post #16

> You can upload any application from Mainframe2 in 10 minutes. With Citrix or VMWare, it takes at least four months to do the same thing.[1] Four months? I am at a loss for words. -- [1] http://www.mainframe2.com/infographic

I guess the assumption is that if you're running the application with Citrix or VMWare, you'd have no other choice but to travel to the cloud datacenter on foot and install it manually on the server from a DVD. Fair assumption, I guess.

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#25

Post by kayoone »

PC-over-IP is coming and already has HTML5 clients. With dedicated decoding hardware you can even play streamed games at low latency and good framerates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YJwekaJ6Ys

I wonder where personal computing will go. Either this where the personal pc is more or less a dumb terminal, or something like ChromeOS with a Client/Server hybrid approach.

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#26

Post by mtdewcmu »

jareds wrote: post #6

As a Mainframe programmer I was Disappointed when I looked at the page. I was hoping this would be a web based Mainframe emulator possibly running public domain versions of OS/360.

A browser-based vt100 terminal -- how cool would that be?

I wonder if you could run X11 in a browser. You'd have to get around the fact that it couldn't accept client connections, but otherwise, it seems plausible.

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#27

Post by aus_ »

TallGuyShort wrote: post #21
jareds wrote: post #6

As a Mainframe programmer I was Disappointed when I looked at the page. I was hoping this would be a web based Mainframe emulator possibly running public domain versions of OS/360.

... then you must enjoy this classic: http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM I've toyed with the idea of setting up mainframes-as-a-service. I would probably just run the various Linux distributions running inside Hercules and abstract it away as cleanly as possible. You'd never get the performance or capacity, but you'd get a cheap, easy emulation for coding and small-scale testing. It's been a while since I had time…

This isn't actually too far fetched. IBM has a product called Rational Developer and Test Environment for System z[0] which allows you to run z/OS or any other s390 architecture in their hypervisor. Think of it as an enterprise version of Hercules that runs the latest version mainframe software. (Hercules can but licensing prevents this.) You could then essentially build a real "mainframe-as-a-service" (as you said) by deploying a Linux VM that has RDT installed and configured. Mainframe developers can spin up their VMs for on-demand dev and QA enivornments.

I know, because I am the system programmer who set this up internally at my company.

[0]: http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/ratideveandtesten...

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#29

Post by [deleted] »

mtdewcmu wrote: post #18
wmf wrote: post #7

To be clear, this does not run software in the browser; it runs software in the cloud and displays it in the browser. Given the possibility of actually running apps in the browser I think this distinction matters.

I clicked the link to figure out how they solved the numerous technical problems of running native applications in a browser. It's a deceptive claim, and the web page is content-free, all marketing. I don't think it belongs on HN, at least not with that headline.

[deleted]

Re: Mainframe2: Run any software in a browser

#30

Post by riskable »

mtdewcmu wrote: post #26
jareds wrote: post #6

As a Mainframe programmer I was Disappointed when I looked at the page. I was hoping this would be a web based Mainframe emulator possibly running public domain versions of OS/360.

A browser-based vt100 terminal -- how cool would that be? I wonder if you could run X11 in a browser. You'd have to get around the fact that it couldn't accept client connections, but otherwise, it seems plausible.

You mean like Gate One (https://github.com/liftoff/GateOne)? Right now it's just an HTML5 terminal/SSH client but soon it will also do X11 (video demo):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zJ8TNcWTyo

It will basically do the same thing as Mainframe2 except it'll be open source and you'll be able to run it (the server) wherever you like. I've been working on the X11 support quite a lot over the past few weeks... Hopefully the public beta will be ready soon.

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