When you're at a computer that's missing a vital file or application, like an office workstation that's locked down, a friend's system or coffee shop computer, you can still get to a desktop that contains your essentials—on the web. A "webtop" is a virtual desktop that you access using only a browser, and it can include much of the stuff you'd expect on a local computer desktop: like file storage and management, a calendar, RSS reader, email client, and photo viewer. While there are several web desktops available these days, the free and open source EyeOS application is the most accessible, useful, and promising one out there. Follow along to see what a web-based desktop looks like, and how it can help you get things done when you're locked down or out of pocket.Why a web-based desktop?
To say the least, not everybody is on-board with the idea of a web-based working environment. It's always going to be a little slower than the system you've got at your fingers, and those with enough DIY initiative can hack together a fully-loaded thumb drive or remote-controlled computer that can do the same things, and probably better, than a "webtop." But while an app like eyeOS isn't full-featured or perfectly smooth at this point, it offers a lot of functions in one screen that would require opening tab after tab in your browser, and anyone can set it up and test-drive a