@rrhoover OnLive made a custom video codec to get their latency down SUPER low. I understand hardcore gamers didn't like it, but I'd be surprised if casual computer users noticed. Though I will admit that when I read the tagline, I was thinking it was a play to make computers accessible to more people (esp low-income). I really like the idea of getting to "use" a Mac powerhouse via the internet, or experiment with Linux without buying the machines myself. Existing solutions for that, eg EC2, are still pretty technical. So I'm curious to hear what Paperweight sees as their target customer(s). And that video is friggin' hilarious.

@rrhoover this is exactly what I was thinking. Possible lag is the key issue but non the less great idea. Just wish the shipping was a little less :)

@kjemperud it says they are focusing on Windows and Linux for now. Other OS-es in the future. So might as well be a thing. I mean there is a Mac mini colocation services around which do kind of the same. But without the (maybe :)) slick interface.

@joeconyers We have Active Directory deployments out in the world right now. You can network VMs just like regular computers--you just put everything on a VPC and you're all set. Thanks for bringing this up.

@johnny5sf Latency is definitely key. I'm from the east coast but just moved out to Mountain View for Y Combinator. I left my VM in Virginia and I do all types of photoshop work/3D modeling stuff 2,200 miles away with no lag. Sounds crazy but we'll have a demo up soon for you to check out. You need to be under about 60 ms latency (when the human eye can begin to detect lag) which is very manageable most places in the states. You can transfer a VM easily but I've been out here for 2 months and don't plan on it. I think this is about the limit but I depend on this VM every day for work. It's actually my only computer--you have to eat your own dogfood, right?.

@garrytan awesome praise. cc @danielkobran - tell us more about how this came about!

@eriktorenberg Definitely. So my co-founder and I were working as architects (the building kind) and needed access to more powerful computers for doing simulations, 3D modeling etc. We sort of stumbled upon all this amazing cloud technology that just wasn't really accessible to the masses. 95% of Fortune 500s use virtual desktops but the technology is really complicated to deploy and manage. As a result, smaller companies and individuals don't really benefit from the technology at all. So what we're doing is trying to take that infrastructure and wrap it in a really simple layer and make it available to everyone else. Kind of the way Dropbox made cloud storage so simple that it could be use by anyone.

@malcolm_ocean Dehydrated water is the future.

@malcolm_ocean @danielkobran Agree on that video, I loved it. Still seems like there's work to do before it's as simple as DropBox. Specifically, the part of the video that says "you just need an ethernet cable for the Paperweight, a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor. Connect all those things, and you're ready to go!" My parents can install Dropbox. I'm not confident they could do the above to install Paperweight. Do you guys have anything in the works that further simplifies setup? Edit: I just saw the FAQ that says you also don't need a Paperweight to access a Paperspace cloud computer. So... that's more parent friendly! But then what's the Paperweight for? :)

@malcolm_ocean @danielkobran @staringispolite I could see a case for putting a paperweight in my summer cabin, rather than dragging my laptop across the country. I'd imagine if I was really using a remote computer, in the future I'd want to spend my $$ on a sweet keyboard or monitor, so Paperweight seem to fit that well. Anyway, this is a super cool product, I'm just so skeptical it could replace my MB Pro (but it's cuz I loves my MB Pro =)).

@malcolm_ocean @danielkobran @dshan Ah I see, so the Paperweight is just the last bit of hardware that lets you replace your current computer (if you want). I'm also curious how this handles hardware. For instance: for DJing, I need my NS7 (connects via two USB cables). For RockSmith, I need a 1/4" guitar plug to USB cable. For arduino projects, photography, etc I also need USB plugs. It looks like the Paperweight supports 0 USB cables at the moment? (Can HDMI be made to support a USB hub?)

@eriktorenberg @rahulaswani2 Dillon and I are both designers (ex-architects) and what we are most excited about is designing out that process of adding a new computer, cranking up the storage dial when you run out, sharing your screen without installing software etc. You can do a lot of this stuff already--it's just super technical and cumbersome. Obviously we are both technical people (not trying to put down my own people haha) but even as a technical person, I would rather spend my time working on the stuff I care about. Most of our competitors (Citrix, VMware to name a few) sell exclusively to IT departments so they don't deal with end users. We believe that is fundamentally the wrong approach. We'll have a demo up of our management console soon and hopefully it lives up to your expectations... Thanks so much for your feedback.

@dereckbreuning Sorry for the delay. You can install any program you would normally install on a regular computer. There are no limitations with respect to licensing that we know of. I use all of the programs you just mentioned (completely serious, I used to be an architect). Ultimately, we would like to offer pre-configured machines and on-demand software. So much to do!

@danielkobran thanks ok so you just deliver the desktop OS and updates etc. Al fully preconfigured set of apps for certain types of jobs would be cool yeah! Thanks for the info :)

@sidazhang Sidney--that's a really great potential use-case. A lot of people ask us why everyone can't just use a Chromebook these days and the reason is because they have about the same sized processor as a smartphone and sometimes you need a bit more than that... Thanks!

@danielkobran Another area is the rendering for 3D animations. It requires a lot of computing power and takes too long to run on a local machine. I will give this a try and see if the experience is smooth. I am yet to see anything remote to work nicely