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Observation | Description | Notes/Comments |
|---|---|---|
System resources vary | Virtual machines are not running with the equivalent amount of resources (e.g. 2GB vs 4GB RAM) | This may invalidate some of the observations that follow |
System configurations vary | The virtual machines are not running with the equivalent configuration. (e.g. use of Aero restricted in the VMware virtual machines) | This may invalidate some of the observations that follow |
Additional software is needed | Basics such as QuickTime player and Adobe Acrobat Reader are not installed. Additional software would enable better testing of real world use |
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At a basic level, both solutions are functional for standard tasks | Both systems were adequate for accessing a desktop remotely when discounting the full user experience. Neither were equivalent to running locally but (basic) work could be completed if required |
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Citrix client exposed additional features | Settings such as screen resolution, offloading Flash, etc... were exposed via the client |
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VMware solution has substantially more artifacts around text | Subtle but slightly annoying artifacts are more pronounced in the VMware solution , particularly during refresh events (such as mousing over a tab in Firefox) | This will potentially be missed by some people but really annoy others |
VMware solution artifacts are more noticeable on refresh events | A mouse over that would cause a change in the font or font-size would create artifacts that would improve after a second or two. For example, mouse over a tab in Firefox |
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Sound quality is 'ok' when streaming tthrough Citrix | Streaming music works but was at a noticeably lower quality that I what I would expect. |
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VMware solution did not allow audio streaming | Unable to stream audio locally via the VMware Desktop | Missed setting? |
VMware has a substantial lag between typing and display of text | The VMware solution had a substantial level of lag between when text was entered and when the updates appeared on the screen. The Citrix solution had some barely noticeable lag but was nearly real time |
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Unable to enter full screen mode via VMware solution | Unable to get to a full screen view of the desktop | Possible user error? If yes, it may still be an issue for others |
Access to local resource with Citrix | Citrix appears to allow access to the local hard drive. I am not certain if the same functionality exists in the VMware solution. | It is good that this feature can be set to disabled by default. The interaction of certain software running on the virtual machines and local files needs to be fully understood prior to implementation (e.g. antivirus scan and potentially report false positives where the infection is local to the user, not the virtual machine?). |
Issues PDFs in VMware solution Internet Explorer | Opening http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf directly from Internet Explorer in the VMware solution caused the system to hang then eventually respond. Opening it in Internet Explorer in the Citrix solution worked fine. | Possible issue with different desktop images, management model, or my installation of Acrobat Reader. |
PDFs looked different | PDFs appeared to be of different quality in each solution. | This should be explored |
Hopefully, the following images contain enough detail to represent what I was observing.
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