>The idea that you need a physical machine close by to get any work done is completely out the window at this point. ... I ssh into the virtual machine to do pretty much everything: edit code, fire off builds, run tests, etc. ...Wide-area network latencies are low enough that this works fine for interactive use, even when I'm at home on my cable modem.
This situation sounds fine if you're a developer and your job requires only low-bandwidth text streams between you and your physical computer. But for anyone who does anything graphical, or for anyone at home who wants to enjoy media, the bandwidth and latency are big problems.
Maybe I should just assume that because this is on HN and written on a developer's blog, context is assumed. But it sure seems like a disconnect between hard programmers and the other 99% of the population.
This situation sounds fine if you're a developer and your job requires only low-bandwidth text streams between you and your physical computer. But for anyone who does anything graphical, or for anyone at home who wants to enjoy media, the bandwidth and latency are big problems.
Maybe I should just assume that because this is on HN and written on a developer's blog, context is assumed. But it sure seems like a disconnect between hard programmers and the other 99% of the population.