[need-packaging] NoMachine NX server and client

At least for the server there's an alternative upstream source: the FreeNX implementation, which itself is based on NoMachine's code. It recently released a version, which supports the 2.1 version of NoMachine's nxclient. I installed it successfully on kubuntu 6.10.

I couldn't find the debs on the FreeNX project page at http://freenx.berlios.de/, but they are available from different sources, e.g. http://opensource.dental-on-line.com/?page_id=23

This looks nice. The official site does not store debs. The page it points to <http://freenx.berlios.de/download.php> contain some old debs: <http://packages.debianbase.de/etch/i386/nx/>

Do you know where to obtain the kNX client?

The freenx package already includes /usr/lib/nx/nxclient . I like it very much!

Still it would be nice to have an official freenx.deb, containing the recent 2.x version instead of the old 1.5 version. As far as I know the 2.x client doesn't work with the 1.5 server (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeNX). What I personally would like to see is CUPS support working in kubuntu.

kNX: I don't know much about this implementation, but from what I read some weeks ago on the mailing list, it seems to have not much active development. My impression is, that the kNX mailing list is mainly used for FreeNX development.

This is very much seconded! I was going to file a request of my own on this one.

I have been a long time supporter of the nomachine software, until I noticed
- nomachine seems not well supported in OSS-land
- I got acknowledgement from a packager (Seveas) that nomachine sucks for a. not being fully open source, b. using old software versions (Xfree), not co-operating etc
- I must admit nomachine seems indeed only very partially supported, and AFAIK no major Linux distribution supports is.
- even the FreeNX project seems to be defunct.

I'm just summing up some reasons I believe to be the cause of why there is no broader NX adoption. For the same reason, adopting NX in Ubuntu might not be the best idea around. Sadly, nut even after several years, there is no sign whatsoever of an official freenx.deb package.

Now, the reason I post this, is that I only today discovered about the xrdp project (http://xrdp.sourceforge.net/). I have no reason to push this whatsoever, I just want to ask: "might this be a better project to integrate in Ubuntu?" as all componnets are fully open source here. The only minus is that the RDP protocol is proprietary to Microsoft. On the other hand it is a very broadly used protocol, cross-platform thanks to rdesktop, and very performant.

"Server-based computing" (think RDP but also Citrix) is very demanded in corporate world. Having a robust and compatible solution in Ubuntu would definitely be a major plus.

FreeNX is practically dead, and Nomachine.com and 2x.com are not open source friendly. Sadly in their present state none of the "nx" solutions should be packaged. They have too much quality problems as they have not been really maintained and developed for couple years now. There is no place where you can really file an upstream requests either.

The situation plain SUCKS. The request can not be fulfilled and likely you will never see any of this "nx" stuff properly packaged and supported by someone.

I have to make a comment here, because there are alot of misconceptions or outdated information. FreeNX is not at all dead. It progressed slowly in 2006, but is not well on the way again. Fabian Franz, the maintainer of the FreeNX project, is working on a complete re-write and has been contacted by at least one software designer from Google, who has promised to help in that process. I agree with Serge van Ginderachter; Server-based computing and thinclients are explosive these days. Ubuntu should have some support for it. Xrdp is available, but when I tried it, it was very unpolished. If it was packaged and used by the increasingly large Ubuntu community, that might change very quickly, which in turn would make Ubuntu available to all thinclients.

2X supports Citrix in their commercial version. Their free version is a 100% open source version of Nomachines server. (They bought their source code). I've only had positive experiences with Nomachines server, and it's very easily installed. FreeNX might be the best choice after the re-write.

Agree that this should be packaged. NX is much better than VNC in several ways. The only problem is that it corrupts GNOME sessions when it runs more than one session at a time, but I suspect this could be fixed by packaging it with the correct configuration. .deb files are available here:

http://www.nomachine.com/download-package.php?Prod_Id=57

At least now, we have gotten FreeNX Client, QtNX, into the repositories! That's a big step in the right direction. We still need to access our Ubuntu too, though, and not only Windows and other Linux distros. There are distros and packages floating around in mailinglists, etc, but it would be much better to have it in our repos, even if it's only in the universe.

There are _packages_ and repositories floating around, was what I meant to say.

Can this be re-opened?

I think this bug should be closed. I really don't think the Ubuntu community or Canonical will ever support the NX technology, since they think it's flawed by design. But that's ok, because there is now a PPA for FreeNX Server. Add the repository, and you'll find all the beautiful FreeNX Server packages in Synaptic. :) 0.7.3 works perfectly. :)

I personally think it's weird that everyone seems so unwilling to pay any attention to this, though I understand the unwillingness to put it in main. There are some concerns about NX' core libraries, but still... Nothing compares to the effeciency that NX provides, and truth be told, sometimes the possibility of doing something outweights the potential risk of doing so. Support the FreeNX team instead! It's located at https://launchpad.net/freenx-server

You are free to use FreeNX if you want, but many want to use the NoMachine version, and they should be able to do so easily.

Well, yes. There could have been special debs for Ubuntu, but as long as Nomachines old debs work nicely, what's the point? Visit nomachine.com, download the three packages (node, server and client), and double click to install. They could have been added to the commercial repository, but I don't think those decisions belong here?

The original reporter also complained that "no usable RDP server is available for Linux", which isn't true. Xrdp works nicely. It does require some configs though, but that's another issue of course.

"as long as Nomachines old debs work nicely"

They don't. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=784880

"Visit nomachine.com, download the three packages (node, server and client), and double click to install."

That's what we do. What's wrong with putting them in the repositories, though?

Nothing wrong with putting commercial, closed source software in the repositories. There are several examples of that. But in those instances, I think the proprietor should still maintain the debs?

Nomachines debs work nicely in Ubuntu Hardy Heron, or 8.04 if you like, and before you say no they don't, please let me say yes, they do. I just removed FreeNX Server, downloaded Nomachine NX Server Free Edition and installed it. No complaints, no errors. It just worked, like I said it would.

----- "Jo-Erlend Schinstad" <email address hidden> wrote:

> I think this bug should be closed. I really don't think the Ubuntu
> community or Canonical will ever support the NX technology, since
> they
> think it's flawed by design. But that's ok, because there is now a
> PPA
> for FreeNX Server.

Is there anything archived online on why they think so?

Also, if Nomachine's NS is supposedly flawed, I suppose the same remarks can be made on FreeNX?
So FreeNX would also never make it into Main?

> I personally think it's weird that everyone seems so unwilling to pay
> any attention to this, though I understand the unwillingness to put
> it
> in main. There are some concerns about NX' core libraries, but
> still...
> Nothing compares to the effeciency that NX provides, and truth be
> told,
> sometimes the possibility of doing something outweights the potential
> risk of doing so. Support the FreeNX team instead! It's located at
> https://launchpad.net/freenx-server

I agree NX is a very functional piece of technology. I tend to allways compare it to the Windows Terminal Server / Citrix stack which is very popular in enterprise.
NX might help a lot to get the Linux Desktop pushed into enterprise, but that'll only work is a freely available version is available in the repositories.

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