Don't buy a new computer - create a Virtual Machine in Azure Cloud instead

[@LearningandTechnology]

This video is for those intending to do short-term labs. I cover that in the video and believe I am clear on that point very early on, but maybe folks are confused. It’s not intended as a permanent VM. This affects cost, security, and over-all use. If you need a persistent VM for production - consider Windows365 - I have videos on that as well. The entire point of this video is to help students to save money by not having to buy a new PC for school when they can use their existing one and save money by doing labs on an Azure VM. I think a certain number of people just read the title without watching and think I’m saying you can use an Azure VM as a replacement to having a personal computer. Before making that assumption, it might be best to watch the video. Given the stats on the percentage viewed, it’s evident that the bulk of critical comments most likely did not watch the video. So I don’t think that comments related to cost, security, and daily use are well formed at all - it’s saving students from spending money unnecessarily and using temporary resources in a lab scenario while not having to purchase a new, over-powered new PC. Add: a lot of my students do labs on Azure services specifically - because that’s what they need to learn for the work they do.

[@LearningandTechnology]

AZURE COST VIDEO kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5ycgqyteq6YrNU ADDRESSING SOME OF THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS Hey everyone - thank you for all the views and comments - even those that disagree. I wanted to add a quick note to remind folks that while I invite disagreement, it does have to be respectful - so please watch language choices on that. Anyhow, I wanted to address a few blanket comments that seem to pop-up. Specifically around some assumptions people are making: 1) It is not an Either/or choice. You can use BOTH a personal computer AND an Azure system - more on this below. 2) Generally speaking - the vast majority of people do not use their computers 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. So you have to consider that 3) You don't need to mimic personal computer specs in Azure - most people never use 100% of their computer's power. Low powered systems are often just fine for most tasks 4) If you don't have Internet - or if you have poor Internet - then Cloud services are not for you most of the time 5) Not everyone is able to maintain hardware, install Operating Systems, or manage a computer - especially if they aren't all that interested in doing so (or have experience with other Systems) 6) Yes - you need a computer to access Azure - but you don't need the SAME type of computer - this is really where this video came from... here is a use-case: Every time I teach Data Analytics, I have some students with Mac computers or a family computer that is shared or even an older computer. They ask me: "should I buy a new computer?" - now you know where this video title comes from! What they need is to be able to run a basic Windows 10 PC for a few hours a week for three months, and then a slightly more powerful system for more hours per week during the last month of their 4-month program. What should they do? Well - this video presents an option! They can run an Azure VM for their needs :) If you see my cost video, then you can see that it isn't expensive at ALL if you are running it a few hours a week for specific needs. In fact, as students they get $100 in free Azure credits - which generally covers the entire cost for this use-case and even gives them extra credits to play with. However, not everyone gets that $100 - so you have to do your own cost/benefit analysis. So before you start to comment on cost, specs, etc, etc. - maybe ask yourself if you are falling into certain assumptions listed above. Expand your thinking to consider that there are many cases where an Azure VM is the solution (and some cases where it isn't - I even have a video on that). Also, please watch the entire video. I am pretty sure I don't tell people that Azure is the ONLY solution. I tend not to speak in absolutes. UPDATE UPDATE: Hey everyone - some great discussions happening here! Lots of folks are expressing opinions regarding cost, access, and more. I’m creating some follow-up content as well. For those of you wanting some expert ROI and Security analysis - check out Gartner Group. Basically, the Cloud is growing, the benefits are real, and the cost is lower. Not in EVERY case, but as a whole. Make sure to do your own analysis to see if it’s right for you. UPDATE: I created two newer videos on the “Top 5 Reasons to use a Cloud VM” and “Top 5 Reasons NOT to use a Cloud VM” There are solid reasons for both. Quick add: just to clarify: there are cases where having local compute/storage is still your best option. Multimedia and Video Games come to mind. It will be interesting to see how things evolve, but if you are moving large files, or fast frame rates to and from the cloud - it will result in poor performance. Going with a cloud VM is an ideal solution if you are just moving KVM and doing the “work” in the cloud, but looking at the results on the device in front of you.

[@fitrianhidayat]

how about video editing sir? can it be done? it is quite resource heavy

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@fitrianhidayat video editing is a bit too intense in my opinion. I do that on a dedicated system with a good graphics card.

[@fitrianhidayat]

@@LearningandTechnology alright, thank you for your answer sir

[@GAMER-sd7hr]

Can I make virtual machine for gaming ?

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@GAMER-sd7hr that’s a good reason NOT to use a cloud VM 😀 I did a video on that too. I’m old-school - I like handheld and console gaming. My son is a PC Gamer - and I use my Gaming laptop for some games. There is a Cloud Game solution: Stadia

[@smitty9398]

We are coming full circle... we started off with the the 3270 terminal and had to beg for resources from IT running the data center... we were freed from it by the personal computer. Now, we are talking about giving back control again. No thanks.

[@J-4]

Didn’t think I’d hear 3270 again

[@vpl2day]

Yes, great comment! Still had TP1000 Teletype to mainframe; followed by 3270/3278. Had to "sell" management on buying one single PC (IBM PC 1) to break the "beg for resources" ice jam.

[@rogfromthegarage8158]

Exactly.

[@PaulJosephdeWerk]

Agreed. With my own computer I can use it anywhere, with or without an internet connection. With a cloud machine I have to have an internet connection. My computers run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for almost nothing a month. (Actually I run several machines, which would get really expensive if I went with VMs.)

[@judewestburner]

Completely agree. I think businesses will eat this up. Having virtual desktops meaning byod enablement, security (not leaving your laptop on the train) and patch management will win the day, but for individuals it's giving away too much

[@junkandcrapamen]

"Some inexpensive device like an iPad ..." LOL.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Haha! Okay … a “used” iPad 😀. I actually use Raspberry Pi 400’s lately. It’s an educational thing - they are pretty cool - and actually inexpensive 😃

Eheh

[@30coycoy]

@@LearningandTechnology How much would azure be charging monthly and how much broadband data cost would i need to access the VM for the entire school year? Does it really beat getting a laptop?

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@30coycoy I have a video where I do a cost of running Azure. It will depend on how much you use the service, what types of programs you run and such. As a student, check with your school and see if they has Azure for Education. This offers students $100 in Azure credits.

[@KrishnaAdettiwar]

The base iPad is $299 lol that’s pretty cheap considering how much you can get out of it

[@benwatson5787]

A basic virtual machine with 1Tb of blob storage is $173 per month. You could get a very good gaming machine for the cost of a years basic VM+ "cheap" storage. Renting short term compute power is useful but this is definitely NOT a good idea for a desktop replacement. The computer I set up in the cost calculator you could buy for less than two months rental.

[@o_hammer109]

Not only that frankly speaking. Despite the fact that clouds is a good IT solution, however, it is absolutely *NOT* a secure environment, i.e. *(one of the examples I am absolutely concered about)* whenever you decide to end your Cloud membership, you are not only shuting down the account, *you are also losing (access) all the data* synchronized to this/that cloud server. Unless you have the physical *(Locally physical on your local machine)* storage to backup your data. Other than that, to run machinces via Clouds you need a good internet connection to give you the feeling that you are *almost running a physical machine*, so Clouds need a decent physical local machine, otherwise, lag is one of the first problems you will have to face.

[@SuperJimmyChanga]

@@o_hammer109 Run a vm in the vm so you can back up your vm if you shutdown your vm. To say it more clearly, Run a virtual machine inside your cloud vm, so that you can save snapshots of that inner virtual machine locally when you shutdown, abandon, or lose access to that cloud vm. If they don't offer snapshots of the cloud vm that is.

[@michelrail]

This is great conceptually. The trick is not to forget to scale down when you don't need it. You go to bed and there's nothing happening during that time, scale it down. You can even shut it down to save money. You can script all of that, if you want.

[@LearningandTechnology]

100% you absolutely have to manage the VMs. I have students use them for labs and then delete the resources immediately.

[@patrickyore]

What about connecting to vm when it's powered down.... Do I need to go into. Azure portal to start it up or is there a seure remote wake command?

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@patrickyore Yes - if it's powered down you need to restart it. You can schedule shut down and start-up as well. So, for example, if you built a point of sale system for a small business, you could have it start before opening and shutdown sometime after closing so you aren't paying for it overnight or when you are closed.

[@geoman1420]

What you should carefully consider is this: who has full control of your data?

[@Teknisk]

Its no different than your own local hardware. Secure Boot, encrypted drive. KVM through a vpn-connection (open source). = you could even run all data encrypted in containers in the cloud aswell....

[@claudiocosta2684]

@@Teknisk right, i'm sure Microsoft won't have access to all the data we store on their storage devices... Also, i can operate my local hardware OS even without an internet connection.

[@ggeilokowski]

@@claudiocosta2684 no, they fucking won’t. Encryption is encryption and if you don’t believe them (which i would - imagine the scandal it would cause if it ever came out) just run your own self encrypted VM in the cloud.

[@ggeilokowski]

@@claudiocosta2684 And to be honest most people don’t give a fuck about their privacy. They use google, load all there photos in the cloud, use a gmail account (or outlook), skype (or teams for school/work), use youtube, facebook or tiktok and don’t even try to prevent tracking while surfing. Nobody fucking cares, the data of most people is already out there. Its not that of a big step to be honest. Like 90% of people only use chrome and word (whos documents get auto saved on onedrive) on their PCs.

[@rawmaterials3909]

@@ggeilokowski exactly. that's why 90% of people don't give a f*** about cloud and will still be using physical machines. maybe enterprises have different needs and for them cloud computing might be convenient. in that case, if they choose to rely on Microsoft, it's their choice and responsibility. regular users are fine owning their machine, AT LEAST on an hardware level.

[@DeepFrydTurd]

I like how you mentioned the raspberry pi 🙂 using the raspberry pi and piggy backing off cloud Data server hardware is the ultimate frugal conservative combo. Simple yet effective

[@heapx5221]

The cost can't be less than the cost of another system when you think about the cost of internet data, and that of the cloud system monthly for a long period of time. But for a specific task or project. Yes I support this theory.

[@Ismail_Ummer]

::::Show your project Me: let me connect to rdp. What!! No internet connection. Cool😂

[@heapx5221]

@@Ismail_Ummer lol...

[@obfuscated3090]

Azure is heavily used by business so worth learning. As far as saving money this isn't really for the first world like most of the US where our phones are already thin clients!

[@heapx5221]

Yeah learning is different, but what happens after learning.. Or acquiring the knowledge. Nobody is stopping you from learning.

[@andresberger6240]

This is an interesting option for people that use the computer very little, but for the ones that use it a lot, it would be much more expensive.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Yes - if you use your computer a lot, then it might be best to buy one or look at Windows 365. This option is more for lab work at workloads that aren’t always on.

[@DocGoldboner]

Why windows? Why not linux?

[@MS-yx3dr]

You are a great teacher. 👍👍👍 I am a 60 yrs old man trying to understand those new stuff.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thanks! I love the fact that you are learning!

[@OlafFichtner]

Don't buy a computer that you might control (if you put on an OS that gives you control over that computer). Instead put everything on someone else's computer, so that other people get control over your data and software. Ingenious!

[@almonyplony1280]

Thank you!! People have lost their mind!

[@gustavobrtt]

People are really stupid. I have my own PC and storage. My data belongs to me.

[@jocu89]

@@gustavobrtt You are connected to Internet. Your data no longer belongs to you

[@dorasmith7875]

AND when the internet goes down - no computer. And if you can't pay your bill one month goodbye to your data!

[@jocu89]

@@dorasmith7875 1st statement: well it depends. You probably already face a more frequent problem: you need access your computer when not in home, and you even can’t access it remotely because it is turn it off and nobody can turn it on for you 2nd statement: not totally true. If you read TOS it says your data is kept for some time so you can access it later (not sure whether it applies to every existing service)

[@DavyJonesSimRacing]

14:18 Frank you state there that you are eligible for licencing and which is now a mandatory selected option. Do you happen to know how a private user who does not have an O365, Azure or MSDN business subscription of some kind can get a licence to use this system?

[@Corwin74]

They pay for a monthly subscription that is based on your vm usage. Generally your bill will range from $40-50 all the way to hundreds or even thousands of $'s per month.

[@MrPawanMehra]

You need to understand difference between owing a car and getting an uber . Both have there merits and issues.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Absolutely. That is a critical concept. One solution does not meet all needs. Sometimes you should buy the computer and sometimes you should just rent it 👍🏼

[@stargate898]

True. You can modify your car but you can't with Uber.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@stargate898 if you want to mod your system - cloud isn’t the solution 😀

[@mixbaal0]

And what if any of those cloud providers decides to cut any access to my vm and data for my own sake?

[@marksaunders3055]

They might not even decide to cut you off but have an outage of their own systems which then prevents you gaining access to your vm and data.

[@zapkvr]

@@marksaunders3055 Azure never goes down. Hahaha

[@ajarivas72]

@@marksaunders3055 or the company can go bankrupt

[@tusomavhunga6829]

Great video Frank. Keep up the good work. I have also learnt a thing or two from the “not-so-positive” comments.

[@moodberry]

Hi Frank. Good video, but I have two big concerns, maybe three. First, I use my computer for heavy video processing and working with large files. I just don't see the internet as robust enough to handle large files efficiently, for storage and retrieval. Secondly, I am concerned with long-term security. Not hackers so much but getting my files should something happen to the cloud service. Or worse, losing my access through forgetting passwords, etc. And finally, you mentioned Europe and the US. Good point, but what about when I might travel to restricted countries, like China. I might have a VPN, but then maybe not, and even if I do, unless I have tested it in that country, it might not give me access when I need it most.

[@LearningandTechnology]

There are many cases where the nature of work means that a cloud-based solution isn’t the way to go. It really does require a use-case analysis. If you are doing a lot of multi-media, large file manipulation, or are travelling to areas with poor/restricted Internet - then you definitely are in a different situation and probably wouldn’t use a cloud-based setup. For security, I think that the Cloud is often more secure than most people’s personal security setup. The data is encrypted at rest and the connection to the cloud is encrypted as well. As for the long-term viability of the services themselves- that’s definitely something to ensure you consider when selecting a provider. Information lifecycle is a big issue, but I can’t cover everything in one video 🙂

[@DotlandMedia]

@@LearningandTechnology hi Frank... I'm in a region where network is slow... Will the cloud be able to help me boost the network

[@samuelvishesh]

@@DotlandMedia lol

[@aldenlemberg]

Latency may be a issue but performance won't be effected by networking

[@tango_gru]

@@aldenlemberg yea ... it will just result into a laggy display on the screen which is as bad as poor performance system.

[@runrunsomethings5229]

Thanks for taking the time to do this video. It was very informative

[@jardxtreme]

This helped me get a computer set up for my wife because she is studying and i cant afford to pay for a new pc just yet. one thing, you talked about how you want the pc to shut down if not in use or if you forget that way you dont pay for services you arent using. after i shut down the pc do i go and stop the resource? or just shutting down the pc in the virtual machine enviroment is enough?

[@LearningandTechnology]

Yes - I have mine to automatically shutdown at night. This releases the Compute and Storage elements of the VM - saving a lot of money! You still pay a fee for the storage (Hard Drive), but it is very inexpensive compared to CPU and RAM. What a wonderful use of a machine to help learning! Love it!

[@LearningandTechnology]

Oh - yes - shutting down is enough to save a lot and be able to come back to the same system later. If you want to completely stop paying - then you need to delete all resources, but then you need to create a new machine each time.

[@dg-hughes]

@@LearningandTechnology maybe a powershell script could be made to automate the creation of a new Azure VM and then delete at midnight it when done?

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@dg-hughes You could certainly do that if you didn’t want to keep the storage. What I do is set my Azure VMs to turn off automatically each evening. They then stay off until I restart them. It’s pretty economical that way.

[@techdruid]

Anyways, it gives me immense happiness when something is physically with me rather then being with someone else 😄

[@DeepFrydTurd]

Duuh your a human being it's in your genetic nature

[@tiagosantos680]

This will be viable when you can use personal pc on cloud for 10$/month

[@punjabiexplorer]

I would say 5$..

[@poulkasstill9380]

Five....$5.00 Canadian Dollars...

[@TheNpcNoob]

@D V actually using cloud pcs are extremely valuable. Sometimes your cheap device you brought will hold you back for certain projects, and having the option to get quick access to powerful VMs is god send especially when it’s cheap as chips

[@TheNpcNoob]

@D V true, but that depends on what service you use, and if you only need it for say a week or a few months it’s still cheaper to go cloud than physical.

[@voicchat]

True, an VM with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of disk space cost me 8$\month

[@dougchittum6074]

I wanted to say this was a very interesting video. I felt it was a little simple at the start with all the explanations on what a PC is and all. (But I also recognize there are those who don't really know and it can be quite helpful them. And there is of course fast-forward and rewind for those times). But once you got into creating the VM and showing its operation, it really made me think about its power. I agree with you on the consideration of your needs. But for doing normal operations, I think this could be a great solution. As you stated, it's not for playing video games or watching movies. It's for doing work... calculations, word processing, data management. One could manage multiple systems from something like this. Azure's not for everyone, but the more I learn about, the more interesting it becomes. I also wanted to say that I have enjoyed reading the replies you have given to some of the comments below. I think you've nailed everyone one of them. People make so many baseless comments these days, especially in the political realm, based on an instant, uninformed opinion. I like your responses to those kinds of comments. Thank you for speaking out to that stuff. If someone disagrees, no problem and no explanation required. But if you're gonna throw out some silly, baseless, off the cuff comment, the least you can do is give a reasonable reply as to the disagreement. Maybe everyone could actually learn something from it. Great video and thanks for sharing!

[@LearningandTechnology]

Glad the video sparked interest! Check out Windows365 as well - it wasn’t out when I made this video, but it has since been released.

[@danadoggett1667]

I just retired from teaching Comp Sci at a local university. So often my freshman students would come to class with a new gaming laptop. Wrong PC for school! I would recommend students get a Chromebook (with 1080 video resolution) and do this. The price is low and if you have your laptop stolen on campus, it's just a bad day and not a ruined semester. Some of the comments seem ultra critical. You might be charged for data send into the VM, so watching a video on your VM might cost extra, but who would do such a thing; watch it on your Chromebook. It's my opinion that this would work for all under-gad courses in a CompSci program with the possible exception of a Data Science course. For that semester, just pay more for more storage and processing power. Brilliant!

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thanks! Most of the really critical comments tend to be from folks that are either technically adept and don’t understand average user 😀 or, folks that are very concerned about security - which is fair, but there’s big differences between social media meta-data, telecom meta-data, and encryption across end-points and at rest. All that stated, this was specifically created for my Data students that need to use PowerBI, but are often using Apple systems. I’m hoping Windows 365 becomes an economical solution for Education - you are 100% correct about a bad semester from theft, hardware failure, or technical issues. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@malcolmstephenson556]

Excellent points!

[@lequack6373]

Yes, it is overkill for schooling purposes, but studying isnt the only goal for students.

[@danadoggett1667]

@Matthew Gaksch Why? Under $300, under 3 pounds, 8 hours of battery, works well with eBooks (and KZbin videos.) Working with a cloud-based VM, it's a perfect machine for a University student. The fact that it can't play VM-based games very well is an added bonus for students; they need to be working on assignments!

[@danadoggett1667]

@Matthew Gaksch I'm coming from the viewpoint of a CompSci professor. All of the programming tools and Microsoft Office apps we use for an undergrad BS degree work just fine with a VM. (Teams does not but does work fine natively on a Chromebook.) The cost of an Azure VM is not really bad at all unless you allow the VM to run 24/7 when it not really being used. I worry when students bring expensive, high-powered laptops (i.e. gaming machines) to my class. Theft is a major problem on college campuses. When one of my students gets his expensive laptop stolen (it has happened), it makes for a really bad semester. If a Chromebook gets stolen, it's just a really bad day.

[@mohsiniqbal1724]

What about using a specialized software like AutoCAD or STAAD etc on Azure machine? Do we need to install our specialized software on Azure?

[@savfw]

Yes, you would need to re-install any software you have, on the Azure virtual machine.

[@randomtuberhandle]

An Azure machine is basically a virtual machine that is running on Microsofts servers/systems. If you aren't familiar with VMs I recommend playing with VMs locally first. You can download and use free Oracle VirtualBox or other similar VM system. Get familiar with the hypervisor and running both a Windows VM and Linux VM within your local VM system. I think this helps to understand these virtual "cloud" VMs better. A local VM hypervisor is sort of like having your own local private "cloud". Doing this will also show you how you still have to install special software (like CAD) onto your local VM machine within your local VM environment. For instance you might have a Windows 10 VM running in your local VM. You still have to install the special software that you need on that Win 10 VM... UNLESS you have an image (like a .iso) of a Win 10 box with the software already installed on it. Then you can deploy that image as a VM within your local VM environment and you would have it installed already because you transferred the image of the entire win 10 box. So all software already installed on that image will still be there if you load the image into a new environment. And, yes, you could even image a physical computer to an image file (an .iso file for example) and then load and run that image within a VM environment on another physical computer. You can possibly do the same with a cloud VM environment. You could possibly load an image up to your cloud environment as a VM with all the pre-installed software still there. I'm not sure if MS or other cloud providers allow you to load an image up to a cloud environment. But if they do then you would not have to install any software already on that image. Of course you should only run one version of that machine if the software is licensed for one user or machine purchase and is not freeware. At some point you have to install special software. But once you do, you may be able to transfer the image of that computer (with the installed software) from one (maybe local) environment to another one (maybe up on the cloud).

[@LearningandTechnology]

The quick answer is yes - you need to install any special software. The longer answer is that some software is challenging to use in Cloud environments - specifically, software that uses intensive GPU functions. So it will require some testing. This is why Video Games or some design software still needs local resourcing. It’s changing, but it’s best to run some tests to ensure it works for your specific needs. Of course, it can also really benefit for an organization. If you can create a Cloud PC for an employee - they can access and work on the system from anywhere they have a good Internet connection. So you can have one system in the Cloud rather than having to replicate their needs across different locations. Imagine an architect that can work in the office and on a job site without having to carry a laptop or have multiple computers in different locations

[@007link95]

You only must pay for the storange services when your VM is off

[@johnsmith100]

I think that for the “general / common home computer user”, who does some Word , Excel (or Google Docs / Sheets), KZbin / Netflix, other internet (paying bills online), etc., the VM on Cloud solution ends up being overall pricier than purchasing a reasonably priced desktop / laptop.

[@LearningandTechnology]

I’ve been collecting some data this week and will have a video. It’s not as expensive as people seem to think it is 😀

[@duaneeitzen1025]

But a laptop/chromebook with a decent monitor and keyboard is already going to be able to handle the described workload on its own. I'm not clear what the VM could contribute.

[@johnsmith100]

@@duaneeitzen1025 It would contribute revenue to its seller 😃

[@SuperJimmyChanga]

I'm a year and a half late to the party, but thank you for the video! As of now, cloud gaming has already gotten to be quite good, my low end laptop now doubles as an xbox! Many things are done best at scale and computing seems to be one of them. Our home computers can't compete with today's AI sitting in huge clusters, but they can interface with them. Power consumption and electronic waste is more readily manageable when centralized, and if old computers remain useful, then landfills aren't loaded with barely aged obsolete electronic waste. Every force seems to be moving us in this direction. Some may argue, but I see this as the end of the home computing era for the at least the casual user, and with github's codespace, even for developers.

[@DS-nu6nr]

Have a PC that can fulfil your normal workloads. For heavy duty computing, hire a VM for limited time, get your work done, and shut it down. Save money.

[@wopmf4345FxFDxdGaa20]

You get a good desktop PC for the price of Ipad. Second problem is that a cloud PC cannot fix the most annoying thing, by other words, slow UI. Most software what normal people run isn't that heavy anyway that you would need a lot of CPU, memory, or GPU power. But you need those enough to run the UI smoothly and to keep load times low. Azure VM doesn't help much with that. Third thing is that in a long run, own PC is a lot cheaper. For short need cloud VM may make sense though and in in some other use cases it makes sense, like school offering software and environment to its students or company to its employees.

[@henson2k]

Usability is terrible! All those stutters and hiccups in UI when connected to a remote computer. I definitely don't want that in my life. Companies are pushing cloud services to employees because they have no choice.

[@ricksegalCanada]

Two years in, and this is still relevant/helpful. I'm on a Mac so this represents a perfect solution for the 10 hours a month I need a PC. Well done and thanks!

[@LearningandTechnology]

This is common amongst my students - many will have a Mac and just need to run an analytics software program that is Windows only. They can use the VM for a couple hours to run the analysis, then save the results, deallocate the VM, and do their work on their Mac.

[@entelin]

Or just, you know, just install a vm on the Mac you already have... Why pay Microsoft to steal your data and provide worse performance than you already have on your own computer? Microsoft's cloud services are a nightmare. At least have some dignity and use a company like Linode if you need a hosted vm. You'll get more performance for the money and better support if you need it.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@entelin yeaaah…. So you totally missed the entire point of the video. I’m a little suspect that you didn’t actually watch it based on your comment. Also Linode is a fine option, but I’m not sure you actually understand what they do and do not offer. You seem particularly biased without having watched this video or researched the alternative you suggest (which, again, I like - bit off topic here)

[@entelin]

​@@LearningandTechnology I clicked through it sufficiently to understand what you were talking about. I understand the technology well, I'm a long time IT services consultant and am deeply familiar with vm technology on several onprem platforms (hyperv, kvm, xen, proxmox) as well as AWS, Azure, and Linode. I know that in your video you mention that this is within the context of a temporary system... However it would be exceptionally rare that this would be a good use case. To get a vm that performs better than even a fairly old laptop you would be paying a pretty good amount of money, and still have to contend with latency and network quality on top of that. Further, even if the system isn't running you'll still be paying for storage if you didn't want to recreate or reupload the system every time you wanted to use it. And of course you would have to login to the website to start it each time as well. In many ways, the more intermittent you use a system, the less cloud services make sense, since a local vm is always a couple clicks away from working. I just don't buy for a second that there are almost any valid use cases of this technology to an audience where you need to spend 10 minutes explaining what a VM is first. Non home versions of windows have hyperv built in this days, virtualbox is free, Mac has parallels, Linux of course supports it by default. If you need to build out a many system lab, or temporarily need more resources than you have available, then sure, that can make sense. However I was replying to the OP of this thread who was claiming this would be a good solution for the "10 hours a month I need to use a PC", it's not, and from the looks of it you basically say as much over and over again in the comments section here. The video seems to tilt many vets like myself, and confuse less technical users like the one above. Regardless, you can do better on linode than on Azure, lower cost, and support that actually exists. Microsoft's cloud services are disaster, I have to deal with them on an almost daily basis unfortunately. On a side note: there are few services I hate more than Azure/O386/Endpoint, etc. As on-prem exchange servers became a thing of the past I moved everyone to either O365 if they were unwilling to give up Outlook, or Google Workspace. Out of all my clients over many years I can say that the number of times I have noticed or had reported to me by a client issues with gmail has been zero, it's literally never happened. While I don't think I generally go a week without some issue with O365, everything from mysterious authentication problems that resolve themselves, mail delays, webmail just not working for awhile or crashing the tab, and of course outlook has always had issue even before the transition to the cloud. That's to say nothing of things like onedrive, sharepoint online, endpoint, etc. Their services are a borderline unsecurable, convoluted mess with hidden features, poor documentation, interfaces that change out from under you semi regularly, vague error messages, and rife with mysterious delays. Change a setting? Oh nothing happens on the client side, check back in 30 mins? no? 60? Oh it worked. Uploading to onedrive is throttled like crazy, seeding it with data can take absolutely ages. Just don't use Azure. Use anything else.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@entelin you spent more time on your comment than understanding the video. As I explain in the video and the pinned comment - this video was created In response to students requiring limited use of compute resources to do labs - specifically technologies available on Azure such as ADF, Synapse Analytics, and temp VMs for testing/experimentation. Hating any service is irrational. There are pluses and minuses to almost any service (and, in fact, I have videos on localized VMs as well) You’ve read a title, activated bias, and failed to consider that the use case described may very well meet the needs of some. Your alternative solutions have issues as well - lack of specific services, Data Center availability, ISO Security issues - however, that misses the point. This is not a global “only solution” proposition at the outset - it’s one option of many. Forgive me for being irked that you “skimmed” the video for the purposes of bias confirmation rather than comprehension. Given your proclaimed experience, I would expect better - but I’m not your dad - so figure it out on your own. Thanks for your opinions - I’ll have to take a pass on them. Specifically because I don’t value them as valid - for what should be obvious reasons. Side note: I spent the time explaining Virtualization because this video was created for students. Also, you can’t run Intel architectures on Apple Silicon - so there are issues with that too -but that’s not really relevant to the main point here. You are proposing alternatives to something you haven’t even sought to understand the use-case of. (See pinned comment for specifics and/or the video itself)

[@lucasrocfer]

Thinking in long-term it's a good solution. I have a few of burstable vms on Azure for work with option to scale up and down the capabilities as needed and the cost is quite cheaper wich having to buy a only one pc for the next 2 years. Memory and microchips begone more rare and more expensive, so maintaining a physical reliable machine will be a big challenge.

[@rihosims]

Why do you need a new pc every 2 years. It's more like 5 years if you buy mid-high end stuff.

[@UTJK.]

@@rihosims every 2 years you maximize the performance per cost, and in some countries, the warranty is 2 years, so you're covered against malfunctions.

[@deepaksrivastav1182]

Thank you sir, needed this for android studio for short period

[@LearningandTechnology]

Fantastic! That’s an excellent use-case example.

[@howtodothingsbetter]

Very informative, and thanks for the tutorial. One possible correction: I think instead of "SDD" you meant "SSD" (Solid State Drive). Am I right on that?

[@LearningandTechnology]

😆 yes - correct. I slipped on that.

Yes you are. That was an obvious glitch :)

[@anonimato1987]

@ Don't mind Jose. He's using Internet Explorer apparently

@@anonimato1987 who?

[@FluckTerrainium]

Thank you so much! I’ve been tryna do that for 2 years now!

[@lelouchlamperouge3077]

Cloud VM practically useless if your connection is freaking slow as hell.

[@LearningandTechnology]

It’s a thin-client: KVM only. So your speeds don’t actually have to be that fast.

[@ignacionr]

Or if you travel for real.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@ignacionr yes - you’ll want to check out my video: Top 5 Reasons NOT to use a cloud virtual machine. Like all technology: functional specs are critical

[@brock2k1]

Clear, concise, professional. Great video.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thanks! I’m glad it was useful

[@kagishophahlamohlaka2306]

I highly disagree with this video, it's just Microsoft taking your money on a month to month basis, better buy an actual machine, which you pay once off for. but good presentation thou.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thanks! I hear what you’re saying. It’s a shift to go from owning to “renting” - and it’s not for everyone. I did a couple other videos on the reasons to use a Cloud VM and reasons not to as well. It’s always highly situational. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it isn’t.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@seanfaherty you need to do your own cost/benefit analysis. I’m presenting a possible solution. It may or may it work for you. It works for me in many cases. Check out my video on “Top 5 Reasons NOT to use a Cloud PC”

[@cayenarosada]

And u dont need to fix it like me, I had to buy a new ssd and install again all shit ☹️

[@georgeabraham5582]

The real issue is not monthly payment, but getting to access a high level computer for a month or two on rent which far exceeds the capability of your machine. You may want to get some projects done or play some cool games. What other possibilities can you imagine?

[@pvdongen]

Thanks for the video. I created a virtual machine too and it works perfectly fine.

[@borkface]

Very nice walk-through, well done

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thank you - I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.

[@krishnamoorthyv1918]

Yes I will implement and inform the performance

[@motley74]

I get that this method can be good for some very specific use cases but I think there is another cost that is not being discussed here and should be included. In order to run a Windows 10 client in the cloud you must have a multi-tenant license for Windows 10. I think this adds at least $99/month that you cannot "turn off" in order to have a subscription that provides that license.

[@SlinkyBass0815]

If I remember correctly you can select the Windows 10 Preview VM. Here you don't need a multi tenant license. It has a checkbox in which you can state, that you own a license (in this case the VM price drops). If you don't check that box, you are paying extra for the license (I think almost double). At least thats how I understood it. Concerning "normal " Windows 10 / Server VMs I think it is exactly how you described it.

[@peterreber7671]

I set up a 'free' VM on Azure cloud. The smallest, slowest option just to test something. They charged me an amount that would have paid for a new and excellent notebook in 4 months. Maybe I made a mistake somewhere but I did get an email confirming my free account when I set it up.

[@saschajakusin9720]

My opinion : If you dont want to do anything graphic related sure this is a great option but for addition CPU, RAM and HDD Space you will have to create a Recuring Payment method which will become more costly than actually buying a PC.

[@LearningandTechnology]

You may be interested in two of my other videos: One where I collect data to show the cost of an Azure VM and another where I discuss some reasons NOT to use an Azure VM (graphics being one of them)

[@MrEvansjethro]

Great point!

[@EnglishRain]

You have super excellent video and audio quality and clarity. Thank you for your great content

[@jimcopeland4011]

I'm an IT admin and I have to admit I never would have thought to use an Azure VM for personal use. I still don't think I would be the right demographic for this idea, but I could definitely see it being useful for someone who needs a good computer in a pinch, depending on what they need it for. There are even pre-made scripts and templates for spinning it up, deleting it when you're done, and creating a new one again. However if you go that route it may be even cheaper to just find a container template, rather than a vm

[@LearningandTechnology]

I’m pretty excited to see how Windows365 fits the “user” demographic. In education, I’m excited by the idea of pre-built systems designed exactly as I need them for teaching. I can imagine some Sys Admins will like this control as well 😀 The Azure VMs are handy for test and Dev - but that world is changing as well. Love the idea of Containers - makes sense. Thanks for watching and commenting - much appreciated.

[@jimcopeland4011]

@@LearningandTechnology I could see it being extremely useful for devs that prefer to work on Linux environments. They could keep their Linux desktop and spin up a Windows VM in a pinch if they really need to test it on a consumer-level Windows machine!

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@jimcopeland4011 I’m actually doing something similar - I have my Windows 11 Preview system running as an Azure VM and use it for testing and, in my case, curriculum development.

[@punjabiexplorer]

What is the difference between container setup vs VM?

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@punjabiexplorer A VM has a dedicated virtual hardware set that it controls via the guest operating system. Containers are very useful - something I’ll have to do a video on. But - basically, they are resourced and managed differently than a dedicated VM

[@arturoporraz6046]

sweet, now I just need a computer to connect to the cloud :3

[@LearningandTechnology]

😁 this is a popular comment - you’re about the 100th person to make it. However, if you actually watch the video - the secret will be revealed.

[@arturoporraz6046]

@@LearningandTechnology Have to go with the flow, man :)

[@denzeleiseb6364]

Why do I see the bitter end of this. Microsoft: "Give us all your resources and when you misbehave we will block your access."

[@almonyplony1280]

Correct!

[@worldbrooklyn4909]

Shoot! That without a doubt be crazy. I'm trying to circumvent all the block that these other websites have.

[@HolyRamanRajya]

Meanwhile every major online service including this site stores your data on their cloud and will block your account if you misbehave. Connect to the internet and you lose privacy. Literally monitor size, resolution, text scaling etc is being harvested by trackers to identify you even if you use a VPN.

[@ElianaSierraCorrea]

this just saved me!!! thank you for your clear and step-by-step help!!

[@michaelfung694]

Very interesting learned something new today.....never heard about this till I watched your vid......thks!

[@RonPaulBot1234]

I see this more for a high-school setting but still is years away from viability.

[@brents2500]

I agree. I use this service and it works great as a linux server where I only SSH into the machine. I tried using windows RDC with another server running windows 10 and there's just too much lag. And I was able to pick a server closest to me.

[@valdirfiuza1290]

Subscribed, thank you for share your knowledge . From Brazil.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thank you! I hope I can be useful - let me know if there is anything I can help with.

[@lordvader1703]

Quality and informative vid, thanks buddy

[@DeepFrydTurd]

Cloud rendering for animation's is also an important topic in cloud computing

[@Lying29]

Thumbs up for a detailed tutorial of cloud PC. Though this is not quite there nowadays. The network latency is still terrible, especially for media playback and UI interactions. I personally cannot stand for that. Also for your device that used as a "screen" for that remote machine, you'll need a fast enough one because you are basically just doing a streaming. The stability of internet connection is also a concern. Finally, 2 vcpu plus 7gib ram is terrible and there are tons of no-brainer killers like the m1 MacBook air, surface pros.

[@LearningandTechnology]

I’m super interested in whether Windows 365 will bring us to that “better future” where Cloud Operating Systems will be seamless. There are absolutely some areas that require compromises when using a remote system. Lag can be one of them. So some Applications aren’t quite perfect. Thank you for watching! - and taking the time to comment - I appreciate it.

[@BenjaminHoudu]

Still too expensive to me. 0.15 per hour for 10 hours for a work day for 21 work days a month, it makes nearly 380 for a year, and it is a small configuration. For twice the price (750) you get to own the hardware (you get great devices as former business laptops, change SSD (inexpensive), add a bit more RAM (not so much money, 16go is mandatory now for many works), or even put a new keyboard (generally really cheap)) which should be enough to support more than 2 years of work + owning your stuff. But you don't get the "security" of the cloud of not loosing data...

[@LearningandTechnology]

Thanks for watching. I’m not sure that your use-case matches the one in the video. Also, the general user profile in the video is not aimed at those that are interested in building, maintaining, and configuring their own hardware.

[@rawmaterials3909]

my thoughts: 1) from an EDUCATIONAL point of view, building a physical machine is much better 2) I prefer to own my devices 3) azure??? Microsoft? windows 365? absolutely no thanks.

[@Teknisk]

1) Yes, but still pricy 2) Se above. 3) Thats an educational answer. How do you plan to get a gigabit connection ? Or the spendid routing + computing resources thats offered in a cloud?

[@rawmaterials3909]

@@Teknisk simple. I don't XDD

[@zapkvr]

Agree

[@zapkvr]

@@Teknisk I have a gigabit connection

[@asimgurung1272]

Agree, nothing is going to replace physical computers for IT people. However, it is more sensible in some cases. For example, I used a VM last semester because I had to use some Microsoft exclusive software for the assignments. I use a Linux computer, and getting a new Windows PC was not possible for me, not with my budget and I could run a VM locally, but my laptop's not powerful enough to support a full blown windows, plus all the apps. I get your point tho.

[@garrygrant2394]

I can see the benefits for some but powerful computers are so cheap these days. Having all the power locally without worrying about any internet issues whilst running demanding programs is not something many would give up. But yes if you literally only have couple hundred dollars to rub together its an option

[@DeepFrydTurd]

That's the whole point. Developing 3rd world countries will benefit from this the most

[@ChukwumaOnyeijeMD]

Fantastic information. Subscribed.

[@harichris4171]

You can built decent performance pc just for 450$, Azure it's not worth for daily usage, and it's price is too high. And you need some devices and high speed Internet connection to use that stuff! 🙄

[@vpl2day]

VM still too expensive; and not competitive for serious power user (also security concerns). I wonder what would be a viable price point for cloud VM to support scenario of (1) good strong desktop PC for most work which is (2) augmented by cloud VM for compute power when needed. Could avoid high workstation and multiple GPU investments?

[@LearningandTechnology]

It’s certainly not something for things like video games, editing, and such - for some high-end work it is scalable which is nice. I did a cost video kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5ycgqyteq6YrNU

[@diGritz1]

Once again the single most important question goes unanswered....... "But will it run Crysis?" "0_o"

[@LearningandTechnology]

Haha 😂- sadly - nope

[@khaeruljamal8731]

This means a lot to me. Keep going with your channel.

[@judewestburner]

I thought this was a good idea when I was implementing Citrix into companies twenty years ago. Most applications these days are virtual, it's called a browser.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Very very true - we just don’t need powerful systems to run a Browser. Yet so many people Do 😀 (note: I’m not pleading innocent 😇

[@bieggerm]

This makes no sense sir

[@techie2903]

Thank you so much Mr. Frank. It's a very good tutorial

[@Ed-bj5eq]

Perfect tutorial, thanks Frank

[@FlyingFun.]

Makes a lot of sense for keeping old computers out landfill. With good internet speeds it would work great for what I do, most of the time my old laptop is fine but every now and then I'd like to play a graphics intensive game or edit videos and it's just not up to that.

[@LearningandTechnology]

That is very true - gaming and heavy graphics "may" happen in the future, but we aren't quite there yet.

[@أبوإبراهيمفريدزاوي]

thanks for the video so now i am able to run windows software in my linux with a cloud?

[@LearningandTechnology]

Correct - you can run a Windows VM in the cloud, use your Linux system to connect to it, and run Windows software. Strictly speaking - you are running the software on a Windows machine in the cloud, but you can see/control it from your Linux system.

[@davidvergie]

Nice video. So, how do i suppose to connect to azure if i don't have the computer? still need to buy computer to access azure right? If you are suggesting, don't buy expensive laptop, yes, cloud computing is an option. I still prefer to buy my own computer, rather than "renting". It is due to security/confidentiality, and the trust i can still access it when i need it without internet. Azure is excellent choice for temporary demo or testing. I can setup complicated system such as sharepoint in just less than 1 day in azure, compare to setup my own sharepoint on my own server which takes days.

[@linhungsamify]

The title is so misleading, may be remove "Dont buy a new computer" because you still need a new/old PC to access a VM, on top of your own PC, you have to pay monthly subscription to use your VM, and other fee like compute, storage, I/O fee... However, it is good for learning a new OS, hosting your own web applications, create your own cloud storage and manage yourself...

[@erictan7085]

Useful, need to consider to how to further tighten as now the personal pc is in the cloud prone to scanners picking up machines with public ip for possible next lvl of recon or attack.

[@ciel9396]

Hi Frank thanks for the tutorial! I'm considering buying a 16/32 RAM laptop for engineering simulation purposes. For the same price, I can get over one yr (10hrs/day) VM. So after consideration, for daily uses, I think it's better to get a pc. But just in case that the pc couldn't handle the tasks. getting a powerful VM for a short period would be a good choice. BTW, in VM, can I use my OneDrive so that I don't have to pay more for the storage? Also, to use VM to run simulations, do I need to install the software that I use for simulations on the VM, or if there's a way using only the VM's power (RAM, CPU, etc) with my local software?

[@Scizyr]

For OneDrive yes you can use it inside the VM, though accessing any of it will put a copy locally on the VM, so you'll need to factor that in to your storage needs. As for running simulations, you could potentially set up a high performance cluster using your local machine as the master and us the VM's power for computing, though it will be extremely limited due to the awful upload speeds Microsoft provides. I know nvidia offers cloud solutions specifically for running simulations remotely but it is much more expensive than Azure, in that case you would run the software entirely on the VM. Azure typically doesn't perform well for that type of use case anyways because the virtual cpu's are not dedicated, you'll be sharing compute cycles with every other VM in whatever farm its running on Microsoft's host. I would definitely urge you towards getting your own hardware for simulations, it'll be cheaper in the long run (because you'll need much longer compute cycles running in the cloud) and the performance is night and day difference. you could even get a cheaper laptop, then build a dual cpu server using one of those chinese x99 chipset motherboards. You can put one of those together for about $800 depending on how much ram you need and cpu cores. the performance there will blow even the best laptops out of the water. ECC ddr4 is dirt cheap too, can get 256GB of ram without breaking your bank.

[@truthsearch2366]

Cloud solution is perfect for corporate to save money. But not for single user. Cloud cost is still high when it compared to buying a PC. I used $700/- laptop for 10 years without any problems.

[@chris-terrell-liveactive]

Very interesting, useful to know and thorough introduction, thank you.

[@garyreinsch510]

I once worked for Digital Equipment Corp. The CEO. Ken Olsen, was roundly criticized when he said all home users would need is a terminal and a communication connection. No Home PC was necessary in the home. Well, now we have exactly that. The terminal is the KVM device.. Ken was right way before his time

[@AlfredoPinto]

This is great but due to the job I do, I need to use Remote desktop with 2 monitors, how can I set up remote desktop to work with 2 monitors?

[@vfta7906]

It dos this by default unless changed by an administrator.

[@Penrowe]

What if I told you I had an on-prem VDI solution that cuts TCO by 90% or more compared to Vsphere/Azure? It even competes dollar for dollar with Dell's cheapest.

[@carlosc.4955]

And which one is it?

[@Penrowe]

@@carlosc.4955 Will be posting a video describing it in the near future so stay tuned for that.

[@macky2green]

1. *_Is Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PPT, etc.) all available within that service?_* 2. *_So if I connect an external HDD to my physical PC, is it just like the way it is on a regular PC?_* 3. *_How about the upcoming Windows 365? What are their differences?_* TIA.

[@davidez5746]

Thanks for the tutorial, it open my mind on a point: I'm surprised general purpose instances can run a GUI at all. I was supposing only GPU powered can support this. So my question is if these instances does have in fact a GPU attached (even if this it's not specified) or are using the CPU for running the graphics.

[@LearningandTechnology]

The two technologies I’m most familiar with are Hyper-V and VMWare - I’m assuming Microsoft is using Hyper-V. So most likely they are using virtual GPUs (so CPU controlled). The interesting GPU service I use is from Google for virtual video game playing - that’s called Stadia. I haven’t used it as much as I should, but the games I played using it were fun and looked good (I do have higher speed Internet - 1Gb/s)

[@davidez5746]

@@LearningandTechnology I was approaching VM world for the first time since I need to run CPU intensive simulations but from an interactive GUI based software. I didn't need much GPU power but still need to visualize simple 3D graphics, so instead of paying for GPU optimized VM (expensive and limited in term of CPU choice) based on your video will first try on some standard instance, maybe will be enough.

[@salmashahamiri2335]

Imagin than I use this way this month and cancel it next month and again want to use it third month. Does my data in a safe place or not?

[@LearningandTechnology]

What you can do is store your files and data into something like OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. Then keep those - they aren't too expensive. Then delete the Azure VM you are using (and associated Resource Groups and such) - which will stop the spend there. This is something I've done over holidays and times when I do not have a class to teach - it can make a big difference.

[@zyroPort]

Him: dont create a virtual machine to Watch movies from diffrent country. Me: uses a vpn

[@LearningandTechnology]

Haha... yes. I’m not saying it’s not “possible” - I’m just not going to promote this activity. 🙂 can’t be doing that here 😝

[@mediaaccount8390]

Thanks for the clear overview and examples! Would this work from a Chromebook as well?

[@LearningandTechnology]

Yes - you are using a cloud system so the system runs on Azure. The biggest challenge is that you need to remote into the Azure machine… my son grabbed my Chromebook- so I’ll try to borrow it back and test this!

[@bopatzable]

me: my pc is broken. i need a new one dude: just use an azure vm me: how do i access it?

[@LearningandTechnology]

Raspberry Pi would work

[@PaulGarthAviation]

Go to the library.

[@Teknisk]

Most stupid comment ever. Define broken? A virtual machine can be moved and transported NO MATTER if the hardware is damaged. And you access it as always, through a RDC protocol from MULTIPLY devices. It will support multi-sessions aswell.

[@yeica]

I just came here to see how to create an Azure VM for server purposes and I started reading the comments and most of them are about people thinking the main purpose of VMs is to replace their own computers 🤔

[@LearningandTechnology]

Yes - I’m not sure if people really understood that it’s not intended to be a replacement. My use-case is for temporary use. The idea being that you don’t need to buy a new computer if you just need something for a school lab, Dev testing, or such.

[@hairystyles4212]

Skip to 10:15 if you already know what a computer does lol

[@LearningandTechnology]

Hahah - fair enough. I just cover those foundations as they are important to have clear when resourcing a VM

[@school8066]

Hello sir, in a recent video you have a title "Top 5 Reasons NOT to use a Cloud Based Virtual Machine " so my question is Isn't this video contradicting with this one. Please elaborate on this...

[@LearningandTechnology]

It’s a case-by-case basis. There is no universal answer on how people use resources. So I have videos on when to use a Cloud VM, when NOT to use a Cloud VM, when to use a Raspberry Pi computer, when to use a Mac, when to use a PC, when to use Azure, when to use Windows365. It’s important to intelligently look at many options to look at the best solution that meets your needs. I try to be helpful to demonstrate many options. I released two videos: Top reasons to use a Cloud VM Top reasons NOT to use a Cloud VM - both at the exact same time. This is comparison - not a contradiction. It is interesting that the “NOT” video has way more views that the “use” video. Oh! I have to add: thank you for watching the videos on my channel! I hope that seeing different options and ideas helps you select the best one for your needs!

[@school8066]

@@LearningandTechnology Thank you for your quick response

[@xavierloo6978]

Hi Frank thanks for the awesome video. I have a question. I'm currently working on my desktop locally for some paperwork tasks. I would like to move my current working environment from local desktop to VM (cloud desktop). So that I could work at anywhere anytime with maybe a simple laptop or ipad. I mainly work with microsoft office 365, acrobat pro, foxit and photoshop. Is it possible for me to use vm on cloud to complete my work? I wonder if I can install those software on the cloud VM. Look forward for your advice, thanks in advance.

[@LearningandTechnology]

If you are planning to use a Cloud VM full time - check out Microsoft 365. It’s a service that allows you to have a VM that is dedicated to you and would be better for what you are describing. I have a video on it as well.

[@xavierloo6978]

@@LearningandTechnology Thanks for the reply. I mostly working with Excel, VBA macro and PDF editing. Occasionally edit some images via PS. I wonder if it can be done or I have to get a cloud VM desktop. I’ll go watch your another video about MS365. :)

[@Jukkala]

Have you done a similar video for GCP? I found it much more user friendly.

[@LearningandTechnology]

I haven’t yet - I’d love to do some on that and AWS too. My idea list and my available time seem to be locked in eternal battle 😀

[@kernelpanick636]

Applaud to Microsoft for converting their OS to a SaaS platform. Goodbye to the days of not paying for a windows subscription.

[@Satyam1010-N]

Crack it.

[@Luxcium]

I got my cloud computer OS from a torrent so that I don’t pay for it… it was also coming with a 50% discount on a software use to double my RAM on my computer… (strangely enough my slow HDD has a file the same size as the ram in my computer but who cares my HDD is slower than ever but I have 8GB instead of 4 and save 200$ with my 50% discount)… sadly enough the cloud computer I installed is using 6GB of ram and it’s super slow… but hey it was free (haha 😏)

[@saadifire]

This is really helpful. I have an old Mac and I didn't wanted to create partition for bootcamp. How much is the cost for personal computer needs?

[@LearningandTechnology]

I did a video on the. cost - for occasional use it is very reasonable. If you need full time use then it may be worth Looking at Windows365 (which is about $32 US for a VM that is good for general productivity- but has a wide range of options) I’ve done a few videos on it as well.

[@sipinthatbub]

Interesting how these Azure cloud machines will age now that Windows 365 is coming

[@LearningandTechnology]

Absolutely! Windows 365 is a game changer for certain. You can expect a video on this as soon as it’s a viable option.

[@kishoreahmed]

@@LearningandTechnology but I see the price is 31$ I feel this is quite expensive 😭

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@kishoreahmed It’s completely based on how powerful of a computer you create - and if you leave it running 24hrs 7 days a week. For example, I have a couple of VMs I just use for classroom demos - they only get used a little, I shut them down when not in use - they are a few dollars a month.

[@kishoreahmed]

@@LearningandTechnology I am talking about cloud pc .I googled and found that the pricing is 31 per month for some configuration and they are saying more low pricing options bwill b available on aug 2. Let's see

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@kishoreahmed there is some big news announced at the recent Microsoft Conference - Windows 365. Basically, it will be an Operating System in the Cloud pre-built for you. I’m definitely going to be doing videos on that!

[@davetdowell]

Seriously! You think it's a good idea to recommend that everyone should have over the data and metdata of their entire life to Microsoft? To be mined at will for whatever Microsoft can monetise it for. WOW.

[@AdamIverson]

Serious question, why? For the price of 1 month of lousy 2 vCPU cores and 7 gb of ram, you can build yourself a far more capable machine that you can get to keep. Windows 10 Pro OEM license key is pretty cheap too. If not, Linux is a good free alternative OS.

[@LearningandTechnology]

The main reason is that this is for limited uses - doing labs, experiments, etc. This video was created for students of mine that were using Macs and had to use Windows for 3-4 hours a week to run specific software. The key here is that people somehow read the title and think it’s about completely replacing a full system on a permanent basis. It’s not. There is a solution for that - Windows365 and I have other videos on that. (It also wasn’t an option when I made this video). The objective here is to have a limited use, limited time Windows system to use for temporary labs and work - without having to buy a new PC.

[@notreallyme425]

Noob question, is Remote Desktop the only way to connect to a Windows VM and get the full desktop? (i.e. not ssh)

[@LearningandTechnology]

Good question! The key for remote access is to have a protocol that allows desktop access. In the world of Windows, that protocol is RDP. And remote desktop is the software that uses RDP to connect. However, there are other protocols too! For example, Apple has a different protocol that they use, and there is a company called Citrix that developed their own as well (in fact, Microsoft uses a “version” of that one. So - it’s a great question. You need to have a remote SERVER and a remote CLIENT. There are choices. RDP and Remote Desktop is just one of several.

[@notreallyme425]

@@LearningandTechnology great, thanks for the response!

[@corporatejanitors3728]

I have a window xp computer and it's not connecting to the internet because of some certificate, how do solve the problem and activate cloud ☁️ computing on it?

[@grlfromtx09]

Great tutorial! Tried it and it worked great! :D

[@KrishnaChaitanyaUppuluri]

This could be a good choice, if I want to upgrade a machine for specific tasks. Once that task isover, we can purge the machine while storing this somewhere else... like datalakes, one drive, drive etc....

[@LearningandTechnology]

Absolutely - it’s very handy for development and testing.

[@yacineatroune]

Thanks for this tutorial, nice and simple

[@UTJK.]

I considered this some years ago. But the costs simply don't add for my usage. It's absolutely worth doing if your internet connection is very fast, your working hour is highly paid or you really need raw power at your disposal. I think it's the same reason services for entertainment like Google Stadia fail in the end. The internet is not fast enough, the cost of exercise is not low enough. Also consider that instead, if you're a professional user (I mean, a registered firm), renting a powerful computer is much more viable economically speaking and you have the advantage of the local filesystem.

[@LearningandTechnology]

It’s certainly something each user needs to evaluate for their needs. One thing about the Internet speed - it might be that you are considering graphically intense programs (like Stadia) - for normal infrastructure workloads, you are only transferring keyboard, video, and mouse movements. Those work quite well on even lower speed Internet.

[@angelac.3490]

Can another user access the remote computer access via their microsoft account (different from what was used to create it)? Also, can two users access the same virtual machines at the same time using remote access?

[@nicolasgonzalezl]

Interesting. What if some hours per week I want a very powerful VM, and other hours of the week I want a weaker VM (to save money). Is there any way to do this without having two completely independent VMs? I want each to feel like I am using the same computer. Can you dynamically vertically scale your vm like that? Or would it make more sense to have two VMs with a shared disk? Or something else?

[@321Green1Fork123]

Hello I might have missed the boat by a bit here, but might as well ask. I am a 3D artist student that is set to travel for half a year. I cannot bring my desktop with me and have decided to sell it for a bit of extra cash. I want to continue to work efficiently with my software (Houdini, 3DSMax, Unreal Engine 4, Substance Designer). I was wondering if this would be a solution to continue using these programs on my not so great laptop, or as you said, the cloud based graphics cards would not be good enough to run these programs.

[@LearningandTechnology]

Unfortunately, this use-case would not be particularly good for a Cloud VM. The work you are doing is something that does maximize system resources. Maybe one day we will have that level of power at a reasonable cost, but for those doing “heavy” work - the best solution is still a desktop system.

[@321Green1Fork123]

@@LearningandTechnology No problem, I'll keep looking for solutions. Thanks for the response!

[@tonydeveloperdndndn]

Get a VM in the cloud will be more effective if we want to test some features and do a big project what need to more memory and storage this one we need to pay more for it. For example, when we need to upgrade to SSD 512gb costs around 180 usd in Viet Nam, or upgrade to 16gb ram costs 90 usd for Big project. In this case, using cloud is better for deployment and testing. However, completely replacing the personal laptop(PC), this one is completely wrong.