ThinApp Virtual Applications and cross-app integration

[armaniseal]

I have worked with isolation environments with Citrix for long time and now with virtual apps not much has changed on that front except apps are virtulized and streamed.  One of the biggest issues we have in industry is integration with applications!

Applications need to talk to each other which is only more and more common these days and often suits like office are full of plug-ins which brings me to my question.

I noticed that if i virtulize an application with ThinApp such as outlook and launch it, i have access to plug-ins and stuff added by other apps as if i launched it localy (not virtulized or isolated).  With Citrix if i lauch virtual app i do not see it as the environment is isolated.

Of course this is a good thing about VMware ThinApp only i am having issues wraping my head around how its acheived, different and if its truly virtulized.

Example would be our document managemnt system WorldDox is installed on my PC and if i launch ThinApp outlook i can access it with Citrix I can't even if i stream to client or server and have WorldDox on Server.

What's the difference and how can VMware achieve this?

NOTE: I know you can link profiles in citrix but this is not as dieal as you might need flexibility for users to install local stuff that links in as well and thinapp seems to do this only its not free like Citrix one which comes with XenApp or XenDesktop and costs arm and a leg!

[Lakshman · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You can imagine a ThinApp application as a virtual bubble running on the Windows OS. The isolation modes set in the ThinApp determines whether the application can read/write from the physical machine, depending upon the requirement. You can also set the application not to read/write anything from the physical machine.

ThinApp integrates well with other virtual applications too with the help of AppLink (Application Link).

Hope this helps.

[armaniseal]

Yes it most defenitly does!

I have the same forum on Citrix and seems theit only way is isolation also i don't like how its not EXE file like ThinApp and requires XenApp or Recevier to even be able to open it! You have to deliver it via XenApp where ThinApp you can just use as any other self contained single file.

Considering Citrix has been ahead of the game for years on app delivery i think VMware did a great job getting ahead here if only they can catch up with VDI as Citrix acquisition of RingCube is killing it! Linked Clones have nothing on that!

Thanks