Laptop to act as a dumb terminal to desktop

[Salil]

Hello Friends,
I am looking for a notebook that is good for web browsing. However, I do have a high end desktop that is capable of running CPU and graphic intensive apps. It would be great if my laptop could wirelessly act as a dumb terminal for this desktop. Do you guys know of any laptop like this?

[MindoverMaster]

I'm not aware of the term "dumb terminal" Even after looking on Wikipedia, I am not any the wiser.

[Salil]

It just means a computer acting only as a terminal whereas some other system does all the work.

[kmote]

@MoM- A dumb terminal is a very old concept. I don't know all the details myself either but it basically predates the affordable computer to a time when a company would have a computer. From this computer, a number of inexpensive "dumb terminals" would be attached so that staff would be able to work on it. Think COBOL or FORTRAN software on a pre-unix OS from a tiny green screen.
The OP wants a modern version of this where he is able to access the power of his desktop from his thin laptop.

@OP - Take a look at some remote access software - VNC/remote desktop/ssh. Depends on your target platforms and requirements.

[TieFighter]

I've used SSH a lot at work, and the graphics, responsiveness and speed on the host computer are always compromised. That was using a 100 Mb/s LAN connection, directly across the room from the computer I was connecting to. I primarily used it for the FrontPage 2003 on it to maintain part of Trane's website, and the speed barely allowed for that to go smoothly.

There may be a better way to connect directly to a desktop that I haven't tried, but SSH is out of the question if you're going to try to use it for gaming.