Origins
Gate One was created by Dan McDougall <daniel.mcdougall@liftoffsoftware.com> because he wanted a way to use SSH from anywhere without having to download any software. Once he got started he quickly came to the following realizations:
- Having a fast/effective command line available in your web browser is awesome.
- The ability to resume running terminal sessions from anywhere is even more awesome.
- Because WebSockets don't have any cross-domain or port restrictions, a Gate One terminal can be embedded into just about any web page with the Gate One server running just about anywhere.
- Using WebSockets instead of Flash, Java, or (*shudder*) ActiveX eliminates a huge number of attack vectors. This report pretty much proves it.
- Server-side session logging is a very effective way to comply with auditability requirements (e.g. laws and regulations like SOX, PCI DSS, HIPAA, etc).
- Running terminal programs other than SSH is far more useful than one would think (e.g. a Gate One instance running /bin/login is a close approximation of logging into a server's console).
- Effective web-based terminal emulation is pretty much the only way to administer Unix/Linux servers with a Chromebook.
Thank You!