MooMoo

But it is. It is based on a communications framework called COM (Compound Object Model, if I remember correctly). If take a COM application and just change the attributes of it in the COM control panel you can make the object you are creating (for instance a telescope) be created on another computer. Neither the applications nor ASCOM drivers see any difference. If you do this you have entered the world of DCOM, or Distributed COM.

As for being a nightmare to set up, well, I have given tons of talks on this and find it very straightforward; that is if you fully understand the advanced concepts of windows security, such as impersonation.

I have not had any real need to run ASCOM distributed myself, but maybe I should just for the heck of it. There may be issues, for example if the developers haven't observed all the norms you have to comply with...

/per

Isn't that COM+?  aka old DCOM.