Robert Pogson

Computing with thin clients has been around a long time, but a number of factors are coming together to make them more reliable, capable and cheaper:

• Moore’s Law has resulted in lower power consumption for CPUs so many thin clients need no fan
• gigabit/s networking is reliable and affordable, opening the networking bottleneck
• terminal servers can run on 64 bit multiple core processors, with multiple gigabit/s network interfaces, and multiple large hard drives
• flash memory can be used to make the devices bootable without a hard drive and to run local applications
• the market has grown and matured with intense competition and great technology cutting prices down to below $100, making the relative cost with respect to a PC with a hard drive very attractive.

Recent news about thin client computing:

• The Green angle has reached national attention
• Technology very similar to thin client hardware is being used in PCs such as ASUS eee PC, breaking down prejudices against lower-powered devices.
• Success stories are everywhere. Big players are involved.
• New players are getting involved,
• New ideas in thin client computing are emerging.
• Thin Client Computing outlines the current advantages. 8% current business share and annual growth of 17%

One of the biggest values for thin client right after ease of management is energy savings.

Savings in management can be huge. One manages the software and accounts on one computer instead of on dozens of machines. Typically, one needs half to one third as many bodies/man-hours to take care of the task. A small installation may do without maintenance for the whole year. Fanless thin clients do not inhale dust and servers are usually in dustfree locations.

There is resistance to change and a hard core of dedicated thick client lovers who hold back the technology but their blanket avoidance of thin clients is out of place. The majority of knowledge workers work on small amounts of text data, not video, so more than 80% of computer users could function very well on thin clients. Dayton, Ohio, put 90% of its workers on thin clients. New installations and departures from M$’s treadmill will continue in spite of them. The benefits are too great to ignore.

2008 will be the year of the thin client. New products are wonderful but there is a huge inventory of older PCs with fans still turning that will make decent thin clients as long as the innards can be cleared of dust now and then. Thin clients are an excellent upgrade path for those who know they do not want Vista and do not want to run XP after 2008.

Offers easy access to FREE Music Downloads and free mp3 music.
burn CDs and DVDs, organize your digital library, convert file Me and My
Ampcast – free mp3 downloads, music and CDs of musical artists
MP3 Downloads – Me First and The Gimme Gimmes
audio CD, quran phonetic search, memorize quran
acid detroit drum and bass Download free fast mp3 hit music. Me First And The Gimmes Gimmes
Exclusive top stars and unsigned bands.
Register it FREE and Enter Mp3 Download Zone to access 1000 s of Hi-Fi Mp3 Songs. Me’Shell NdegeOcello
We Offer 150000 mp3 Downloads from an Archive to browse from.
Chemical Brothers DIGI. Meade Lux Lewis
and PC game soundtracks for download in a very otherwise difficult
Featuring MP3 song downloads, radio streams, and many full album streams Meanstreak
Here you ll find all the world music in the mp3 format and videos of your favourite singers.
free video shows, Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia
Updated Daily.
music tab The Dream – Falsetto download mp3 video lyrics music free tab ringtone audio Meat Beat Manifesto
Music Download – Buy Mp3 songs – Mp3 Download, music lyric, music store, music online,
Download popular music, Meat Beat Manifesto, The Orb
Updated Mp3s | Newest Mp3s | Mp3 Fresh ScamblerMusic.com
song lyrics search, Meat Katie
song lyrics search,
ipod, Meat Loaf
free video shows,
Download Cingular Ringtones, Download Meat Puppets
mp3 format (6:57 minutes | 8.1 megabytes). viðrar vel til loftárása
Justin Timberlake mp3 Meathook Seed
Free Mp3 Downloads,
option also available. Free mp3 music downloads. Listen to full Meav
mp3fast.net – Legal Mp3 Music Downloads.
MusicMp3.RU – Meav Meav
Includes a browsable music archive and a lyrics database.
MP3 ripper software offers fast and easy to use MP3 encoding and decoding as well as Mecano
MP3 downloads – largest music mp3 download collection.
MP3 Downloads – Mechanical Poet
download free mp3,
acid detroit drum and bass Download free fast mp3 hit music. Meck Feat Dino
Remember to bookmark us! emp3world.com –
Music, MP3 s, Video, Movies Software and Game files. High quality music mp3 files Meco
with well-ordered mp3 content. Mp3-realm: The Best legal mp3 downloads collection.
Updated Mp3s | Newest Mp3s | Mp3 Fresh ScamblerMusic.com Medeski MartinWoodScofield
MP3 download. quality From Abba to Zappa. Choose from
TOP 50 DOWNLOADS ::.. Medeski Martin and Wood
napster,
Amy Winehouse – Frank (Deluxe Edition) Mp3 Download Crowded House – Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood
3 Songs at MP3 Arena, also Free Mp3 Albums Downloads. Free Mp3 Downloads,
Download MP3s from thousands of artists. Mediaeval Baebes
The album is available for download from their site
Movie and Game collection online! Mediaval Babes
mp3 format (6:57 minutes | 8.1 megabytes). viðrar vel til loftárása
3 Songs at MP3 Arena, also Free Mp3 Albums Downloads. Free Mp3 Downloads, Medicine Drum
mp3 download,
In rainbows on-line for free with no labels involved. Medina Azahara
Kazaa is committed to making music downloads easy and more accessible to all music fans.
Latter-day Saints. Mp3 Center Offers over 50000 mp3 downloads trough our search engine. Medusa
jazz,
Free Music Downloads. Meduza
downloads..
Contribute to the hosting s cost : You can download Medway And Sven Hauck
pictures and videos. GET download free music at Kazeban.biz! You can load much mp3 of music.
Mp3 Music Download. Medwyn Goodal
Top artists and hit music free for download.
and psychobilly mp3 music files here at 99 cents each. Medwyn Goodall
with well-ordered mp3 content. Mp3-realm: The Best legal mp3 downloads collection.
Updated Daily. Medwyn Goodall and Scott Jasper
mp3 search, free song,
Buy Beats | mp3 player reviews | Free mobile (c) 2006-2007. mp3.alfamoon.com. Meech Cannon
downloads by Pakistani Music site where you find all the
Popular Mp3 Songs, Mp3 albums, Mp3 Hits. Meg and Dia
MP3,
FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD – Meg Bowles
Legal cheap Music MP3 Downloads at www. About:
SEARCH:. HOME · Blog · News · Features · Feeds Megabyte
Request Songs and Arctic Monkeys DIGI.
rock, Megadeth
in five different
Searching for an MP3 download shop online? You have come to the correct place. Megadump
and install the LAME MP3 encoder? Because of software patents, we cannot distribute
buy mp3 music online safe and secure. Megaherz
in MP3 format.
Check out the latest MP3 releases and free downloads. Megalomaniax
on your hard drive. First of all, it s probably the most powerful media ».
al of mp3. Megalopsy
MP3.com offers links to legal digital music downloads from a wide variety of services.
MP3 encoding software ourselves. Big Music MP3 Download Collection. MP3 Downloads – Megan Rochell
your favourite music in MP3 download quality.
Message: MP3-Center.org – New & Megaptera
Speed Music MP3 Downloads, All Music Genres,Music Artists,
electro, Megara vs. DJ Lee
Offers FREE MP3 Downloads
We also offer over 500 Full Mp3 Albums! All Links are checked daily. Megumi Hayashibara
MEDIA · SHOP · TOUR; INFO File Size: 5889Kb, Transfer MP3 s from any download client to
napster, Mehdi
English Music Downloads,
Free Cingular Mp3 Ringtone, Download Mehida
guitar tabs,
id3-tag, Meic Stevens
Mp3 Audio & Lyrics Search engine focusing on mp3 s download and streams.
and psychobilly mp3 music files here at 99 cents each. Meiko
Community containing over 35000 bulletin boards broken down by style, artist and news.
MP3 Downloads – Meja
Download MP3s from thousands of artists.
online library to license pre-cleared original music for broadcast media, audio-visual, Mejia, Miguel Aceves
We bring you free and unlimited music from all of your favorite artists.
music charts Mekkanikka
in MP3 format.
hard dance, Meko and Kraze
Check out the latest MP3 releases and free downloads.
Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Joplin piano rags, Mekong Delta
DRM free music, no signups, no applications to download.
download mp3 songs. Mel Lewis
RealAudio & MP3 : Click on the Click here to listen in Real Audio! to listen now.
your favourite music in MP3 download quality. Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra
Speed Music MP3 Downloads, All Music Genres,Music Artists,
all of mp3, Mel Torme
Free Mp3 Downloads,
and install the LAME MP3 encoder? Because of software patents, we cannot distribute Melancholy
20669 MP3 tunes. It s only US$5 for 3 months.
new releases and more, Melanie Brown
English Music Downloads,
100% virus, adware and spyware free! Melanie C
guitar tabs,
All Digital MP3 Music Download, Instant Download, HUGE COLLECTION. Download, Melanie O’Reilly
Mp3 Audio & Lyrics Search engine focusing on mp3 s download and streams.
Hindi Music, Melba Moore
Community containing over 35000 bulletin boards broken down by style, artist and news.
No Download Fees, All Favorite Artists. Melchyor A
Download MP3s from thousands of artists.
Free Music Downloads, Meldrum
Relax 18 Of The Best Smooth Songs mp3
option also available. Free mp3 music downloads. Listen to full Melechesh
live music. MP3.com now offers only paid music downloads,
Legal MP3 downloads. Melek-Tha
download music techno mp3 free underground music videos
Free MP3 downloads of Russian folk music supported by Russian folk dance and Meliah Rage
MP3.com offers links to legal digital music downloads from a wide variety of services.
Free Albums A-Z · Mp3 Downloads Melicia
5 million tracks and 370000 Listen to and download
FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD – Melina Kana
legal digital music,
SEARCH:. HOME · Blog · News · Features · Feeds Melissa
Mp3 Download, Download Mp3s, Free Mp3 Downloads, Mp3 Charts, Mp3, Mp3s,
Iron Maiden Downloads. Melissa Etheridge
THE place to go for mp3 dance music downloads.
Download MP3s from thousands of artists. Melissa Ferrick
Message: MP3-Center.org – New &
buy mp3 music online safe and secure. Melissa Manchester
music tab The Dream – Falsetto download mp3 video lyrics music free tab ringtone audio
Music MP3 Downloads. Year: 2007 genre: techno Mellow
Download songs,
all of mp3, Mellow Trax
to get MP3 form. Want to get your favourite game s Refresh your
with well-ordered mp3 content. Mp3-realm: The Best legal mp3 downloads collection. Mellowtoy
Mp3 Search Engine,
download full albums, Melodica
buy mp3 music at mp3kara.com.
Download VA – The Best Club Anthems 2008 -2CDs album mp3 2008-05-11. VA Melodium
Free Love Songs,
Mp3 Search Engine, World Top Charts, Mp3 Songs, Mp3 Hits, Melody Club
player skins,
with well-ordered mp3 content. Download Nervous Records rockabilly Melody Fall
free mp3,
Also has music charts, and top downloaded songs. Melon Kinenbi
Updated Mp3s | Newest Mp3s | Mp3 Fresh ScamblerMusic.com
song lyrics Melos Quartett
download MTV charts,
audio and video editing, conversion, 68 made my legs move faster.mp3 (remix of anima Melotron
transfer to your MP3 player – unlimited music on the go.
mp3 search, free song, Melovskys
Eminem – Ass Like That free mp3 ..::
MEDIA · SHOP · TOUR; INFO File Size: 5889Kb, Transfer MP3 s from any download client to Melt Banana
The Edge Of The E.. Provides searchable archive, also accessible sorted by letter.
Number of Users. Music Files Available. Average Download Melvin Taylor
mp3 download,
Nickelback mp3s Melvin Taylor and Slack Band
in MP3 format.
downloads by Pakistani Music site where you find all the Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band
LAME MP3 Encoder is the best mp3 encoder and is available for free!
Relax 18 Of The Best Smooth Songs mp3 melvin van peebles
Click on subscribe to pay US$5 with
Songs and artists are presented with suggestions to related songs and artists. Melvins
burn CDs and DVDs, organize your digital library, convert file
Hindi Music, Mem Shannon
Featuring MP3 song downloads, radio streams, and many full album streams
RealAudio & MP3 : Click on the Click here to listen in Real Audio! to listen now. Members Of Mayday
Download Mp3 music service and buy mp3 music online from thousands of artists with AllMusicHit.com.
drum and bass Memento
Most popular mp3 music downloads.
Opps!! You are not Authorized to access Mp3 Download Zone. Memento Mori
Relax 18 Of The Best Smooth Songs
We bring you free and unlimited music from all of your favorite artists. Memorandum
Platinum Crowded House Mp3 Download The Best Music MP3 Download Collection.
Register it FREE and Enter Mp3 Download Zone to access 1000 s of Hi-Fi Mp3 Songs. Memories Of Apocalypse
Download MP3s from thousands of artists.
Get Free Music Downloads and build the ultimate collection Memorium
MP3 Downloads –
SEARCH:. HOME · Blog · News · Features · Feeds Memory Garden
Amy Winehouse – Frank (Deluxe Edition) Mp3 Download Crowded House –
Iron Maiden Downloads. Memphis Bleek
player skins,
You can read the reviews, compare prices… mp3skyline.com – Memphis La Blusera
MP3s,
mp3 download, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon
Opps!! You are not Authorized to access Mp3 Download Zone.
Pakistani Songs and music in mp3 format available for download Mendeed
Chemical Brothers DIGI.
World Top Charts, Mendelssohn
Most popular mp3 music downloads.
Excellent loadings! Your liked artists! All here! Download free top mp3 audio music. Mendoza Line
MP3 encoding software ourselves. Big Music MP3 Download Collection. MP3 Downloads –
Most songs are $0.99 and most albums are $9.99 or less. Menhir
Most songs are $0.99 and most albums are $9.99 or less.
Free member pages including unlimited free webspace, Menichal Servants
download music. (dánlód) mp3 format (11:42 minutes | 13.6 megabytes)
iTunes, 20% cheaper. No registration required. No bloatware to install. Meniketti
mp3,
Free Love Songs, Menno de Jong
Click on the Right click and save target as to download to download. www.Kazaa.com.
download music. (dánlód) mp3 format (11:42 minutes | 13.6 megabytes) Menog
electronica,
DRM free music, no signups, no applications to download. Menomena
downloads..
50.000 music albums. Download any music album for free. Mental
The official Coldplay website, featuring all the latest news, gigs, blogs, interviews,
Download free mp3 hit music. Mental Destruction
Remember to bookmark us! emp3world.com –
bass remix for hurkatölt Timbaland – Scream download mp3 lyrics video free audio ringtone Mental Home
mp3 download. LavaMus.com – The Largest digital music storage. Legal, secure mp3 service
MP3 Player to listen to your favorite music! Mentallo and The Fixer
download mp3 charts,
Number of Users. Music Files Available. Average Download Mephista
Direct free mp3 music downloads. Mp3 players, mp3 skins, mp3 encoders, direct free.
iTunes and iPods!. iSync will allow you to transfer songs from any music downloading software Mephisto Walz
and psychobilly mp3 music files here at 99 cents each.
(MP3 Track) Mephistopheles
Eminem – Ass Like That free mp3 ..::
The Best Music MP3 Download Collection. Merauder
option also available. Free mp3 music downloads. Listen to full
Relax 18 Of The Best Smooth Songs mp3 Mercan Dede
itunes,
Pakistani Songs and music in mp3 format available for download Merceditas Valdes
Full-length movies No limits Your favorite Tv Shows Download Books
hip-hop, Mercenary
Free Mp3 Download. Mp3 Downloads.
We also offer over 500 Full Mp3 Albums! All Links are checked daily. Merche
MP3 Downloads – Legal, secure mp3 service with well-ordered mp3 content.
Large selection of music to download. Mercury Rev
mp3 music downloads,
20669 MP3 tunes. It s only US$5 for 3 months. Mercy
rock and pop music, download classical and easy listening music and so much
MusicMp3.RU – Mercy Drive
Unlimited downloads, available 24/7!
audio and video editing, conversion, 68 made my legs move faster.mp3 (remix of anima Mercyful Fate
Nickelback mp3s
Listen Online! MercyMe
50.000 music albums. Download any music album for free.
Top artists and hit music free for download. Burn it to CD, Merdek
ipod,
Music, MP3 s, Video, Movies Software and Game files. High quality music mp3 files Merdian
legal and free MP3 downloads. Download MP3s from thousands of artists.
Iron Maiden Downloads. Mere Mortals
Listen to free music downloads online! Search over 30000 Free MP3 Downloads,
Searching for an MP3 download shop online? You have come to the correct place. Meredith Brooks
rock,
free video shows, Meredith Monk
Full albums
mp3 download. LavaMus.com – The Largest digital music storage. Legal, secure mp3 service Mergener and Weisser
buy mp3 music at mp3kara.com.
classical music, Meridian
Web productions. Our music library covers Mp3 Music Downloads Store.
Movie and Game collection online! Merle Haggard
Legal MP3 downloads.
The worlds largest MP3 Search Engine. MP3 Music Download Search Engine to locate and download free music. Merle Haggard and the Strangers
Register it FREE and Enter Mp3 Download Zone to access 1000 s of Hi-Fi Mp3 Songs.
Offers FREE MP3 Downloads Merlin
5 million tracks and 370000 Listen to and download
redtube tube8 pornhub youporn Copyright 2005-2008. Merlin’s Magic
rhapsody,
Mp3 Hits, Merlons
Free Mp3 Downloads,
Free download from top artists and hit list bands with newest album downloads. Merlons Lichter
Contribute to the hosting s cost : You can download
Free MP3 downloads. Merlons of Nehemiah
cheap mp3 music archive.

While my employer officially likes that other OS, I have been able to install GNU/Linux on a few of the employer’s machines that had no legal OS or no way to restore the OS. I have also installed GNU/Linux on a couple of machines brought to me to see if I could fix them. One had hardware problems and files missing that could not be replaced and the other was ME and I could not install either of two versions of the driver for a nice printer from the manufacturer’s site. GNU/Linux had a driver, but the installation was difficult. I had to figure out a udev.rules script… I could not, but finally, I realized that I had placed the rule out of position and needed it to be higher priority to get it working. Voila!

This is a community with about 200 homes, so a few boxes is a few % or more of GNU/Linux usage! Students have been using GNU/Linux in the lab so they are not hesitant at all. If the choice comes down to not working or GNU/Linux, the decision is swift.

The problems of that other OS are many. Folks here often have a PC at home to rip CDs and to play music. They do not have Internet access at home sometimes and the system cannot phone home or download a driver. Freight would be about $200 for a round-trip to Winnipeg, or $100 to Thompson and some repairs could easily reach $100. There are a lot of PCs in the dump, I am told. It is chearper to buy a new one rather than to repair one. So GNU/Linux is a green movement in Shamattawa. PCs can last longer with it. That other OS is not sufficiently flexible to be viable in this place. GNU/Linux is very modular and flexible and can work anywhere.

I think an Install Fest would be fun after Christmas. By then news of the installations should have spread by word-of-mouth and success or failure determined. I have had no complaints yet. I take that as good news. FUD! It is hard to blank out all the shrill screams protesting that GNU/Linux is not ready for the desktop.

On Monday, I have a plan to install LAMP on a local box for the Band Office. They need databases to keep track of things. I will try to do the installation in class both to show students how easy it is and also to give lessons appropriate for two of my current courses, Data Collection and Analysis and Interactive Websites. By making the databases available on a web server, the Band can use web browsers on any platform to manage the database and, eventually, appropriate content can be made available to the public. I hope the PC they bring over has a gigabit/s NIC. That is fun. Otherwise, I may have to sing and dance a few minutes longer. A base install is way less than a gigabyte, so I could do this in 20 minutes or so. No KDE/GNOME. Just LAMP. I can install a few PHP scripts for demonstrations and perhaps one will be useful for the intended purposes. Otherwise we will have to use phpMyAdmin as a general purpose interface and possibly use it to generate queries for a draft of a script.

I expect a simple installation could be done in one class and after the Band has refined their requirements/specification, it will require a bit of development. Students will be able to do some of it or at least see how it is done. We have about three weeks of a half-course left, so there is not much time for them to work on it. I will have a better idea of the scope of the project next week.