Student Control Panel Mods/Suggestions

[Jim Kronebusch]

On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 10:58:25 -0500, Scott Balneaves wrote
> On Fri, Aug 03, 2007 at 09:41:08AM +0100, Gavin McCullagh wrote:
> 
> > Fair enough.  I sort of thought it would be good to maintain thin
> > client-specific settings together in one location (lts.conf) but if you
> > think assigning default printers is going too far then I guess using the
> > arp table is reasonable enough.
> 
> Well, my overall concern is that LTSP seems to keep having to solve problems,
> which really are caused by shortcomings in other software packages, mainly
> induced by their assumption that they're running on a fat client.
> 
> I'm not saying it CAN'T or SHOULDN'T be part of the LTSP packages, but I have
> to wonder out loud: how long will other software authors continue to
> ignore the fact that a large percentage of their software's used in a thin
> client environment?  If they'd take more of this sort of thing into account,
> life would be better.
> 
> By way of a practical example: why do we have to maintain jetpipe?  Why doesn't
> cups come shipped with a nice, thin, printer endpoint that, as part of it's
> protocol, manage where it's connected to , and integrate properly, and
> effortlessly, one assumes, into the cups infrastructure?
> 
> Perhaps I'm just grousing. :)

Makes perfect sense.  I suppose since we are all involved in LTSP and you actually do a
major part of coding in LTSP, it is easy for us to see the importance of thin clients. 
Unfortunately is does not seem that anyone who is not directly involved is on the same
page.  Until then you guys will be stuck working around everyone else's inadequacies. 
Look at the bright side, at least with LTSP5 you won't have near the load of working
around the Operating System's shortcomings, just all other software :-)  I sure hope
everyone appreciates how well Ubuntu has stepped up to the plate with LTSP5 integration.

Unfortunately there is sort of a catch22 as well, the more work you guys put into
getting the other software to work with thin clients the way it should, the less
pressure the community will put on them because it works.  

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