ltsp feedback.

[Jonathan Carter (highvoltage)]

Hi Rogler

(moving to ubuntu-devel-discuss)

Rogier Wolff wrote:
> Similarly the ssh-to-the-server is something I don't want. My client
> is on a private network, I'd rather have the performance of straight X
> connections than the security of ssh-encrypted X traffic (on my
> low-performance thin client). 

That's actually quite easy to do, you just need to put LDM_DIRECTX=True
in your lts.conf file. I agree that it could conceivably be easier, but
even for someone who has had very little computer training that
shouldn't be too difficult to do. I suppose it would help a lot of there
was a nice 'LTSP tips and tricks' page somewhere.

> So what am I after? I actually want to have a "large" photo frame. The
> 7" versions cost about the same as a thin client. A 19" monitor (that
> I have lying around) costs about the same, so for twice the money, I
> get 7 times more picture area... 
> 
> This means that after booting the kernel, just starting an X server
> (preconfigured is fine!) and triggering the slideshow app is enough. 
> 
> Starting X can be done VERY early in a boot sequence. I used to have a
> machine with a fixed frequency monitor (back in the early nineties,
> and of course it wasn't fixed-vga-frequency!) That machine would run
> something like two commands before starting the Xserver and displaying
> the remaining boot sequence on an Xterm.....
> 
> If the thing boots really quickly I can turn it off, and just flip it
> on whenever a few hours of service is required. If the boot sequence
> is as long as it is, I have to leave it on 24/24 and just unblank the
> screen when that's required. 
> 
> I'm now moving to stripping ltsp almost all the way. 

That's all very nice if you only want a bit more display area, but
unfortunately it doesn't scale. You can't add 20+ keyboards, display
cards and mouses (yes, mouses) to one computer. There are already
solutions like you describe available (like Userful or NComputing), but
personally I feel that those are only useful when you've got many small
rollouts, like if you want to roll out 500 containers with 4
workstations each.

-Jonathan