Multistation OS

[Rashkae]

Wade Smart wrote:
> Mark Haney wrote:
>> Wade Smart wrote:
>>> 20081027 0718 GMT-6
>>>
>>> http://www.omni-ts.com/newsroom/linux-for-education.html
>>> http://www.omni-ts.com/linux-desktop/
>>>
>>> A short while back I posted some questions about using Thin Clients at 
>>> the local school. That fizzled out. I received a email this morning from 
>>> the school wanting to know if I could setup a multi-station lab like 
>>> what is in this email.
>>>
>>> The second link tells about what they are doing.
>>>
>>> This is just what I was talking about - right?
>>> Just done only in one location and district wide.
>>>
>>> Wade
>>>
>>>
>> I fail to see how this is different from a thin-client solution.  At 
>> least in it's basic elements. You are still using a single machine to 
>> provide desktops to other systems.  They claim:
>>
>> The Linux Desktop Multiplier, powered by Userful, allows up to 10 
>> thick-client user stations to connect to a single SUSE Linux Enterprise 
>> Desktop computer. User stations consist of only a monitor, USB keyboard 
>> and mouse.
>>
>> But, this is kinda contradictory, by definition a 'thick client' is a 
>> full desktop system (more or less, including notebooks, etc).  But if a 
>> 'user station' doesn't have a MB/CPU combo (all inclusive), then this is 
>> nothing more than another type of thin client setup.
>>
>> Personally, you'd almost be better off just running remote X sessions on 
>> each system (use XFCE or something) to provide a 'full desktop'.  That 
>> works pretty much the same way this setup works.
>>
>> Either way you look at it, it's a remote desktop design.  Each 'station' 
>> must get it's desktop from central location and it doesn't matter if the 
>> 'station' is a full client or a thin one.
>>
>>
>> My $0.02 anyway.
> 
> 20081027 0818 GMT-6
> 
> Ah, ok. The school was contacted about this setup and they asked me if I 
> knew anything about it. Im "not" suggesting they do it - I was just 
> wanting clarity on the setup.
> 
> So one computer per 10 students - the resources of the pc are shared 
> between them all. Even a quad core with 4gb of ram system could end up 
> feeling slow.
> 

Not unless you're photoshoping posters.

For all the power they give modern desktops, even el cheapos, it's
amazing how much of it is spent idle doing nothing, with only occasional
 bursts of activity.  And Linux is very good at multi-tasking those
bursts smoothly, even if there's a bit of contention.