[olug] Terminal clients

[DYNATRON tech]

if you need to set up some windows thin clients for public use, you could
use something like FOG <http://www.fogproject.org> to roll out your OS image
over PXE(DHCP/TFTP). for everyday people, windows and windows apps make them
feel more comfortable, and i hate to say it, but this may be a better
solution in this situation. the FOG backend runs on linux, so i guess you're
free on the server side. you will have to figure out the windows licensing
issues, however.

PXE can be bit of a hassle to setup from scratch, but FOG simplifies it
fairly well and has a nifty web interface running on the server. the images
can be rolled out fresh everytime the computer is reset, so no matter how
f'd the client OS's get, you can just reset the machine. not all older
machines have PXE support in the bios, so you may have to use
bartPE<http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/network/makedisk/>to load the OS. if
so,  i would be tempted to remove or disable the eject
buttons in a public use scenario.

you could also use a lightweight linux distro like xubuntu, arch, DSL, etc.
to roll out, but you need to know your target audience and how well it will
be received by them, not to mention the possible need for installing a HD in
each computer if you can't find a simple PXE solution for your linux needs.

it also depends how many people will be using it, what they will be using it
for,  and how open minded they are when it comes to trying a better new way
of doing things. just the notion of free software can turn a novice user
away off with fears of piracy and fear of the unknown. there are also people
that just assume free = crappy. if you can overcome these hurdles, then
maybe you can phase out the FOG with ubuntu USB keys (or something similar),
and as people become more comfortable with linux, you may wake up to realise
that you just did a very good thing for free software and your clients.

it's been almost a year since i did my FOG setup, but i only have a handful
of windows apps that i still use so it lost it's usefulness in my situation
quickly. IMO it's a fun project if you're into this sort of thing.

kinda long winded, but i feel strongly about letting people discover the
finer things without forcing them to adopt it, which just fosters
apprehension, regardless of the fact that it is better way of doing things.




On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 7:33 PM, irv <IrvCobb at twocobbs.net> wrote:

> I'm the pastor of a small church in NE Omaha. My office runs Linux for 95%
> of the work I do. The only real work done in Windows is by our treasurer,
> who uses Quicken.
>
> If your IT friend would like to see what I do and how, specifically in a
> ministry setting, I'd be glad to show him or talk with him.
>
> Irv
>
>
> Kelly Williams wrote:
>
>> I have a friend that is IT for a ministry. We are in the process of taking
>> the old machines that have Windows and turn them into terminal clients and
>> I
>> suggested that we use ubuntu for the client but he wants to use Windows. I
>> have tried talking him into using Linux server and you don't need all the
>> security software. I need input or advice.
>>
>> Kelly Williams
>> _______________________________________________
>> OLUG mailing list
>> OLUG at olug.org
>> https://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>>
>>
>>
>
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