[IAEP] Ncomputing

[Walter Bender]

I don't think that anyone at Sugar Labs is disputing the importance of
making Sugar work well in LTSP deployments. In fact, we have been
working with the Resara team on exactly that scenario. However, I
think it is important to note that there are many differences between
thin-client and laptop deployments. It is not clear that their is a
significant difference in the cost of the hardware itself--I have
never seen numbers to convince me one way or another. But in favor of
thin clients, maintaining a centralized control over the terminals
presumably makes the system maintenance easier while having a mobile
deice undoubtedly offers more flexibility in terms of how and where
computation can be used as part of a learning experience. But where as
Sugar is sitting on top of Linux and Linux supports both thin-client
and laptop deployments, we are not at odds here.

-walrer

On Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 9:18 AM, David Van Assche <dvanassche at gmail.com> wrote:
> LTSP deployments range in the millions worldwide, and are definitely a
> necessary target for Sugar. Macedonia is just a small example of what
> has been done elsewhere with terminals that are far cheaper than the
> falsely advertised $100 laptops. In Brazil alone, there are millions
> of computers running LTSP on top of k12linux or edubuntu. Sugar Labs
> should be taking serious notice of thin client technology and adapting
> the UI to work for it. LTSP has been around for 10 years now, and as
> much as people talk about cloud computing, thin clients are getting
> more available and common, not less...
>
> kind Regards,
> David Van Assche
> www.nubae.com
>
> On Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 6:13 AM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 1:18 PM, Walter Bender <walter.bender at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I had a pissing match with their founder in the WSJ about a year
>>> ago...
>>
>> I saw that written up at OLPC News. Yes, Ncomputing is still at it,
>> just like Intel and Microsoft. Competition, you know. Can't have that.
>> ^_^
>>
>>> I didn't get any straight answers from him about costs or
>>> learning.
>>
>> Nothing usable on the site yesterday. Most of the site is down today.
>>
>>> But Sugar on their Ubuntu thin client sounds doable.
>>
>> Perhaps we should have a word with Macedonia and some other countries.
>> We can't leave all of the sales work to Nicholas any more.
>>
>> http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/09/17/226807/macedonia-rolls-out-ncomputing-clients-for-all-school.htm
>>
>> 180,000 units
>>
>> 1.8 M in India...
>>
>>> -walter
>>>
>>> On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 4:15 PM, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Has anybody evaluated Ncomputing's claims on cost, power, and the like
>>>> for school deployments? For example,
>>>>
>>>> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Interview/Stephen_Dukker_CEO_Ncomputing/articleshow/3820649.cms
>>>> http://www.ncomputing.com/republic-of-macedonia.aspx
>>>>
>>>> They run Ubuntu (or Windows) over thin clients, so they could run
>>>> Sugar once the packaging problems are fixed (The journal currently
>>>> saves precisely nothing). Has anybody talked with them?
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
>>>> And Children are my nation.
>>>> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
>>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>>>> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Walter Bender
>>> Sugar Labs
>>> http://www.sugarlabs.org
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
>> And Children are my nation.
>> The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai
>> _______________________________________________
>> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
>> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>



-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org