[IAEP] Userful Linux & ThinNetworks to deploy 300, 000+ virtualized desktops in Brazil

[Albert Cahalan]

John Watlington writes:
> On Feb 19, 2009, at 12:34 PM, Tony Anderson wrote:

>> Really sad. Buying one desktop and creating 'five' seats is probably
>> cheaper than 5 or 6 XOs.
>
> Is it really ?   I don't even see a real cost benefit.
>
> $450 - one low end desktop computer
> $350 - (5) $70 monitors
> $ 50 - (5) keyboards/mice
> $250 - (5) seats of virtualization hardware (from the userful web site)
>
> $1100 for five students => $220 per student

Nothing cheaper comes with:

1. a mouse that kids can actually operate
2. a keyboard that doesn't drop letters
3. a usable desktop environment
4. a network that is fast and reliable

>> However, it restricts use to the school day.
>> The ability for the child to take the laptop home is crucial.

I agree, but...

School people are low-risk types who are used to dealing with
lots of damage and loss. They've seen the books come back torn
and soaked or worse.

What do you do when a kid loses his XO? Does he just miss out
on an education, or does the school stick to XO-free lessons?
How many replacements are you going to give him?

>> Think, for example, of the impact of the laptop on the other
>> members of the family.

It's for the kids. Other users would cause wear, unavailability,
and running out of storage.