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140

The Portal

140 points posted to Servers and Storage, Service and Support by dwood 11/15/07

Okay. This idea has been in my head for a long time.

The server/client has become used for most office workers. Many aren't allowed to save data to the PCs own internal hard drive and quite often they ARENT even allowed to use USB Flash drives or similar devices to save their work. Most of the time, everything goes on the companies intranet (happens a LOT in schools)
This begs the question: why do you need a whole full blown PC on your desk when you dont even use half the parts that are in it? Especially when software licenses are becoming so expensive.

The answer is The Portal. All you need is a display, keyboard and mouse that lets you interact with a suitable operating environment (Two to Four Office Workers connected to a computer through the portal, basically an "id" of sorts for each office worker to plug into a Usb port or more advanced port) This also happens to snuggle up nicely with the growing trend of using internet based desktop applications. (Open Office, for instance, which was/can be internet-based)

There are some really awesome computers out these days that can get speeds we could only dream of in super computers, yet now these computers can handle things that the super computer of 1990 would struggle to do- almost with ease. With these new computers in the rise I think its time someone designed a computer that could fit 2 or more office workers in its processes, with giving them their own individual desktops. All it would take is a simple device that hold the following: Monitor output, ethernet cable (for connecting to the main computer/server) mouse-and-keyboard input slots, and two USB ports.

The device would be simple, holding 256 RAM (give or take as much as the buyers want in it, to take off some of the load of the office worker from the main computer if the computer cant handle all of the processor.

It is designed to be roughly the size of two or three Iphones put together, to save the offices the money of paying for a whole new computer every time they hire someone new., and make it easier for the main IT guy to administrate over what is going on.

Addition thanks to aikiwolfe

polyzelf
11/15/07		 It's like terminal virtualization. It's not a horrible idea but I'm sure there are downsides. Perhaps someone else can elaborate on virtualization.
dwood
11/15/07		 yeah. its basically terminal virtualization.
aikiwolfie
11/15/07		 Isn't there something that does this already? Not from Dell which means Dell should make one but I'm sure I've seen a video somewhere where some guy had five sets of keyboard, monitor and mouse setup all with their own sessions connected to a machine running Ubuntu.
dwood
11/15/07		 Ive only seen one thing that had anything remote to do with this, it had: 1 monitor, on Ubuntu, one keyboard, and there were like 8 individual mice on the computer screen - each one was a different color.
aikiwolfie
11/15/07		 OOOOOOOOH I found it!!!

http://www.ndiyo.org/news/samsunghubster
dwood
11/15/07		 THATS MY IDEA! THEY STOLEZ IT!!!
dwood
11/15/07		 (WELL, theirs is more developed than mine)
aikiwolfie
11/15/07		 I just hate it when that happens. I'm fairly sure I'm the original inventor of just about everything. :op
dwood
11/15/07		 T_T..............T_T
jorge
11/15/07		 This idea is so 1970! Not back to the server client model! Well just go out and by a big server and a bunch of think clients and you're done.

**** PREIMPLEMENTED IN 1970 ****
dwood
11/15/07		 not really.
premcv
11/16/07		 Nice idea. The samsung had been there for a while.
aikiwolfie
11/16/07		 The server/client model has become applicable again for most office workers. They aren't allowed to save data to the PCs own internal hard drive and quite often they aren't even allowed to use USB pen drives or similar devices. So everything goes on the companies intranet. Which begs the question, why do you need a whole full blown PC on your desk? Especially when software licenses are becoming so expensive.

The answer is you don't. What you need is a display, keyboard and mouse that lets you interact with a suitable operating environment. This also happens to be an idea that would snuggle up nicely with the growing trend of using internet based desktop applications.
dwood
11/16/07		 thats the idea right there Aiki. I am stealing some of your post!
mike_dill
11/17/07		 Perhaps http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/68285/Low_Power_Usage_Machines would be useful in this space, but with smaller drives.
aikiwolfie
11/17/07		 :o) Go for it. I'm all for sharing.

With the combination of energy efficient PCs and an OS that can support multiple simultaneous users, companies could make massive savings. Savings in energy consumption, savings in hard ware purchases, savings in hardware footprints all adds up to savings in hard cold cash.
dwood
11/17/07		 That is what I am looking for! Besides, the average office Desktop needs no more than 512 RAM. (all its used for is Email, PPT, Word, And Excel. My idea could easily fit into 64 bit systems with 2 (or more) GB of Ram, and a nice processor.
aikiwolfie
11/17/07		 I'd say a system that supports 3 to 5 users would run fine with an Intel Core 2 Duo and 1 GB or RAM with maybe a 160GB to or 250GB HDD. I'd definitely use NVIDIA graphics though. Using an on-line desktop would help even more.
dwood
11/17/07		 yeah, but for business computers, there shouldnt even need a powerful graphics card. ATi does just fine for the job.
aikiwolfie
11/17/07		 I was thinking more a long the lines of stability. ATI has issues with Linux. It can go seriously wonky. NVIDIA tends to be more stable and more reliable. You also have to remember the graphics card will be driving upto 5 displays at once. A single card is at best only meant to drive 2 displays. Asuming the graphics work that way. I've seen a USB monitor that runs off a virtual card.
dwood
11/17/07		 well, this doesnt have to be with linux (even though it makes improving the OS much, much easier)

I dont have an ATi card so I wouldnt know... I was thinking that USB would probably work best ( much faster in/out under heavy loads, with or without a graphics card)
aikiwolfie
11/17/07		 Yeah the example I found works over USB. I just don't know how it would affect the graphics though. It could be a virtual card powered by the CPU or it could be the physical GPU doing the work. But either way I'm not sure how a Windows system would handle it. Windows can struggle with only one user sometimes. Even for business apps. I think a more robust OS would be a must have.

OS X isn't available to third parties. Which really only leaves Solaris, Linux and Windows. I'm not sure what else is out there that would be suitable. I don't think Windows is robust enough. Solaris isn't really know for being a desktop OS. Although it is more than capable. Which leaves Linux. Dell has offered Red Hat for a while on some business laptops and they'll be offering openSUSE to the Chinese. So there will be plenty of support for Linux. Which to my mind means Linux wins.
dwood
11/17/07		 Yeah. It does. It just needs to find a way to make it work- with it staying original, or talking with Cambridge about it.
ah1f
11/28/07		 I'ts called THIN CLIENT.
aikiwolfie
11/30/07		 No it's not. At least not in the conventional sense. Thin Clients can carry out computational tasks. They can run instances of applications or even entire OSs. The system being described here allows additional users to take advantage of Linux multi-user environment without the need for a Thin Client. All the processing work is done on the host system. This system acts more like a dumb-terminal and even then dumb-terminals had more in-built functionality to them.

A fat-client would be something like a full blown PC. Just for those who are interested.
crazzygooses
12/12/07		 Thin Client:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/sm/WF02a/1090261-1126487-1126487.html
Blade Server (thin client server):
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/279997-0-0-225-121.html?
dwood
12/18/07		 No it's not. At least not in the conventional sense. Thin Clients can carry out computational tasks. They can run instances of applications or even entire OSs. The system being described here allows additional users to take advantage of Linux multi-user environment without the need for a Thin Client. All the processing work is done on the host system. This system acts more like a dumb-terminal and even then dumb-terminals had more in-built functionality to them.

A fat-client would be something like a full blown PC. Just for those who are interested.
aikiwolfie
12/19/07		 LOL dwood aspires to match my brilliance? Are you quoting me or adding something? Or is the database corrupted?
dwood
Jan 24		 Im stealing your warez.
aikiwolfie
Jan 24		 Feel free. I believe in the FOSS Utopia. I'm going to live there one day ;o)
dwood
Feb 2		 FOSS Utopia?
aikiwolfie
Feb 2		 Yes. Where all software is free, open, secure, stable, but most importantly free. I think there's complimentary beer. But I'm not sure. I need to check the brochure again.
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