Comments on: Thin clients: So out, they're in?

Wyse Technology CEO John Kish says history is coming full circle and thin client computing is about to get a second chance at the big time.

[chassoto--2008]

Not if they don't shoot Rapport in the head!

Honestly. We tried their terminals. Great idea. Neat devices.
Crappy management software.

Besides, their good terminals run XP Embedded. Unfortunately,
this means that it suffers from many of the same security
vulnerabilities as "thick" clients running XP. Only, they're much
harder to update, because Rapport 4 is such a piece of junk!

Cheaper? Better ROI?

Add in the startup costs of Citrix and their annual subscription advantage and the cost is not any cheaper than running a pc, plus with XP Pro and RDP you can remote login and manage PC's can't do that with a wyse terminal.

Not quite correct

"The big problem is that if the network is down, then people can't do their jobs with the thin client." I told him, "But if the network is down with the PC, they can't do their job either. What they can do is listen to music and play games."

The advantage of rich clients over thin clients is that the former can, in the face of missing network, provide additional support for disconnected support. So, when the network goes out, i can still work on stuff locally and, when the network is next available, I can synch the data and continue.

Additionally, I just don't see that thin client computing can be as performant as rich client computing.

[Gayle-Edwards]

The OTHER name for "thin-client"... DUMB-TERMINAL.

I am old enough to remember "time-sharing", and "Dumb-Terminals"...

Frankly, it was awful. And the situation created the term, "Computer-Priesthood" to describe those that controlled the "mainframes" and YOUR data.

In fact, that is very much WHY "the micro-computer revolution" happened in the first place. So, WE (humble users) would have the power of the computer, under OUR control, on OUR terms.

And, "Networks" then made computers even better.

But, now we have...

"Thin-Clients"...

"Software as a service"...

".NET"...

"Trusted Computing"...

and "DRM remote attestation",

...rearing their UGLY-HEADS. And, in my opinion, ALL actually seem designed for one purpose, ...to return control to a centralized-power structure (and, by the way, would allow the perpetual-billing for continued use of your computer, your data and any "...media" that you have purchased).

NO THANKS...

[markdoiron]

Thin Client Security and Reliability

"less susceptible to security breaches".

oh really? a security breach at a central server can take out a heck of a lot of thin client terminals, whereas a security breach at at desktop pc likely takes out that pc alone. everyone else in the corporation continues working while that person goes squalering to tech support.

"There are no moving parts in a thin client. There's no drive, so the mean time between failure is about an order of magnitude greater than you'd find in a PC."

yes, but there are moving parts somewhere. and, because there are fewer moving parts supporting larger numbers of terminals, they present a reduced-point failure node that doesn't exist with the full-featured pc model. some of that can be mitigated by various, more sophisticated architectures, but at greater cost and complexity, something thin client computing allegedly reduces.

mark d.

[iqula]

Free public thin desktop offerings

Thin computing is getting offered free to the public too! See http:///www.cosmopod.com that offer a free for life online desktop using these technologies.

[Earl Benser]

In my time....

..., I've sold a lot of Wyse terminals. And I watched the PC's
slowly take over the Wyse market, until the demand for thin
client was about gone. Can't say that I've seen any rationale to
bring thin Client back - it only works for major corporations, if
at all, with the dedicated hard wire network needed to make
Thin Client work. (No one should take any claim for wireless
Thin Client as more than marketing BS.)

So, Wyse is trying a comeback - good for them. I just hope that
Wyse can find a real market for their products. The US sure isn't
it.

[hutchike]

Software thin clients using VNC

I'm writing this post on a laptop connected to a Mac Mini over
VNC (see www.openvnc.com for details). Essentially I'm using my
laptop as a thin client to my Mac Mini server.

How come companies are keen to see thin client *hardware*
when it works very well in *software*? There are so many
underpowered PC's out there that would make excellent thin
clients - and VNC seems like a great way to achieve this?

Personally I think thin client computing is a great idea if your
network is fast enough, and you've got solid network security. I
guess I should go learn about tunnelling VNC over SSH...

[Earl Benser]

Good Point...

... at times, I run any one of 5 Macs and 6 PC's, using either ARD or
VLC, from the main Mac via a 100bT/1000bT LAN. If that's Thin
Client, It is here now, and it works great. And supposedly, both
ARD and VLC can work with computers anywhere in the Internet,
broadband preferred.

Sort of says that Wyse isn't so wise after all. ;-)

You Don't Need Any New Hardware!

Hardware has little or nothing to do with this technology. Sure, hardware manufacturers want you to buy new hardware, but with Terminal Services or Citrix, the hardware is irrelevant if configured properly. If you main concern is power usage, maybe the device is relevant. But, if it is security, productivity, and value, there is no need.

I can securely access my company's tech from almost any internet device in the world and IT IS GREAT to be able to work that way. Faster, cheaper, better. More secure, more productive, and a MUCH better value.

Anyone that wants to see this and form their own opinion, just call me at 877-677-5758 ext 903 and I can show you in a couple of minutes over the Internet why its about a centralized server, not the client device.

Try it. You will like it and you will save.

Thanks,
Jeff Bennett
[e-mail]
www.DesktopAnywhere.com

Give me a Wyse 60 and one of its $110 keyboards

then shut the hell up.

Another name for dumb terminal: web browser

.