Waldo,
I'm the project leader for LTSP.org (Linux Terminal Server Project), and
as the upcoming DDC in Ottawa, I'd like to see some discussion about some
things that are very important to those of us who are deploying Linux thin
clients.
Some of the hot issues include:
o Desktop integration of local devices. Floppies, CDRoms and
USB memory devices plugged into the thin client, while the
user session is running on the server. This requires network
plumbing of the hotplug events, filesystems and basic control
such as ejecting the cd from the drive.
o Network transparent Audio. running your favorite audio
on the server, while the speakers are attached to the thin
client terminal. For output this currently works with ESD,
but full duplex audio isn't supported, and mixer control is
still rather sketchy.
o Encryption of the X protocol. Sure you can tunnel your X
connection over SSH, but there are scaling issues when you
run anything more than 30-40 thin clients from the same server.
We have several examples of hundreds of thin clients connected
to the same server, and currently, there isn't a good way of
encrypting the traffic.
o Memory use. Imagine 150 users connecting to a server and all
running Gnome or KDE, Firefox, OpenOffice and a handful of other
applications. The memory requirements in this scenario are
huge.
Many of these issues aren't unique to just LTSP. There's several other
thin client methods available for Linux, including PXES, Thinstation and
others that would all benefit from improvements in the above items.
At this point, i'd just like to get a dialog going with people familiar
with the nuts and bolts of Audio, virtual filesystems, encryption and
reducing memory requirements, so we can all work together to make it easy
to deploy Linux on the desktop in a robust scaleable way.
I'm already signed up for OLS and I'll also sign up for the DDC, and I've
got a few other LTSP developers planning on being there. If we can get
something scheduled to talk about this, I can probably get a few more of
our people there.
Thanks,
Jim McQuillan
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Sun, February 26, 2006 6:49 pm, Bastian, Waldo wrote:
> As a result of desktop architects meeting in december of last year, OSDL
> DTL is assisting with the organisation of three dedicated summits around
> printing, wireless and power management in April 2006. In order to
> maintain the momentum that has been created with these efforts OSDL DTL
> is currently working together with the organizers of the Desktop
> Developers Conference (DDC) in Ottawa, July 17-18, to have summits
> associated with this event as well.
>
> The current proposal is to expand the two days of DDC with a third day
> dedicated to summits around three different topics. Summit participants
> will be encouraged to give a presentation during one of the first two
> days while the third day will be dedicated to working sessions.
>
> Currently three preliminary topics for these summits have been
> identified:
> * Linux on laptops: Including hardware support, wireless, power
> management, docking support, external display and high level aspects
> such as roaming support.
> * The 3D Linux Desktop: 3D support affects the X server, window manager,
> compositing manager and desktop applications. How does it all fit
> together? How can 3D be used to improve the end user experience?
> * Sound and multimedia: Hardware support, multimedia frameworks and
> codecs.
>
> Some other suggestions for topics that have been received include:
> * Usability
> * Accessability
> * Follow up to Portland initiative
>
> The DDC organisation will decide by Friday, March 3 on the topics for
> the summits and would like to hear your opinion on the preliminary
> topics and/or additional topic suggestions before that time. You can do
> so by replying to this e-mail on the desktop architects mailinglist. In
> particular we are looking for topics that would benefit from increased
> collaboration between different projects/organisations.
>
> Note that there is a second desktop architects meeting (DAM-2) planned
> for May 8-9 in France, if a topic doesn't get selected for DDC there is
> the potential to address it at the DAM-2. Note also that it will be
> possible to give individual presentation during DDC on topics outside
> the predetermined topic areas.
>
> Waldo Bastian
> Linux Client Architect - Channel Platform Solutions Group
> Intel Corporation - http://www.intel.com/go/linux
> OSDL DTL Tech Board Chairman
>
> _______________________________________________
> Desktop_architects mailing list
> [email protected]
> https://lists.osdl.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop_architects
>
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