Chip PC Technologies and Dell Computer

Was curious if Ardence was partnered with Dell, was Dell also partnered with other thin clients. Dell did have a thin client of their own at one time. Do they still offer their e200? No listing.

But Wyse and Neoware are listed when searching on Dell's web site. Three of Neowares' Capio products are available from Dell with financing. The Wyse and Neoware listings where not what caught me eye.

Chip PC Technologies is also listed with their EX (pictured left) and EFI products. Their Jack PC (pictured right) is also listed in a separate PDF on Dells web site. Here is the link Technologies listing on Dell's web site. Dell is listed as Chip PC Technologies North American distributor. to PC

Contacts listed:

Frank Bernard
Chip PC Inc. - USA
frankb@chippc.com
Mobile: 512-699-0847
Office: 877-9244772

Jim Lathan - ASG Client Technologist
Dell Inc.
Specializing in Client Systems Management and Thin Computing Solutions
James_Lathan@dell.com
Mobile: 803-420-3865
Office: 803-438-8442

Dell also lists Century Software for Thin PC clients. Here is the link to Dell's web listing Tiny Term and PIXIL Thin PC clients as part of the "Dell Remote Computing Solution".

Until the next post,

Steve

Citrix to acquire Ardence

From eWeek:

Citrix Snags Embedded OS Provider Ardence
By Paula Musich
December 20, 2006

"Citrix Systems on Dec. 20 will put another piece of its Dynamic Desktop Initiative into place when it announces its planned acquisition of Ardence.

Ardence, a privately held company that markets embedded real-time operating system software and a software streaming platform for Windows and Linux, brings to the table real-time provisioning management for operating systems.

The Ardence product line offers several different opportunities for Citrix, although the primary focus will be to extend the DDI effort, according to Mike Cristinziano, vice president of strategic development at Citrix in Fort Lauderdale, Fla."

Ardence is also partnered with Dell. If trusts are transitive, does this make Citrix a Dell partner or is Dell a partner with Citrix?

Ardence Dell™ SmartClient

The Ardence Dell™ SmartClient solution increases desktop security, reliability, and manageability – and reduces total cost of ownership – by delivering Microsoft Windows XP Pro and all applications on-demand from centralized servers.

Each Ardence Dell™ SmartClient has a "virtual disk" that resides on a network server and when a SmartClient is booted-up, the operating system and applications are streamed to the desktop on-demand via the Ardence Software-Streaming Platform. Local processing and the operation of peripherals takes place on highly dependable Dell hardware.

How many more partnerships may be forth coming?

Until the next post,

Steve

New Moon, SCO, Sun, Propalms, and now Jenna Lane, Inc.

From Marketwire.com:

Jenna Lane, Inc. Closes 2006 With Merger of Advancing Software Corporation

NORTH YORKSHIRE, UK -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 21, 2006 -- Jenna Lane, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: JLNY) is pleased to announce the Company impressively closed 2006 by merging with Propalms Ltd, an advancing software corporation based in the United Kingdom. Propalms, Ltd. provides a software product called Terminal Service Edition, TSE, which is a complete management product for the Microsoft server-based computing environment. TSE allows users to manage and operate all their software applications centrally on their servers rather than on each individual desktop computer. TSE gives users access to any software application from any desktop or handheld device, e.g. Microsoft Windows 95, XP, CE, Linux, Mac, Java.

If you have not visited Propalms new web site recently, you should. Very nicely redone.

Until the next post,

Steve

Opera on Wii.

From a comic strip posted on Opera.

If applications are browser based, does this make Wii a thin client?

Until the next post,

Steve

Metamorphoses of thin clients from pizza box to transformer.

------------>

The transformer is SAMSUNG SPH-P9000 Deluxe MITs Mobile Convergence Device. It is a PDA sized device that is a cell phone, MP3 player, movie player, and digital 1.3 Megapixel camera. The CPU is a 1 GHZ Transmeta.

The P9000 also has a mini USB connector, Bluetooth with BT Messenger, 30 GB hard drive and a QWERTY keyboard for use with digits other than thumbs. Connects to the grid via CDMA EV-DO, WiMAX, and WiBRO. Agreed, it is not a real thin client, but a hand held computer running Windows XP, which has the RDP client.

Similarly, do not believe everything you see as with the pizza box pictured above. The pizza box is not just a pizza box, but a very high tech laptop anti-theft device. Visit HumanBean dot Net for more details and flash demonstration of this almost revolutionary product.

Chip PC Technologies has also abandoned the pizza box for a form factor about the size of a sardine can. The Jack PC (pictured right) fits into a wall electrical box. Has what you need for a thin client and more. Screen resolution up to 1600 x 1200. Four USB ports and audio. And PoE (Power over Ethernet) means it consumes a low level of energy compared to other thin client devices.


Chip PC also has EX thin clients (pictured left) in a miniature form factor that offer serial and parallel ports to connect to printers, scanners and other devices and includes support for a touch-screen controller. Chip PC posts that EX line consumes just 3.5 watts in full operational mode.

Ndiyo is developing "The Ethernet Nivo". Nivo is an acronym for Network In Video Out. The form factor is about 12x8x2cm. Ndiyo is targeting "plug-and-play clustering of Ndiyo servers, support for session virtualisation, (and) the Hubster concept." The Hubster is pictured left.

Ndiyo is thinking outside of the pizza box. The "Hubster" is a USB based thin client device. This concept is to compliment their Ethernet Nivo thin client. Click on the Hubster link above to view the whole story.

For the curious, Ndiyo, is pronounced 'nn-dee-yo', and is Swahili for "yes". Ndiyo is a "not for profit" organization based in Cambridge, UK.


LXE is offering the HX2 that is "wearable, hands free and voice ready".

"A common component of all of LXE's hands-free, wearable and voice-ready computers is LXE's ToughTalk™ technology. LXE's ToughTalk technology is a specialized combination of LXE's trademark ruggedized system design, advanced audio circuitry and noise canceling techniques which enable a LXE voice computer to support today's industrial-grade, voice logistics applications. Don't assume there is just one style of voice terminal that you can use with your voice logistics application. With LXE's line of dedicated or multi-use, open system, voice computers; you do have a choice of rugged voice-ready terminals for your voice logistics applications."

I have no problems with a pizza box form factor or the now prevalent book end style. Just happen to believe that a one size device does not fit all the possible uses for thin clients.

Until the next post,

Steve

Thin Client Laptops for Server Based Computing

Last month I asked who would be the first main stream vendor to produce a thin client laptop. The very next day King Of Prussia based Devon IT announced a new product named “SafeBook”. Later in the month King Of Prussia based Neoware announced their product ”m100”. Just a little over 5 miles from one another and they both visualize the new market opportunity. Must be something in the water supply.

To be honest I forgot about MaxSpeeds MaxBook 820 that was introduced a few years ago. But wait a minute, Neoware acquired MaxSpeed. Either way, the King of the Thin Client Laptop space will be based in Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future.

Downloaded the specification for each product and placed them side by side. There are a few differences. Screen size, weight and the m100 has a modem. Both list Windows XPe as an operating system and the m100 has Linux as an option. The SafeBook has listed the CPU as VIA C7-M at 1.5G. The m100 listed the VIA Eden as the CPU but did not specify a speed or which core architecture (Esther, Nehemiah, Samuel 2) is being used.

The SafeBook (pictured right) has the ability to carry more memory and a PCMCIA type 11 slot. Both can attach to an external monitor. Optional battery life for m100 is listed at the six hours. List prices are at the 800 USD level.

Both companies sight SECURITY as a major feature. Asked a friend that is an IT consultant for the public sector what he thought about the idea of a Thin Client Laptop. Response after a review of the products, “Love it!” I think the time is right.

Who is to become the Thin Client Laptop King of Prussia? Let the competition begin. I suspect that Server Based Computing will become the real beneficiary.

Until the next post,

Steve

"Freemium", Server Based Computing, and “TANSTAAFL”

TANSTAAFL is the acronym for "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." A book by the same name was included on the mandatory reading list for my Economics 101 class. “Freemium” is the concatenation of “Free” and “Premium”. The basic service is free with extensions, add ons or ancillary products available with a “Premium” fee. “Freemium” as an economic concept does not break new ground. Someone is going to pay.

The good news is sometimes that someone will be someone else. If all you need is what the service/product provider is offering for free, then FREE is good. Googles' word processor and spreadsheet is an example. They have a minimum tool set, but for some users these applications meet all of their requirements. For others, maybe not all of their requirements are meet, but with a price of “Free”, the applications are good enough!

So who pays? Those that want more than what is offered for free. The threshold for willingness to pay for additional products/services is lower for premium add ons in this model because the basic product/service is known to work as “Free”. How many of us have paid “Premium” for a product that did not, when delivered, provide even the basics that it advertised?

Adobe Reader may be another example. The reader is free, but the writer/creator application is available for a fee. The web site counter, Active Meter, at the bottom of the left column in this blog is free. Works good and is all I need. If I need more, the company can provide additional services.

There is also another side to “Freemium” that I have not seen mentioned. “Freemium” denies revenue to other enterprises that charge for a similar service or product. Revenue and its cousin “Profit” are the agents that sustain and grow an enterprise. Reduced revenue to the enterprise will eventually translate to into a reduced ability to sustain currently operating procedures. Denied revenue for a product/service that was heretofore a source of fuel to drive the enterprises, they must adapt to remain competitive.

Server Based Computing has the equivalent of Google Docs and Adobe Reader with Edubuntu 6.10. Edubuntu is the education product member of Canonicals' suite including Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Edubuntu.

Downloaded the latest release Edubuntu 6.10 (install version) to see just how far the product has come over the past year. Without additional configuration other then the basic install, “it just worked”! After the installation was complete, I pressed the start button on my thin client (Devon IT NTA 6020A) and it PXE booted into the Edubuntu Server. Just to make sure it was really this easy I went over to the server and launched the Student Control Panel. There I was, listed as a student with my session “Curriculum Vitae”. Could not resist sending myself a message to the student session “hello brave new world”. And not a command line in sight.

Until the next post

Steve

Could successful software anti piracy campaigns in China and India spawn new Server Based Computing development?

An AP wire service article posted on Wired.com gave me pause to ponder.

Piracy Zaps China's Tech Industry

Associated Press 10:15 AM Jul, 02, 2006

BEIJING -- Kingsoft Corporation's English-Chinese dictionary program is used on most of China's 60 million PCs. That's the good news. The bad news: Kingsoft doesn't make any money from it, because 90 percent of those copies are pirated.


One by one, the Beijing-based software maker has seen its sales of such popular products destroyed after black market producers flooded the market with cheap copies.

Today, Kingsoft's 600 programmers focus on making what it hopes can't be copied -- online games and business and anti-virus programs that have to be linked to its own computers in order to function.

"Piracy has had a big impact on us, making it so we can't get powerful and compete with Microsoft," said Ren Jian, a former Microsoft manager who is Kingsoft's chief operating officer.

India is also recognizing the constraints on software development imposed by piracy. The Times of India reports;

“Piracy eating into profits of IT firms”

by Sujata Dutta Sachdeva [ 1 Oct, 2006 0006 hrs ]


NEW DELHI: India's IT success makes great copy. Especially when it's about big players and the global footprints they have left behind.

But behind this happy picture lingers a dark side too. It involves small and medium companies, especially in the product development space. These firms are losing revenue because of piracy and weak enforcement of copyright laws in India.....

A recent study by Business Software Alliance (BSA)-IDC reveals piracy is as high as 72% in India. In fact, our software industry is losing around $566 m because of it. It's a growing problem among businesses internationally, but the good news is that it's coming down steadily in India over the last 10 years.

One perspective is that Linux on the desktop may be a viable solution. Posted on Byte.com;

China's Linux Gamble

By Maria Trombly
September 5, 2005

On virtually any street in Shanghai or Beijing, you can buy a Hollywood DVD or hot new CD for $1 or less. Vendors peddle Microsoft Office, Windows XP, and every other popular software applications out of cardboard boxes jammed full of discs....

According to Jones Day intellectual property rights lawyer Xiang Wang, the Chinese case law on many aspects of intellectual property rights is not yet well developed, and cases can take years to settle. The Business Software Alliance a trade group including software giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and IBM alleges that 90 percent of all software used in China is pirated and that software vendors suffered $3.5 billion in losses last year due to Chinese piracy.

The Chinese government has started to realize that this is an obstacle to economic development. And if anybody pays attention to economic development these days, it's China. Now, China is beginning to look at open source software as a way out of the intellectual property quagmire that doesn't involve paying high costs.

Linux is a keystone in this strategy.

The AP reports;

President Hu Jintao called attention to piracy's cost to China in a May 27 speech to Communist Party officials. Enforcement "is an urgent need for ... enhancing the country's core competitiveness," Hu said.

"We should strengthen our law enforcement and lawfully and severely crack down on and effectively curb law-breaking and criminal acts of violating intellectual property rights," he said.

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October 20, 2005 Update Headline

MSNBC.MSN.COM has posted an Asscociated Press report;

China jails 9 in anti-piracy crackdown
Prison terms up to 13 years, fines for illegal movies, software

Updated: 7:56 a.m. ET Oct 20, 2006

BEIJING - Nine people convicted of selling illegally copied DVDs and other goods have been jailed for up to 13 years in China's biggest anti-piracy crackdown to date, a news report said Friday.

The sentences were the longest reported since China stepped up penalties for product piracy in mid-2005, imposing jail time in addition to fines that Washington and other governments had complained were inadequate to stop the thriving underground industry.

End of Headline Update
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Lets assume that China, the number two PC market in the would, ships its' personal computer products with a legal copy of an operating system. Good. But what about applications?

Kingsoft, the software maker, aspired to be the "Microsoft of China," but was forced by piracy to stop selling games, a media player and other mass-market programs. Ren, the COO, says the consumer logic is simple: A pirated copy of Kingsoft's Chinese-English dictionary costs one-tenth the $12 price of the real thing.

The onslaught has forced Kingsoft to narrow its product range, with two-thirds of its programmers now working on online role-playing games that players access on Kingsoft's computers for a monthly fee -- part of a thriving Chinese market for online games.

“Necessity is the Mother of Invention” quote has been attributed to Plato, De Vinci, Shakespeare and others. My favorite interpretation is “ Got lemons? Make lemonade!” As captain of your enterprise, do not sail into a nations waters known to have pirates unless the “IPR” (Intellectual Property Rights) coast guard is at sea on patrol. No Coast guard? Then take a land route. In this case Free Open Source Software (FOSS) or one of Server Based Computing offerings.

Microsoft has already in place SAAS (Software As A Service) with SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement).

The Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) enables service providers and ISVs with a hosted offering to license Microsoft products on a monthly basis to provide services and hosted applications to their end customers.

The personal computer has permitted the owner/operator to specify what applications are hosted on their machines. Before the Internet this was an uncomplicated procedure. What was on that machine had to be placed there by someone with direct access to that machine. With the Internet/Intranet that is no longer the case.

Organizations now have software distribution systems that will load software on a PC based on group membership. Enterprises that have a total commitment to respect IPR have teams that their primary role is to keep the organization with the limits of the law.

Knowledgeable individuals are forced to buy and install software whose sole purpose is to keep everyone else from loading software on to their personal computer. Your personal computer is no longer your personal computer if it connected to the Internet. Security is now a major concern for both the individual and organizations.

In the past, organizations have recognized that a combination of SBC hosted applications and local applications represent an effective compromise. Some enterprises, upon review, have concluded that increased use of Server Based Computing has additional merit. And it is not based solely on TCO, but includes security and the ability to rapidly deploy changing IT services to attain a competitive advantage. That review has not been done by most PC centric organizations and individuals. SBC has not reached out to the SME and individuals with quality information that invokes a review of their PC utilization.

Perhaps China and India, influenced by current conditions, can create a Server Based Computing environment for the retail consumer that is safe from pirates on the street and those pirates that roam the Internet.

Until the next post,

Steve

$100 Laptop May Be at Security Forefront (maybe thin client too?)

Out and about on the “WWW”, I crossed over this article by BRIAN BERGSTEIN AP Technology Writer at several locations. Chron.com has the complete article.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The $100 laptops planned for children around the world might turn out to be as revolutionary for their security measures as for their low-cost economics. The One Laptop Per Child project, a nonprofit begun at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, aims to improve education by giving children hand-cranked, wireless-enabled portable computers. Governments are to buy the laptops _ beginning in 2007 with up to 7 million machines in Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina _ and hand them to kids for them to own..........

Standard computer design generally lets most any program access any file stored anywhere on the machine. That is one reason why flaws in programs can be exploited by outsiders to steal or erase private information.

By contrast, the $100 laptops will force any application to run in "a walled garden" and limit the files it can access, said Ivan Krstic, a software architect at One Laptop Per Child focused on security.

Even if the security were to fail, Krstic believes a specialized encryption technology will prevent the BIOS_ the software that runs a computer when it is initially turned on _ from being overwritten. That means the PC could not be rendered unable to boot up.

"It's essentially unbelievably difficult to do anything to the machine that would cause permanent hardware failure," Krstic said.

More images of OLPC concept devices can be viewed by clicking here.

As background, Ivan Krstic is a contributive author to “The Official Ubuntu Book”. He was also a presenter at Ubuntu Below Zero, LTSP by the Seaway on “Clustering LTSP”. Two of the topics covered were High Availability (HA) and High Performance Computing (HPC) with terminal servers.

How long before a mainstream vendor discovers that a device like OLPC may be a very good thin client as well as secure laptop?

Update 11 November 2006.

Popular Science names OLPC 2006 Grand Award winner for What's New in 2006.

Until the next post,

Steve

Windows XP on an iPod. Why not!

Sub Title: "What happens on MojoPac, stays on MojoPac."

Last week I was handed a printout from a web article on MSNBC. I am not easly impressed but this product (MojoPac) has much potential. Throw away the fact that it is version 1. The fit and finish on this product release is very good.

Downloaded and installed the evaluation copy in minutes. Then proceded to load Lotus Smate Suite 9.8.1 (the whole thing), Open Office (the whole thing), and Adobe viewer. I did not use a stop watch, but i percieved that those applications ran quicker under Mojo on the thumb drive. Maybe? Learned how to "Pin" the Microsoft Termainal Server Client to the Start Menu. Works great.

Mobile computing just got more portable.

"Making even the latest pocketbook-sized ultra-mobile personal computers look more like lumbering giants, RingCube Technologies Inc. unveiled software that can virtually squeeze a PC onto an iPod, USB keychain drive, cell phone or any gizmo with digital storage space."

From the Mojo web site more information about Mojo "How does it work?"

Mojo Experience

"Your experience using Mojopac is exactly as if you are using an ultra portable PC (your MojoPac device) and docking it to a computer (the Host PC you are plugged into). Your MojoPac PC is running from your portable device, but it is borrowing the resources (screen, processor, CD/DVD drives, internet connection, printers, etc.) of the Host PC. In other words, MojoPac is your real PC (your applications, settings, data), and any computer it is connected to is being used as a utility to run MojoPac.

Creating a MojoPac PC: Creating a brand new MojoPac PC takes less than 3 minutes. Plug your portable storage device (such as an iPod or a USB Flash or Hard Drive) into any Windows XP PC. Download MojoPac from our website and install it onto the device.

Once you have installed MojoPac, you can log into this MojoPac PC you created (which is running from your portable device), and bring up your newly created MojoPac desktop (MojoView). What you see is similar to a brand new Windows XP PC, and behaves exactly the same.

Using a MojoPac PC: You can plug your MojoPac enabled device to any Windows XP computer (Host PC), and you will immediately be presented with your personal applications, files and environment - and it looks exactly like a standard PC experience. In your MojoPac PC view (MojoView), installing applications is similar to installing applications on any PC - simply load the application installer CD/DVD, or download the application installer from the web and proceed as you would on any normal PC. In fact, in your MojoView, your "C" drive represents your MojoPac device, NOT the Host PC. So applications install in the right place automatically, no extra steps required.

MojoPac lives side-by-side with the Host PC: When you bring up your MojoPac PC after plugging your device into a Host PC, the Host PC will keep running as it was before the connection. You don't need to change the Host PC's settings, install anything on it, or close any of the applications that were running on it. Even more importantly, you can go back and forth between your MojoPac PC view and your Host PC view - you can work on both PCs at the same time, and operate both environments simultaneously. Using your MojoPac toolbar (MojoBar) you can easily toggle back and forth between the host PC view and your MojoPac view. Each presents you with whatever personal preferences and environments you have chosen for that system and MojoPac will never alter the settings or status of the host PC."

The Professional

"You've been lugging that laptop around for so long that one shoulder is now higher than the other. It's time for a smarter way to work.

MojoPac allows you to carry applications and files from your office to your home to a tradeshow in Tokyo on a device that can fit in your pocket. Imagine being able to access your personal versions of Quicken, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Yahoo Messenger by plugging in your iPod to any PC anywhere in the world. Your language settings are stored on your MojoPac - which means you can connect to a Japanese PC and still have all your environment and applications in English!

MojoPac also allows you to keep your home life and your work life separate, but enable to access both at the same time. Take your work with you. You never need to load work applications on your home system again, or worry about data synchronization. MojoPac can keep all your work applications and data completely separated from your home PC's disk drive. And once you remove the MojoPac-enabled device, your home PC will not retain a trace of your work information.

Take your home with you: You can use MojoPac to take your personal applications (multimedia, finance, games, instant message clients, and personal browsing) to work with you, connect to your work PC to run all these apps in the privacy of your MojoPac device, without leaving any trace on your work PC. Nothing will be installed or stored on your work PC, in compliance with your IT policies. What happens on MojoPac, stays on MojoPac.

Recommended devices for The Professional MojoPac: We recommend USB hard drives (1'', 1.8'' or 2.5'' drives) since they provide performance and portability while offering sufficient storage to carry business and personal applications for the Professional. For more in depth overview please visit our Devices for MojoPac page."

Some of the applications you can run on a MojoPac device:

Business and Productivity

Microsoft Office (Microsoft Office 2003 (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook): Enterprise, University, and volume licenses only **
Lotus Notes 6.5.3
Acrobat Reader 7
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5
Quicken 2007
Open Office 2.0
Adobe Photoshop CS2: Enterprise, University and volume licenses only **

and Microsoft Remote Desktop- RDP Client

You can "pin" the RDP client to the start menu. I checked to make sure that when show local desktop drives is selected that the "Host" machine drives were not available. Indeed only Terminal Server displays the valid Mojo drives. Nothing on the PC hosting the client is visable.

Want more information then visit Mojopac.com. They have more detailed information about "What is Mojo", "How does it work?", "Who is it for?" and how to download and install a 30 day evaluation version.

October 10 update. Here is a link to iPod Linux. Why not?

Until the next post,

Steve

Free PC, Citroen not included.

Insomnia strikes again. At the bottom of my virtual desktop is the headline, "Free PC with every broadband connection!. It is 01:00 and not a pop up, I click on the slashdot link.

"Neuf Cegetel announced the purchase of AOL France, an ISP that counts 500.000 broadband subscribers and the arrival of 'the box,' an Internet access terminal. Code-name: Easy Gate. It's a computer, working under the Linux OS. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one. Easy Gate will be available from November, the actual 'box' consists of: an Intel 852 GM, 6 ports USB 2.0, 512 Mb of RAM and 512 Mb of Flash memory."

What happened to the Le Car? Le Pharmacy? It is called "the box"!!

This week the French telephone company, Neuf Cegetel, announced the purchase of AOL France, an ISP that counts 500.000 broadband subscribers & the arrival of "the box", an Internet access terminal. Code-name: Easy Gate. It's a computer, working under the OS, Linux. It's a router. It's a DSL modem. It's also a telephone. All in one. Easy Gate will be available from November, the actual "box" consists of: an Intel 852 GM, 6 ports USB 2.0, 512 Mb of RAM and 512 Mb of Flash memory, for a guarantee of 150 euros & 39,95 euros per month. An extra100 euros buys a flat screen, webcam, keyboard & mouse.

With this service, Neuf Cegetel, busy preparing its introduction onto the the stock exchange in October, hopes to conquer new customers who still hesitate over using the Internet, discouraged by the complexity of computers.

There are 10.5 millions broadband users in France, an average figure in European terms, on the other hand France is lagging behind in actual PC's, with just over 50% of households equipped.

A spokesman for Neuf Cegetel stated: "After installation, the user has a broadband connection & the principle functions of a computer via a simplified, user-friendly interface, reducing the complexity of using a computer as an Internet tool".

I have seen this before. About 20+ years ago France's national telco offered terminals (Minitel)

We knew it was coming, but is this it? Free hardware.

The Quio9 url is an English posting. I check the root site http://quoi9.net/ to see if it is also posted in French. No post.

I locate the web site for Neuf Cegental and find this page regarding 9Office. There is a picture of a box that looks like a thin client. Maybe. Did AOL sell off its positon in France?

I drill down and find the press release that AOL has sold its French holding to Neuf Cegetel. This time I will follow what will happen to a French telco.

September 26 update. Here is a new link to "the box."

Until the next post,

Steve
to its subscribers. It was their version of CompuServe done government style.

NComputing: More than meets the eye.

Their Google ad periodically appears at the top of this blog. Of course after a review, I added them to my SBC vendor list. Thought to myself that this would be good for a home system. Mom and Dad really could manage what junior and sis could use on the PC and then I forgot about the product.

Was cruising the computer aisles at Best Buy and spotted one of their PC Expanion (L100) units on the shelf. How did this virtually unknown product get shelf space in one of the biggie chain stores (Home of the Geek Squad)? Decided to do some research.

From NComputing's web site:

"Founded in 2003 after 1 year hardware development with leveraging 15 years experience of multi-tasking, multi-user software application design, NComputing is a privately-held company established by Young Song, a former co-founder and executive of eMachines, Inc. (acquired by Gateway) and Klaus Maier, CEO of Hydrapark GmbH."

OK!! eMachine founder, friend of big retailers. That is the unknown link that may explain why the PC Expanion (L100) got onto the shelf. Then i came across this article before it was posted on their web site http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_27/b3991411.htm.

An except from Business Week's Peter Burrows, July 3 article titled "The Next Cheap Thing."

"It's the return of the "thin client," one of Silicon Valley's most hyped concepts of the 1990s. Luminaries such as Oracle Corp. (ORCL ) chief Lawrence J. Ellison and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s chairman Scott G. McNealy gushed back then over the idea that rather than own powerful PCs, Netizens could use these disk-less, processor-less "dumb" devices to access files and programs, stored on some remote server, via the Internet. It kind of made sense. After all, the disk drive and processor in your PC make up about 40% of the materials cost. And who uses all that processing power, anyway? For many of us, a PC is for sending e-mail and surfing the Web. Unless you're designing rocket ships or flying them in some graphics-rich video game, you barely test a PC's limits."

Thin client for the masses.

Studied the picture on the right. Ten users on single computer. The computer host can be either a Windows XP, 2000 Pro, Server 2003, or several Linux distros?

Back to my local Best Buy. "How much time do I have to return this product for a full refund if i am not happy?" I ask. "Thirty days", the clerk responds. To the check out lane I go with the L100 under arm.

Quick Installation Guide

There are three steps.

1. Check you package contents
2. Hardware Overview
3. Quick Setup

The package contents include the L100 device weighing in at less than 2 ounces, power adapter, CAT5 cable, mounting bracket (if you want to), user guide and the Host Computer Installation CD. Got everything.

Hardware overview has pictures of the top and rear of the unit. The top has a power button, big power button. The back of the unit has a RJ 45 lan port, monitor port, Green PS/2 mouse port, Purple keyboard port, speaker jack, and power inlet jack. Nothing confusing back here.

The quick set up has 8 steps.

1. Connect monitor, mouse, keyboard, lan cable, speakers, and power cable to the unit.
2. Plug the lan (Ethernet) cable to either a switch/router or directly to the host.
3. Connect power cord.
4. Insert CD into the Host computer and follow the instructions.
5. Reboot.

Did that. Also, if you connected to the Internet, the host installation will download the latest revision of their software if so you choose. A password must be keyed in for the managemnt consol and you have the abiltiy to not load the console on this host. At the end of the installation you are given an opportunity to add new users now or complete the installation with a reboot. It is easy to add users later on.

The host system setup is now complete.

The last three steps are;

1. Turn on the unit by pressing the big power button. The button is silver and is surrounded by a big powder blue light. Looks like an activation switch for something in a Star Trek episode (any of them). No doubt about the device state.
2. Click on the "Connect" Menu selection.
3. Key in your log on name and password if required.

Done.

If you are using DHCP, this is all that has to be done. Using a static IP scheme , then you will have to setup the network connection manually on the L100 unit. The installation manual goes into great detail about how to setup a static IP.

If you have already setup your network using a static IP scheme, you do not need to read the manual. It is less difficult than any other device i have setup. Select setup from the menu screen on the L100 device and key in the IP address and the gateway address. Then select save. Now click on "Connect".

Total install time was under 20 minutes and I did NOT read the manual. But then I noticed this little icon in the tray. Right mouse clicked on the icon and selected "Managment Console".

This looked familiar. This looks like the MMC with several snap ins. Maybe I could hook up six, seven, or eight of these hosts on the same network (as many as 80+ users) and manage them from one system. Maybe I could connect some of the hosts with a wireless connection. Or how about using Ethernet over houshold electrical power to connect the L100 to the hosts? Did that. No problem.

Just like an informercial, there is more. How about using Server 2003 as host. How about a Linux host on the same network concurently. Why dual boot when you can have dual hosts? Did that.

How about adding terminal services back into SBS 2003? Their support site has that question under review and reports no problems so far. I went off in the other direction using Xandros Server for authentication and centrally stored profiles with a secured home directory. Log into any NComputing host on the network and get the same presentation. So far, no problems.

Until the next post,

Steve

Personal Super Computer

From eWEEK.com, eNews & Views, August 17, 2006 Photo essay at Linux World Expo

TYAN Typhoon PSC (http://www.tyan.com/PRODUCTS/html/clusterservers.html)

The PSC stands for "Personal Super Computer." Supporting up to eight AMD Opteron HE CPUs and up to 64GB of DDR333/400 RAM, the Typhoon PSC is designed to tackle your research and other supercomputing needs. Those 30+ Gigaflops of desk-side processing power will set you back around $10,000 including CPUs and memory.

In perspective, Seymour Roger Cray sold the first 160 Cray-1 Super Computer in 1977, for 8.86 million USD. The speed was between 80 to 240 Megaflops. The first IBM PC when purchased with the upgrades like monitor, 512k of ram, and printer sold for about 5,000 USD.

What is a flops. Flops is Floating Point Operations Per Second. The "s" represents per second and does mean plural. Note the list below.

Prefix, Symbol, and Name

tera , T, Trillion 1 thousand x Billion
giga, G, Billion 1 thousand x Million
mega, M , Million 1 thousand x Thousand
kilo, k , Thousand just what it is

Now all is needed is some storage!





Pogo's StorageWare DA360 (http://www.pogolinux.com/storage/index.html) has 7.5TB of storage. Looks like it can be ordered as takeout.

Will get back to Google trends and SBC later. This was just to fun to pass up. How many sessions do you think this home super computer could host?

Until the next post,

Steve

Goggle Trends and SBC

Google Trends is a product from Google Labs. Thought I would invest some time and try to extract some information that may be of interest regarding SBC. Google Trends permits the use of this information for personal and non commercial use. Google knows that my SBC blog is not commercial if they review my adsense account.

Google Trends has several predefined searches and I chose the skiing, surfing (see chart below) to learn about interpreting the chart.. The blue line is skiing and the red line is surfing..



Since snow skiing is predominantly a northern hemisphere activity it follows that interest in snow skiing is a function of the northern hemisphere seasons. The blue line peeks along the new year line. The red line surfing, compared to snow skiing, is just the opposite of surfers dreams, flat all year long. Surfing is global and enjoys a following from both hemispheres.

The lower trend line looks for news to see if there is a news article that may coincide with a spike in searches. The trend program picked a post from Metro Toronto for the "F" spike. More likely the Winter Olympics may be a contributer to the surge in skiing based searches.

There are three normalized views for the trend data. Cities, regions and language. Listed below are the top ten cities that searched on skiing and surfing.

The bar graphs for the relationships between cities and the two search criteria does not transfer well to a blog. You may want to open the trend chart using this link, http://www.google.com/trends?q=skiing,+surfing and view the actual chart yourself.

Top cities (normalized)

1. Brentford, United Kingdom
2. Dublin, Ireland
3. Bletchley, United Kingdom
4. Sheffield, United Kingdom
5. Minneapolis, MN, USA
6. Ottawa, Canada
7. Denver, CO, USA
8. Chicago, IL, USA
9. Calgary, Canada
10. Seattle, WA, USA

I was surprised viewing the results for the top ten cities. Dublin at number two for either skiing or surfing surprised me. The fact that surfing exceeded skiing was even more of a surprise. But upon further review there are those that think that Ireland is the best place for surfing in the northern hemisphere, if not world wide. Seattle at number 10 with surfing exceeding snow skiing by a wide margin was also surprising. Further investigation found THREE surf shops and one 32 old surf instructor. Maybe the coffee there is too strong.

Looking at the regions bar chart reveals another view. Ireland moves into the number one position with an equal amount of searches for skiing and surfing. Dublin must be the hot spot for surfing. I spent four days in Dublin and did not see a single surf shop. Also, never made it to the Guinness brewery even though i walked past the famous gate twice. New Zealand and Australia show up in the 4 and 6 spots with surfing exceeding skiing by a wide margin although both countries have skiing. Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Germany round out the normalized list.

1. Ireland
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. New Zealand
5. United States
6. Australia
7. Sweden
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Germany

The third chart is language. What language is used to make the query. For the skiing and surfing trends table, English was the most used language. Swedish, Dutch, German and French round out the chart. Although the search language is not that interesting for Skiing and surfing, the language used for searching SBC topics just may be.

Over the next few days I will add trend charts for searches on SBC topics like, client server, virtualization, streaming software applications and SOA to name a few. This is not a scientific research project. Google Trends makes the point that this is a work in progress and just enjoy. Let us see if we can spot a trend or two.

Service Oriented Architecture http://www.google.com/trends?q=soa

News Events

A) Jacada Supports BEA Service Infrastructure Product Strategy; Service Infrastructure Designed to Help Move Customers' Service-Oriented Architectures -SOA- Efforts from Pilot to Production Business Wire (press release) - Jun 9 2005
B) IBM Expands SOA Portfolio eWeek - Sep 13 2005
C) Bolivia: Bye, Bye, SOA Prensa Latina - Apr 4 2006
D) Opening SOA SYS-CON Media - Apr 10 2006
E) SOA Software buys Blue Titan Computer Partner - May 9 2006
F) "What's MIA in SOA?" Asks Metallect's CEO Guy Hoffman SYS-CON Media - Jun 6 2006


Top cities (normalized)
1. The Hague, Netherlands
2. Utrecht, Netherlands
3. Rotterdam, Netherlands
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Amersfoort, Netherlands
6. Bangalore, India
7. Chennai, India
8. Rome, Italy
9. Milan, Italy
10. Brussels, Belgium



Top regions (normalized)
1. Netherlands
2. India
3. South Korea
4. Italy
5. Belgium
6. Taiwan
7. Denmark
8. Israel
9. Brazil
10. Japan

Top languages (normalized)
1. Dutch
2. Korean
3. Italian
4. Danish
5. Japanese
6. Portuguese
7. English
8. Swedish
9. Chinese
10. French


XEN http://www.google.com/trends?q=xen&ctab=2&geo=all&date=all


News Events

A) Novell Launches OES, Plans Xen Virtualization For SUSE 10 CRN - Feb 15 2005
B) Xen passes Windows milestone ZDNet.com.au - Aug 24 2005
C) Red Hat to include Xen virtualization in next Linux release OSDir - Nov 2 2005
D) Sun Microsystems adds Postgres database and Xen virtualization server to Solaris 10 TechWhack - Nov 18 2005
E) Xen launches new virtualization software VNUNet.com - Dec 6 2005
F) Virtual Iron Standardizes on Xen, Goes Open Source IT Jungle - Apr 3 2006


Top cities (normalized)
1. Munich, Germany
2. Stuttgart, Germany
3. Berlin, Germany
4. Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
5. Hamburg, Germany
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. San Francisco, CA, USA
8. Chiyoda, Japan
9. Sydney, Australia
10. Tokyo, Japan


Top regions (normalized)
1. Russia
2. Norway
3. Czech Republic
4. New Zealand
5. Singapore
6. Germany
7. Hungary
8. Netherlands
9. Switzerland
10. Australia

Top languages (normalized)
1. Russian
2. German
3. Japanese
4. Dutch
5. English
6. Swedish
7. Italian
8. Finnish
9. Danish
10. French


VMware http://www.google.com/trends?q=vmware&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all



News Events

A) VMware Unveils New Desktop Virtualization Software NewsFactor Network - Apr 11 2005
B) VMware Shares Its Virtualization Code CIO Today - Aug 9 2005
C) VMware Introduces Free VMware Server CXO Today.com - Feb 6 2006
D) VMware 'Jolts' the Software Development Industry PR Newswire (press release) - Apr 3 2006
E) VMware Announces Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Alliance IT Backbones (press release) - Apr 24 2006
F) VMware Releases VMware Infrastructure 3 WebHosting.Info - Jun 5 2006

Top cities (normalized)
1. Taipei, Taiwan
2. Munich, Germany
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Beijing, China
5. Chiyoda, Japan
6. Stuttgart, Germany
7. Guangzhou, China
8. Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
9. Hamburg, Germany
10. Berlin, Germany

Top regions (normalized)
1. Russia
2. South Korea
3. Taiwan
4. Hong Kong
5. Norway
6. Japan
7. Switzerland
8. Germany
9. China
10. Austria

Top languages (normalized)
1. Russian
2. Korean
3. Japanese
4. Chinese
5. German
6. Dutch
7. Italian
8. English
9. Swedish
10. Danish

Terminal Server http://www.google.com/trends?q=Terminal+Server&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all

News Events

A) Microsoft, Citrix Seal Terminal Server Deal TechNewsWorld - Dec 22 2004
B) New GFI Network Server Monitor 6 Checks Terminal Server and Linux Too Market Wire (press release) - Feb 24 2005
C) *vwd/BUSINESS WIRE: Ingenica führt die UniPrint Terminal Server Edition ein Vereinigte Wirtschaftsdienste - Aug 10 2005
D) Dymec's New Fiber-Optic Terminal Server Protects Utility SCADA Networks Yahoo! News (press release) - Oct 20 2005
E) Miraplacid Publisher 5.2 Terminal Server Edition PR Web (press release) - Oct 31 2005

Top cities (normalized)
1. Auckland, New Zealand
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Sydney, Australia
4. Brisbane, Australia
5. Dallas, TX, USA
6. Melbourne, Australia
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Madrid, Spain
9. Houston, TX, USA
10. Barcelona, Spain

Top regions (normalized)
1. Norway
2. South Africa
3. New Zealand
4. Russia
5. Netherlands
6. Spain
7. Australia
8. India
9. Sweden
10. Denmark

Top languages (normalized)
1. Norwegian
2. Russian
3. Dutch
4. Danish
5. Swedish
6. Italian
7. Spanish
8. English
9. Portuguese
10. German


On Demandhttp://www.google.com/trends?q=ondemand&ctab=2&geo=all&date=all

News Events

A) Siebel CRM OnDemand Adoption Accelerates Worldwide Business Wire (press release) - Oct 5 2004
b) Rabobank Deploys Siebel CRM OnDemand; The Netherlands' Largest Retail Bank Uses Hosted CRM Solution to Underpin Innovative Electronic Wallet Payment System Business Wire (press release) - Nov 17 2004
C) Agile Offers Customers the Agile OnDemand PLM Small Business Startup Pack, Free of Charge Yahoo! News (press release) - Jan 24 2005
D) Siebel Updates CRM OnDemand InternetNews.com - Jun 15 2005
E) Siebel Systems Further Enhances Enterprise-Class Capabilities in Newest Release of Siebel CRM OnDemand Business Wire (press release) - Sep 12 2005
F) Cornerstone OnDemand Selected As a Finalist in 2006 American Business Awards(SM) Market Wire (press release) - Jun 8 2006

Top cities (normalized)
1. Cambridge, MA, USA
2. Philadelphia, PA, USA
3. Boston, MA, USA
4. San Francisco, CA, USA
5. Seattle, WA, USA
6. Chicago, IL, USA
7. Austin, TX, USA
8. New York, NY, USA
9. Denver, CO, USA
10. Atlanta, GA, USA

Top regions (normalized)
1. United States
2. India
3. Canada
4. Thailand
5. Netherlands
6. Denmark
7. Switzerland
8. Sweden
9. Germany
10. Japan

Top languages (normalized)
1. English
2. Danish
3. Dutch
4. Japanese
5. Swedish
6. German
7. Italian
8. French
9. Spanish
10. Chinese

Until the next post,

Steve

Broadband over Power lines is OK in US! FCC

Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) is not about SBC. It is just an interest of mine as is Broadband over wireless. I like more choices.

From the US Federal Commincation Commision.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News Media Contact
August 3, 2006 Bruce Romano
(202) 418-2124
Bruce.Romano@fcc.gov

FCC ADOPTS MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER ON BROADBAND OVER POWER LINES TO PROMOTE BROADBAND SERVICE TO ALL AMERICANS

Washington, DC - As part of its ongoing efforts to promote access to broadband services for all Americans and to encourage new facilities based broadband platforms, the Federal Communications Commission today generally affirmed its rules for Access Broadband over Power Line (Access BPL) systems while maintaining safeguards against harmful interference to existing radio services. If harmful interference does occur, the Commission will take appropriate action to remedy the situation. Today’s decision was adopted in response to a number of petitions for reconsideration of the BPL rules established in October of 2004.

In the Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) adopted today, the Commission again acknowledged the significant benefits of Access BPL, reaffirmed its commitment to address interference issues, and reemphasized that the Part 15 rule changes were made to ensure that Access BPL operations do not become a source of interference to licensed radio services.

Specifically, the MO&O by the Commission:
Affirms its rules regarding emission limits for BPL, including its determination that the reduction of emissions to 20 dB below the normal Part 15 emissions limits will constitute adequate interference protection for mobile operations;

Denies the request by the amateur radio community to prohibit BPL operations pending further study and to exclude BPL from frequencies used for amateur radio operations;

Denies the request by the television industry to exclude BPL from frequencies above 50 MHz;

Affirms the July 7, 2006 deadline for requiring certification for any equipment manufactured, imported or installed on BPL systems, with the proviso that uncertified equipment already in inventory can be used for replacing defective units or to supplement equipment on existing systems for one year within areas already in operation;

Affirms the requirement that information regarding BPL deployment must be provided in a public database at least 30 days prior to the deployment of that equipment;

Adopts changes regarding protection of radio astronomy stations by requiring a new exclusion zone and amending consultation requirements for these stations; and
Adopts changes to provide for continuing protection for aeronautical stations that are relocated.

Denies the request by the aeronautical industry to exclude BPL operating on low-voltage lines from frequencies reserved for certain aeronautical operations;

Denies the request by the gas and petroleum industry to be considered as public safety entities;

Action by the Commission, August 3, 2006, by Memorandum Opinion and Order (FCC 06-113). Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate and McDowell. Separate statements issued by Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Tate, and McDowell.

ET Docket No. 04-37 and 03-104.

Office of Engineering and Technology Contact: Bruce Romano (202) 418-2124; Anh Wride (202) 418-0577.

-FCC-"

Until the next post,

Steve

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose..

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

--From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Juliet is not happy with Romeo's name.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;--
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title:--Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

Romeo spews forth the ultimate male response with call me anything you want but not late for dinner.

I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Open up a word processor and replace Romeo with Server Based Computing. It is only a name. Virtualization is another name. So is Streaming, SAAS, and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is a press release from Wyse and VMware dated yesterday.

SAN JOSE, Calif.– 08/02/2006 - Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing, today announced a thin desktop device optimized for VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), based on Wyse’s thin client OS technology. Wyse and VMware collaborated to make Wyse Thin OS – VDI Edition aware of key VDI-oriented technologies, enhancing the experience of IT and users deploying this innovative architecture.

VMware’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure enables businesses and institutions to manage their desktops from the data center by placing a user’s desktop environment in a virtual machine, hosted on an industry standard server, and accessed by a thin client on the user desktop. VDI simplifies and centralizes the execution of applications in the data center, reducing the costs and complexity associated with using PCs to deliver applications.

Benefits include:

• Consolidates and centralizes complete desktop environments within the data center
• Virtualizes, optimizes, and manages server resources to host and deliver secure, isolated desktops that are always-on and accessible from anywhere
• Improves security and compliance by centralizing sensitive enterprise data in the data center within isolated virtual machines
• Built on VMware’s market-leading VMware Infrastructure and leverages the significant benefits of desktop virtualization
• Reduces physical maintenance on the desktop Desktops can be remotely managed

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From the Ardence web site a portion of a press release dated over a week ago, WALTHAM, MA (July 19th, 2006)

“...Earlier this year, Ardence, whose on-demand software-streaming platform enables increased security, reliability and manageability at the desktop and in the data center, launched a special desktop edition of its platform for Dell. Called the Ardence Dell™ SmartClient, the special edition streams operating systems and applications on-demand from networked Dell servers to Dell desktops.

Takamitsu Higuchi, Uniadex Corporate Officer, said the Ardence Software-Streaming Platform is “A powerful tool that will help us expand our business. Importantly, the Ardence Dell™ SmartClient will help us increase our collaborative business with Dell and it will enable Dell to grow its market share for thin PC solutions throughout Japan.”

From an Ardence product summary,

"In summary, the Ardence Dell™ SmartClient:

• Centralizes software deployment and management with a server-based operating system/application image
• Simplifies software image updates (operating system & applications) because the entire software image is one file on the server
• Can multicast an image to quickly boot multiple SmartClients simultaneously
• Increases security and reduces adware, spyware and viruses
• Saves IT time and costs through centralized deployment and image management
• Achieves user speed and performance that matches a local hard disk
• Leverages Dell OpenManage, Altiris and SMS tools
• Supports Microsoft Windows XP Professional"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Herring is reporting today;

"IBM to Buy MRO Software: $740M

Acquisition will help Big Blue’s customers manage such assets as equipment and facilities. August 3, 2006

IBM agreed to acquire MRO Software on Thursday for $740 million to fold the asset management software developer’s applications into its management system, lifting MRO shares more than 17 percent."

From IBM's web site there is no press release but below is a description of MRO software from the IBM website.

"MRO Software is a leading provider of e-business solutions for strategic asset management. Hosted by IBM, MRO Software's MAXIMO 5 solution helps companies to manage and optimize the performance of all assets that have a direct and significant impact on their business operations. With MAXIMO 5, companies are often able to gain significant operational efficiencies in their maintenance processes, ensure parts availability, decrease investment in spare-parts inventories, and optimize the use of their labor resources.

Highlights

• Offers lower integration and ongoing support costs
• Provides greater scalability
• Helps you gain operational efficiencies in your maintenance processes
• Helps ensure parts availability and optimizes the use of your labor resources

MAXIMO's standards-based, component architecture is designed to help deliver lower integration and ongoing support costs, as well as greater scalability and deployable XML Web services for greater ease of collaboration.

MRO Software's participation in the IBM Managed Hosting - application enablement program delivers the Maximo 5 application in both dedicated and shared infrastructure hosting models. This delivery model can deliver significant Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings to your business. Applications can be implemented rapidly and customized to suit your needs.

Additional details, MAXIMO 5 solutions are designed to help you:

• Extend asset life and maximize ROI
• Increase equipment up time and output quality
• Optimize labor efficiency
• Improve management of asset-related parts and material inventory
• Increase vehicle availability, reliability and service life
• Comply with safety regulations
• Efficiently maintain trouble-free environments
• Enhance customer service levels
• Comply with government safety and environmental regulations

MRO Software offers productized integration adapters for major ERP, HR and project/financial business systems, as well as a component-based integration gateway for access to legacy systems. These pre-built adapters help enable end-to-end integration solutions."

August 10th update.

From eWeek.com
IBM to Acquire FileNet for $1.6B
By Renee Boucher Ferguson
August 10, 2006

"IBM made its 20th "Information On Demand"-based acquisition on Aug. 10, with the announcement that it plans to acquire FileNet for $1.6 billion, or $35 per share.

FileNet marks IBM's third acquisition in less than two weeks. The company also acquired asset management vendor MRO Software on Aug. 3 for $740 million, and the day before it purchased Webify Solutions for an undisclosed sum.

In addition to fitting into IBM's Information On Demand strategy, the FileNet and Webify acquisitions also fit into a category most software vendors are pursuing these days: SOA (service-oriented architecture).

Webify, which will become part of IBM's Software Group as part of the WebSphere brand, provides infrastructure software that helps with the creation, deployment and management of composite applications."

Is it not great to have choices? I suspect this is only the start. The stand alone desktop will remain king for years to come. But who is to be the queen, members of court, or the sheriff.

Unitl the next post,

Steve

GraphOn GO-Global for Windows

Have been asked on numerous occasions, ”Is there a solution that does not require Microsoft Terminal Server and RDP.” Of course what the real question they are asking is there a solution that does not require a Terminal Server Client Access License. Yes there is. From the GraphOn web site and their product literature,

“The GO-Global family from GraphOn is a fast, simple, affordable application publishing and Web-enabling solution. Using advanced server-based computing technology and near-zero-footprint clients, GO-Global enables easy, cross-platform application access from anywhere in the world – regardless of connection, location or platform. So now you can use GO-Global for Windows to run Windows programs on your Linux and UNIX clients – and GO-Global for UNIX to run Linux and UNIX programs on your Windows clients. All without modifying a single line of code or adding infrastructure such as Citrix, Windows Terminal Services, or local X Server software.

Windows Application Access Made Easy.

Provides instant access to Windows applications from any device or platform, while retaining 100% of the application’s features, functions and branding

Eliminates the need for Windows Terminal Services, Citrix, costly rewrites, add-ons or extensions

Publishes one or more Windows applications, not the entire desktop

Integrates fully with existing platforms and infrastructure

Reduces costs, improves security, and simplifies licensing


Advanced Product Features.

Server-centric solution with near zero-footprint clients

High performance over low-bandwidth connections

Secure operation using native server security, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and proxy server tunneling

Complete cross-platform compatibility

Integrated load balancing

Universal print driver, file access, and clipboard support

Session reconnect and shadowing


System Requirements.

Server
Windows 2000, 2003, or XP
256 MB RAM, 500 MB disk space, TCP/IP connectivity, 56 Kbps or higher connection

Windows Client
Windows 95/98/Me/XP/2000/NT4.0/CE

Linux Client
Red Hat, SUSE, and others

Mac Client
Mac OS X

Java Client
Windows 95/98/Me/XP/2000/NT 4.0
Solaris
OS/2
Linux
Mac

Browser Plug-ins
Windows 95/98/Me/XP/2000/NT 4.0”

If you have the ability to view a flash demo, click the link to go to the GraphOn Go-Global products presentation http://www.graphon.com/flash/flash_demo.html for more background information.

GraphOn also permits private branding!!!

“The Invisible Solution.

GO-Global is invisible to your users. Web enabled applications look and feel exactly the same as natively running applications. And as an ISV or an enterprise, you can private label the solution to promote your own branding. Software Development Kits (SDKs) are available for customized solutions.”

Some other features that maybe important to you,

“Drive Letter Mapping. Through the Cluster Manager, administrators can hide client and server drives and remap client drives.

SSL Security. GO-Global provides support for Secure Socket Layer (SSL) as a method for communication between Windows clients and GO-Global Servers.

Serial and Parallel Port Redirection for Linux. Allows applications running in GO-Global sessions to access devices connected to serial and parallel ports on Linux computers. Mouse Wheel Support for Linux. Allows users of the Linux Client to scroll using the mouse wheel.

Enabling Support for PAE

On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, GO-Global supports memory in excess of 4 GB by way of the Physical Addressing Extension (PAE).”

For more information on accessing up to 64 GB go to http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/pae_os.mspx.


The Cluster Manager is the control center for Go-Global for Windows.

“The Cluster Manager allows you to administer, monitor, and control client access to the GO-Global Server. The Cluster Manager displays a list of the users logged on to a GO-Global Server, along with the applications the users are running, and the time the application was started.

Through the Cluster Manager, you can perform a variety of administrative tasks, such as adding and removing applications, terminating user sessions, and ending processes taking place on the
server.”

Other important information from GraphOn,

“Load Balancing Requirements

A GO-Global Server must be installed on each of the servers in the cluster.

For Web deployment, each of the GO-Global Servers in the cluster must have a Web (server) running and the Web server home directory should contain the GO-Global Web files.”

How is easy is the installation? If you know which web server is installed on the server, then the only choices you need to make is Yes and Next. Then reboot. Copy the license to the server and click on the desktop shortcut “Go Global Cluster Manager”. Simple!

How about the client install? Only Yes and next is required. Then click on the desktop shortcut “Go Global client”. Simple.

Want Windows clients to have access to Unix/Linux applications? Go-Global Unix/Linux?


Until the next post,

Steve