Ulteo unveils the first Open Source virtual desktop

Received an email from Ulteo about their entry into the Server Based Computing market. Then ZDnets' Paula Rooney article appeared in the news column to the left or click here to read. Maybe there just might be something here that will grow legs.

From the news page at Ulteo Published on 11/19/2008

Following its commitment to desktop virtualization solutions, Ulteo, an Open Virtual Desktop Infrastructure company, announced today that they were releasing the first installable version of their Open Virtual Desktop solution for enterprises. Delivering faster deployment times and ease of management for the IT department, this first release can be integrated easily into an existing professional Linux or Windows IT environment. The solution can be up and running in a few minutes, delivering rich desktop applications to corporate users.

Virtual desktops help reduce end user desktop TCO, but businesses can go much further with the open source Ulteo Open Virtual Desktop Solution

Ulteo enters the corporate market as a pure Open Source player, and leverages the experience it acquired during the past two years with virtualization products & services that were previously offered on their own servers.

The Ulteo Open Virtual Desktop is a great solution for corporations who want to reduce the Total Costs of Ownership of the end user desktop, a cost that cripples IT budgets. Moreover, the Ulteo open source business model remove the typical upfront licence fee and replace it with a much more affordable subscription support plan instead. “With Ulteo businesses save money even in the first year of virtual desktops deployment and that counts in the current economic environment” says Thierry Koehrlen, CEO and co-founder of the company.

The Ulteo solution also helps IT departments to increase the end users systems uptime and mobility and therefore their productivity.

“This first version of the Ulteo Open Virtual Desktop is great for all the companies who are seeking to leverage open source applications and Linux within a Linux or a Windows environment. And in February 2009, Windows applications will be available too, integrated into a unified interface" Koehrlen advises.

Ulteo makes virtual desktops easier for the IT department:

Ulteo's solution has been designed with a radical approach: in particular, no installation is needed on the Desktop client, and nothing has to be replaced or modified in the existing infrastructure.

IT administrators appreciate the simplified quick installation, configuration and deployment process of the Ulteo virtual desktops. They also appreciate the value of accessing to the code so that the solution can be customized to fit even better their specific needs.

Advanced features include a full administration console, desktop sharing, application server replication and many others.

The Ulteo Open Virtual Desktop is ready for business:

The product has already served more than 140,000 desktop sessions over the last few months and has been tested through external Proof of Concepts with some early adopters’ organisations. “So we are very excited to share it now with the rest of the world and to expand the community of users and developers around it” reports Gael Duval, CTO and co-founder of Ulteo.

Ulteo Open Virtual Desktop is Open-Source and IT departments have the choice to either use the free version with community support, or benefit from commercial licensing terms that offers extended support to organizations wishing to enter a commercial and privileged relationship with Ulteo.

For more information please go to http://www.ulteo.com

Media enquiries: please contact press(at)ulteo(dot).com

About Ulteo Ulteo is and Open Source Enterprise Virtual Desktop and Application Delivery Solution co-founded by veteran open source entrepreneurs Gaël Duval (founder of Mandrake Linux, a popular Linux distribution) and Thierry Koehrlen (co-founder of Intalio, the leading Open Source BPMS).

Until the next post,

Steve

Nasty packages for computer peripherals

This post is going to be different. I am going to endorse a product. Not just list a product, but endorse it. It is not Server Based Computing hardware, nor software, not cabling or any computer vendor. But it will be welcomed in every server room in the world. It is a device to open those nasty packages that computer peripherals are wrapped in. To this day I do not know how they make that exotic metal alloy look like clear plastic.

The “OpenIt!” product is a combination scissor/shears, knife and screw driver. I have used each of those devices individually to open those nasty plastic packages. The major difference is that the shear blades are angled and offset. In the past when using regular scissors to open those nasty packages, the plastic come in contact with you hand. Not good. The offset and angled cutting blades allow you work around the package without coming in contact with the plastic.

OpenIt! Includes a small interchangeable Phillips head and straight slot screw diver. Those is also a retracting knife to cut plastic or tape that enclose software or DVDs. I found this device at a Walgreens in the hardware section. Not much money for something that does what this product does.

Until the next post,

Steve

FCC ADOPTS RULES FOR UNLICENSED USE OF TELEVISION WHITE SPACES

Let the air wave wars begin. And it is unlicensed!!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 4, 2008

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Robert Kenny: (202) 418-2668
Matthew Nodine: (202) 418-1646

FCC ADOPTS RULES FOR UNLICENSED USE OF TELEVISION WHITE SPACES

In its continuing efforts to promote efficient use of spectrum and to extend the benefits of such use to the public, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted a Second Report and Order (Second R&O) that establishes rules to allow new, sophisticated wireless devices to operate in broadcast television spectrum on a secondary basis at locations where that spectrum is open. (This unused TV spectrum is now commonly referred to as television “white spaces”). The rules adopted today will allow for the use of these new and innovative types of unlicensed devices in the unused spectrum to provide broadband data and other services for consumers and businesses.

The rules represent a careful first step to permit the operation of unlicensed devices in the TV white spaces and include numerous safeguards to protect incumbent services against harmful interference. The rules will allow for both fixed and personal/portable unlicensed devices. Such devices must include a geolocation capability and provisions to access over the Internet a data base of the incumbent services, such as full power and low power TV stations and cable system headends, in addition to spectrum-sensing technology. The data base will tell the white space device what spectrum may be used at that location.

Wireless microphones will be protected in a variety of ways. The locations where wireless microphones are used, such as sporting venues and event and production facilities, can be registered in the data base and will be protected in the same way as other services. The Commission also has required that devices include the ability to listen to the airwaves to sense wireless microphones as an additional measure of protection for these devices.

All white space devices are subject to equipment certification by the FCC Laboratory. The Laboratory will request samples of the devices for testing to ensure that they meet all the pertinent requirements.

The Commission also will permit certification of devices that do not include the geolocation and data base access capabilities, and instead rely solely on spectrum sensing to avoid causing harmful interference, subject to a much more rigorous approval process.


In a process that will be open to the public, applications will be released for public comment prior to agency action. Such devices will be tested by our Laboratory to a “Proof of Performance” standard both in the lab and in a variety of real-world environments to ensure they do not cause interference to licensed services when in use. The staff report and recommendation will also be released for public comment. For now, certification of any such device will require approval by the full Commission.

Manufacturers may continue to provide additional information to the Commission to support the use of higher power devices in adjacent channels. In addition, the Commission will explore in a separate Notice of Inquiry whether higher-powered unlicensed operations might be permitted in TV white spaces in rural areas.

The Commission will closely oversee and monitor the introduction of TV white space devices. The Commission will act promptly to remove from the market any equipment found to be causing harmful interference and will require the responsible parties to take appropriate actions to remedy any interference that may occur.

Action by the Commission November 4, 2008, by Second Report and Order (FCC 08-260). Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, and McDowell with Commissioner Tate approving and dissenting in part. Separate statements issued by Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps, Adelstein, Tate and McDowell.

For additional information, contact Alan Stillwell at (202) 418-2470 or alan.stillwell@fcc.gov.

FCC


News and other information about the FCC is available at www.fcc.gov

Until the next post,

Steve

NComputing Wins Bid to Provide Computing Access to 1.8 Million Students in India

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF., October 13, 2008 – NComputing, the leading provider of low-cost computing solutions, today announced that it was chosen to supply a massive 5,000-school educational computing initiative in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The initiative will provide computing access to 1.8 million children throughout the state. Andhra Pradesh is the largest and most populous state in South India. Andhra Pradesh will contract leading education IT firms to build the computer labs in 5,000 schools totaling 50,000 computing seats over the coming few months. The win marks the largest single deployment of NComputing's solution in India. The decision to deploy NComputing's low-cost and eco-friendly solution establishes the government of Andhra Pradesh as an innovator in educational computing and provides a blueprint for other governments and institutions considering similar projects.

By leveraging NComputing, the government will save $20 million in up-front and ongoing costs. The government will also use 90% less electricity compared to a traditional all-PC solution. "NComputing is proud to have been chosen by Andhra Pradesh to fulfill its vision to improve learning and computer literacy throughout the state," said Stephen Dukker, chairman and CEO of NComputing. "At about $70 per seat, our solution is the ideal platform to enable schools, businesses, and governments to maximize their PC investment. We are the world leader in desktop virtualization and the scale of this deployment further extends our leadership position."

The NComputing solution is based on a simple fact: today's PCs are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity. NComputing technology creates multiple virtual desktops on a single PC so that many users can tap the unused capacity and share it as if each person had their own computer. Andhra Pradesh chose the NComputing X300 solution, which enables up to seven users to simultaneously share one PC.

The computing labs will be used to teach computer skills and office productivity (spreadsheets, word processing) as well as subjects like reading and math. The entire system will run on the Microsoft Windows Server operating system and use Microsoft Office Suite. "India holds a strong position in the knowledge economy today due to the country's consistent investment in education over the years," said Javier Arrupea Gitlin, director, Microsoft Unlimited Potential Group. "In India and around the globe, Microsoft is committed to enabling affordable access to computing for education. Through Microsoft's Unlimited Potential commitment, we are continually looking for innovative and affordable technology solutions that can sustain social and economic progress. Initiatives such as this announced today that leverage the value toeducational computing provided by the Windows Server platform represent yet another solution that can help move us towards this goal."

"With the modernization of India's economy, students are eager to learn the computer skills that will prepare them for the digital workplace – but most government school students have never even had the chance to type on a keyboard or click a mouse," said Mr. Raj Shah, chief marketing officer of NComputing, "This computerization project shows how forward thinking governments can use proven and practical technologies like NComputing to bridge the digital divide."

The project is based on an innovative outsourcing model. The Andhra Pradesh government will outsource the entire project for five years to leading educational IT companies, including Educomp, Everonn, NIIT, and Social Computers. The model is referred to as Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) and requires the companies to install, staff, and manage the labs. This arrangement helps ensure that the labs are installed quickly and performance benchmarks are met. The five-year period also enables school staff to develop their own competencies in managing the labs and computer-aided teaching.

NComputing's technology is used by 20,000 organizations in more than 90 countries. In the United States, NComputing has been deployed by over 4,000 school districts in classrooms, computer labs, and libraries. Although smaller in scale than Andhra Pradesh, school districts in North America face many of the same challenges including tight budgets, demand for wider computing access, limited IT support staff, and a desire to use "green" technology.

NComputing has received numerous green computing awards because it uses just 1 watt of electricity (compared to 110 watts or more for stand-alone PCs). "Our students are learning about global warming and increasingly engaged in school initiatives to lower the carbon footprint," said Richard Potter of Medicine Hat School District. "We rebuilt our computer lab with NComputing and a few PCs and the students planted a hundred trees to create a carbon-neutral computer lab."

NComputing recently announced that Will Poole, former corporate vice president of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Group, has joined as co-chairman.

About NComputing, Inc.
Winner of the Wall Street Journal's Technology Innovation Award, NComputing, Inc. was founded with the goal of making desktop computing affordable for everyone. Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, NComputing is a privately held virtualization software and hardware company. The company's patented technology drastically lowers desktop computing costs, improves manageability, and reduces both energy consumption and e-waste.



Media Contacts:
Renee Deger
GlobalFluency
(650) 433-4153
cvanhaver@globalfluency.com

David Rand
NComputing, Inc.
drand at ncomputing dot com

XOHM WiMAX Broadband Service Debuts in Baltimore

Here is the official start up press release. With the initial monthly fee of 25 USD for home and 30 USD for roaming, certainly it is priced right for early adapters.

XOHM WiMAX Broadband Service Debuts in Baltimore

09/29/2008

Media Contact:

John Polivka, (972) 405-5139

john.m.polivka@sprint.com

Investor Contact:

Bryan Fries, (800) 259-3755

investor.relations@sprint.com

XOHM WIMAX BROADBAND SERVICE DEBUTS IN BALTIMORE

• New 4G wireless era dawns as unique business model revolutionizes mobile Internet access
• Service-plan innovation includes $50 “Pick 2 for Life” offer without usage limitations

HERNDON, Va. – Sept. 29, 2008

A next-generation 4G wireless network based on mobile WiMAX technology debuted today in Baltimore, heralding the start of a new era for wireless consumers as Sprint (NYSE: S) officially launched XOHM TM mobile broadband commercial service in the first major U.S. city.

“This is truly an historic day with the birth of a completely new Internet-based business model that alters the dynamics of the traditional telecom industry,” explained Barry West, president of Sprint’s XOHM business unit. “Wireless consumers will experience WiMAX device and XOHM service innovation on multiple levels as the computer, Internet, telecom and consumer electronics industries converge to redefine wireless mobility.”

XOHM WiMAX will extend the home or office Internet experience and mobile multimedia applications to other places and additional devices. With XOHM, consumers, businesses and local governments will ultimately be able to experience new forms of interactive communications, high-speed mobile Internet browsing, social-networking tools, location-centric services and multimedia including music, video and on-demand products at faster average downlink speeds of 2-4 Mbps. The data-centric XOHM broadband service differs from present wireless offerings in that:

• No long-term commitments or contracts are required, freeing customers from restrictive long-term subsidized plans;
• Monthly home, on-the-go and day-pass Internet plans provide service choices;
• A single monthly charge covers service for multiple WiMAX access devices;
• WiMAX devices are purchased like other computing/consumer electronic devices,
• XOHM broadband service is self-activated and includes future updates capability;
• Customers can enjoy an Internet portal offering enhanced mobile services;
• The Open Internet business model transcends other carriers’ wireless walled gardens that restrict services, choice and innovation.

Starting today, customers can purchase XOHM-branded Samsung Express air cards for $59.99 and ZyXEL modems for $79.99 via XOHM web, telesales or select Baltimore-area independent retailers. Additional WiMAX devices such as a ZTE USB modem, Intel Centrino 2 WiMAX notebook PCs and the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition are expected in market later this year.

Introductory offers allow customers to choose from both daily and month-to-month service options. At launch, mobile WiMAX service plans include a $10 Day pass, $25 monthly Home Internet service and $30 monthly On-the-go service. Special launch pricing includes a $50 “Pick 2 for Life” monthly service option covering two different WiMAX devices. Visit www.xohm.com to view the current XOHM WiMAX coverage area, details of the introductory broadband service offerings and device sales information.

XOHM subscribers will be given free access to a unique and customizable Web site, called MyXOHM, focusing primarily on local services and entertainment content, as well as providing security services, hosted storage and interactive communications. After choosing preferences, subscribers will have their content pushed to a customized and location-aware portal via small digestible widgets.

XOHM continues to work with WiMAX ecosystem partners and others to incorporate WiMAX technology in a range of computing, portable multimedia, interactive and other business and consumer electronic devices, including the availability of XOHM WiMAX in vehicles for navigation information, news and entertainment.

Sprint will be the first and only national wireless carrier to offer customers a dual–mode 3G - 4G device that extends the power of Sprint’s NOW network. Expected to launch in the fourth quarter, this Sprint device will operate on the nation’s largest 3G mobile broadband network and the 4G network in Baltimore and other markets as WiMAX service becomes available.

The Baltimore XOHM service launch is one of the most rapid ever for new network development, approximately two years after Sprint’s selection of WiMAX IEEE 802.16e as a technology standard and the formation of a charter WiMAX ecosystem with Intel, Samsung and Motorola. Those firms shared a common vision of next-generation mobility services predicated on an embedded chipset model and the wireless enablement of millions of consumer electronic devices that lack wireless connectivity or Internet capability. Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Google, ZTE, ZyXEL and others have since joined the XOHM WiMAX ecosystem.

Sprint’s XOHM business unit focuses on developing the WiMAX ecosystem and standards to bring the latest broadband wireless technology to U.S. customers while pursuing roaming and interoperability agreements globally. The XOHM WiMAX network utilizes the 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings that were combined in the Sprint and Nextel merger to deploy next-generation technology. XOHM uses WiMAX infrastructure developed by Samsung Electronics Corporation Ltd. and has worked with them in deployment and buildout of the Baltimore-area WiMAX network. Additional markets are in various stages of infrastructure development for commercial readiness. These efforts are ultimately intended to allow customers to experience a nationwide 4G mobile broadband network that is designed to offer faster speeds, lower cost, greater convenience and enhanced multimedia quality.

As announced earlier this year, Sprint expects to complete the anticipated combination of its XOHM WiMAX business assets with Clearwire to form a new company in the fourth quarter. This new company, to be called Clearwire, will continue to expedite the deployment of a nationwide mobile WiMAX network. Following the transaction, Sprint will be the only national wireless carrier to sell 4G services through an MVNO structure with the new Clearwire.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

For more information on Sprint’s XOHM business unit, visit www.xohm.com.

SAFE HARBOR

This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. The statements in this news release regarding plans for the development and deployment of a broadband network based on WiMAX technology; the timing, availability, capabilities, coverage, and costs of the WiMAX network; products and services to be offered on the WiMAX network; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The words “estimate,” “project,” ”forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “believe,” “target,” “providing guidance” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are projections reflecting management’s judgment and assumptions based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements.

Future performance cannot be assured. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

• the uncertainties related to the implementation of the company’s WiMAX business strategy;
• the costs and business risks associated with deploying a WiMAX network and offering products and services utilizing WiMAX technology;
• the inability of third-party suppliers, software developers and other vendors to perform requirements and satisfy obligations necessary to create the products and software designed to support WiMAX features and functionality, under agreements with Sprint Nextel;
• the impact of adverse network performance;
• other risks referenced from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Sprint Nextel believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. Sprint Nextel is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

Until the next post,

Steve

Chip PC Thin Clients Now VMware-Ready Certified:

Nice to see Jim Crocco as General Manager, Chip PC, Americas. I had the opportunity to work with Jim's server based computing company Netier almost 10 years ago before they merged with Wyse. He and his staff jumped into a very earlier adapter program to enable WiFi in embedded NT. We asked them on a Friday if they thought they could do it. The OS arrived Monday AM by courier. It worked!!!

This company also makes the Jack PC. Fits in a junction box and has POE.

Here is the press release:

Chip PC Thin Clients Now VMware-Ready Certified: Innovative Thin Client Platforms Add an Important Component to its Extensive Support of Desktop Virtualization Environments

Sep 15, 2008, Las Vegas, NV

At VMworld 2008, Chip PC Technologies, a global technology leader in desktop virtualization and server-centric solutions, today announced it had certified its range of innovative thin client devices for VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Virtual Desktop Manager. VMware Virtual Desktop Manager allows customers deploying VMware VDI to deliver an enhanced user experience, simplify desktop management, and reduce costs.

Further leveraging Chip PC's participation in the VMware Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) Program, Chip PC and VMware have worked together to deliver an integrated solution based on VMware Virtual Desktop Manager and Chip PC thin client devices.

“As a VMware Ready Certified product, customers can deploy Chip PC’s Thin Client with confidence, knowing it is reliable, secure and optimized for the VMware platform,” said Jerry Chen senior director of enterprise desktop at VMware. “Our vast ecosystem of partners is an important vehicle for VMware customers to build out complete virtualization solutions. We will continue to collaborate with innovators like Chip PC to provide our mutual customers with valuable and practical virtualization solutions.”

"Desktop computing is most certainly moving towards virtualization and we see many of our customers adopting desktop virtualization solutions in the near term," said Adi Dulberg, CEO, Chip PC. "Providing seamless integration into VMware’s robust desktop virtualization environment and supporting virtualization solutions all across the board is a strategic goal for us.”

“We are pleased to add VMware certification as an important component of our desktop virtualization support,” said Jim Crocco, General Manager, Chip PC, Americas. “Our flexible products are an out-of-the-box solution for both virtual desktop and server-based environments.”

About Chip PC
Chip PC Technologies focuses on delivering innovative desktop computing solutions covering the complete spectrum from smart user desktop devices to Active-Directory-based management software. http://www.chippc.com

About VMware
VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the data center offering a wide range of award-winning virtualization products. www.vmware.com.

Editorial Contact: Ms. Ronit Pasternak, Tel: +972 4 8501 121 Email:ronit@chippc.com;

* Xtreme PC®, Jack PC® and Xcalibur Global® are trademarks of Chip PC Technologies. All brands and names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holders. VMware and VMware Ready are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions.

---

All company and product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purposes only.

Until the next post,

Steve

Wyse and Novell Announce First Enterprise-Class Linux Thin Client Optimized for Desktop Virtualization

Looking back at old press releases that I have not read.This one caught me eye.

Wyse and Novell Announce First Enterprise-Class Linux Thin Client Optimized for Desktop Virtualization

OEM Partnership Offers Industry Standard Thin Client-Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise

SAN JOSE, Calif. and WALTHAM, Mass. – 09/16/2008 - Wyse Technology, the global leader in thin computing, and Novell today announced the joint delivery of Wyse Enhanced SUSE® Linux Enterprise, the next-generation of Linux* operating system designed for thin computing environments and available only on Wyse desktop and mobile thin client devices. Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise is a powerful combination of Wyse's extensive experience in thin computing and the ease of use, flexibility and security of SUSE Linux Enterprise. Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise will be available pre-loaded on the Wyse thin client devices in Q4 2008.

According to a 2008 IDC report (1), the Linux thin client market will grow from nearly 1 million units in 2008 to 1.8 million units in 2011. Linux will reach a 30.5 percent share of all operating system shipments on thin client devices by 2011. The ever-increasing market penetration of Linux-based thin clients is due to their ability to lower total cost of ownership, while helping enterprises gain a more secure and flexible computing environment. Additionally, in emerging areas such as desktop virtualization, the operating system used by client devices is becoming less relevant, as long as it is an enabler of virtualization technologies, and not the limiting factor.

With Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise customers gain a host of benefits. End-users will be able to maximize productivity and minimize training costs due to the easy-to-use graphical user interface combined with the rich user experience provided only by Wyse, including cross-platform multimedia support, USB peripheral support and flexible hardware options. IT administrators will gain the flexibility of having their thin client devices automatically update and configured upon boot-up, or being able to use the enhanced scalable management capabilities of Wyse Device Manager, the industry-leading thin computing management software solution.

"With the announcement of Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise pre-loaded on our platforms, we are providing more choices and more flexibility to users who wish to deploy Linux-based thin clients," said Ricardo Antuna, vice president of Product Management and Business Development at Wyse Technology, Inc. "Since we announced our intention to collaborate with Novell last year, we have worked towards creating a solution that will enable our customers to deploy Linux without the compromises on security, scalability and performance encountered with non-standard and proprietary thin Linux distributions. Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise doesn't disappoint."

"We are pleased that Wyse has selected SUSE Linux Enterprise as the platform for their next generation Linux-based thin clients," said Carlos Montero-Luque, vice president of product management for Open Platform Solutions at Novell. "This is clear indication of the readiness of desktop Linux overall to meet the needs of enterprise customers, including lower costs, stronger security and improved manageability. All kinds of organizations are finding Linux thin client deployments to be a good fit for their hardware, security needs and budgets, and we are excited to partner with Wyse to deliver a market-leading solution."

Integration with Microsoft* Active Directory* and unparalleled driver and software support will enable enterprises to easily deploy Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise thin clients in a Windows* environment. Finally, Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise includes built-in support for Wyse's suite of virtualization software, enabling enterprises to take advantage of third-party desktop virtualization solutions such as Citrix* XenDesktop* and VMware* VDI.

"Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise further builds momentum for client virtualization by providing customers with multiple options when deploying desktop appliances within their organizations," said Raj Dhingra, group vice president and general manager, Desktop Delivery Group, Citrix Systems Inc. "The tight integration between Wyse’s suite of desktop appliances and Citrix client virtualization technologies, XenDesktop and Citrix XenApp, provides a superior experience for the user and a cost-effective solution for desktop and application delivery."

"The VMware-Wyse partnership has been extended with the release of Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise with built-in support for the VDM client. This release further helps lower the overall costs of deploying a VMware VDI solution by eliminating the need for expensive client-side hardware and operating systems," said Jerry Chen, VMware's senior director of Product Marketing for Enterprise Desktop Products.

Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise includes the GNOME* desktop, Firefox* browser, a powerful terminal emulator, as well as pre-built technologies for connecting to thin computing architectures. These architectures include the VDM client from VMware, the ICA client from Citrix, and the RDP client from Microsoft. This flexibility and support makes Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise the ideal choice for organizations whether they wish to run server-based, Web-based, or local (including legacy) applications.

Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise will be available in Q4 2008 pre-loaded Wyse X50L mobile thin client devices. For more information on Wyse Enhanced SUSE Linux Enterprise and the Wyse family of thin clients visit http://www.wyse.com/products.

About Wyse Technology

Wyse Technology is the global leader in thin computing. Wyse and its partners deliver the hardware, infrastructure software, and services that comprise thin computing, allowing people to access the information they need using the applications they want, but with better security, manageability, and at a much lower total cost of ownership than a PC. Thin computing allows CIOs and senior IT professionals to reduce costs, manage risk, and deliver access to information. Wyse partners closely with industry leaders Microsoft, Citrix, VMware, and others to achieve this objective. Wyse is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices worldwide.

For more information, visit the Wyse website at http://www.wyse.com

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers the best engineered, most interoperable Linux platform and a portfolio of integrated IT management software that helps customers around the world reduce cost, complexity and risk. With its infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell harmoniously integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com.

PR Contacts:

Cara Cassidy, for Wyse Technology
Big Sky Communications, Inc.
(408) 460-0241
cara@bigskypr.com

Charlotte Betterley
Novell, Inc.
(781) 464-8253
cbetterley@novell.com

(1) IDC, Worldwide Enterprise Thin Client 2008-2012 Forecast and Analysis: QView, Doc # 212588, June 2008

SUSE is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

* All brands and names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holders. or call 1-800-GET-WYSE

Until the next post,
Steve

3Tera Partners with Citrix

Who is going to buy Citrix? Maybe no one.

Press Release from 3 Tera.

3Tera Partners with Citrix

to Bring Cloud Computing into the Mainstream

(VMWorld 2008 – Las Vegas, NV – September 15, 2008) – 3Tera , Inc., the leading innovator of cloud computing technology and utility computing services, announced today a partnership with Citrix Systems, Inc. to make enterprise grade cloud computing solutions available to customers of all sizes in external hosted clouds, or as a platform that can be deployed in corporate data centers behind customer firewalls . By combining the new Citrix Cloud Center™ (C3) solution with 3Tera’s award winning AppLogic™ Cloud Computing Platform, the companies are elevating the benefits of virtualization to a new level – from physical servers and virtual machines to entire virtual data centers and applications running in the cloud. The initial focus of the collaboration between the companies will center on the new Citrix® XenServer™ Cloud Edition, a key component of the Citrix C3 product family. XenServer Cloud Edition offers the full benefits of the proven Xen-based virtualization technology enhanced with advanced cloud infrastructure capabilities specifically defined by 3Tera. 3Tera will also embed XenServer Cloud Edition in future versions of its AppLogic Cloud Computing platform.

"With the introduction of Citrix Cloud Center (C3), Citrix offers a solution to manage the information technology infrastructure of next generation data centers," said AJ Jennings, vice president of business development, Citrix Systems. "We carefully chose 3Tera to be one of our first strategic partners for C3 because of their deep experience offering a full and open cloud computing platform for running multi-tier applications in a massively scalable global cloud."

"As cloud computing moves from early adopters to mainstream users, new customers are demanding enterprise levels of reliability, support and control. Our Cloudware architecture allows us to work with Citrix to incorporate commercial, industrial strength virtualization into AppLogic," said Barry X Lynn , Chairman and CEO, 3Tera. "Adding XenServer Cloud Edition to our application packaging technology, global cloud presence, and disaster recovery appliances creates the first open cloud computing platform ready for mission critical applications."

Benefits for Customers
Cloud computing is dramatically changing the way applications will be developed, delivered and deployed by everyone from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses and startups. The Citrix / 3Tera partnership adds industrial strength virtualization to an already massively scalable platform. The resulting benefits are particularly important to the enterprise.

• Reinforcing its industry leadership, Citrix is working with 3Tera to add powerful capabilities for data center scalability, management and portability to offer enterprise customers secure, easy to use virtual infrastructure services scalable on demand with remote management through a browser.
• Offering an OS agnostic platform for cloud computing solutions and virtualized data centers leveraging 3Tera's support for all major server operating systems: Linux, Sun's Solaris and Microsoft Windows.
• The proven leadership of Citrix in virtualization helps make AppLogic an even more dependable platform on which multiple operating system components can operate in the same applications.

About 3Tera, Inc.
3Tera, Inc. is the innovator of cloud computing technology and utility computing services, simplifying the deployment and scaling of Web applications. Named "Cool Vendor in IT operations, 2008" by Gartner Group and one of the "Top 20 Companies to Watch in 2008" by Linux Magazine, 3Tera offers the AppLogic™ grid operating system that enables the first true utility computing services to completely remove the cost and complexity associated with infrastructure. AppLogic converts commodity servers into scalable grids on which users can visually operate, deploy and scale transactional Web applications without any modification of code. Software-as-a-Service providers, Web 2.0 companies, enterprises and open source developers can now get new online services quickly to market by utilizing resources from commodity hosting providers on a pay-as-you-go basis, while maintaining complete control of applications including visual operation, scaling and on-demand resource provisioning. For more information, visit www.3tera.com.

# # #

3Tera, the 3Tera logo, AppLogic, Cloudware and Cloud Computing without Compromise are trademarks or registered trademarks of 3Tera, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other company names and marks belong to their respective owners.

Until the next post,

Steve

WiMax in the USA and Server Based Computing.

Below is a portion of the AT&T web page announcing the availability of WiMax. Click here to view their web page.


What does WiMax have to do with Server Based Computing? Let us review the four components of Server Based Computing and then I am going to add a fifth component.

The first component is a Server. More likely clusters of servers that have high availability and fault tolerance. These servers host applications that are presented remotely and may also provide storage for data.

The second component is a client. It can be thin, fat, a phone, pen, Netbook, actually, almost anything. It is the presentation to the user and input device to the server.

Third, a protocol to allow servers and clients to communicate. Earlier examples are ICA and RDP. Now there are more than I can count.

Fourth, management systems that keeps tabs on the servers and clients. Who can do what, when, where and how. Ever been asked to key on you email address and a password? Now you know your are experiencing SBC.

I would like to add "Transmission Medium" as the fifth component. Connectivity has always been implicit. A benefit often sited for the early Citrix ICA protocol was its ability to operate with bandwidth as low a 20Kb. I had the opportunity to work with wireless thin clients ten years ago. It opened up new ways to place equipment on the shop floor. The distance and bandwidth limitations within 802.11b was not a problem using semi-mobile thin clients with embedded NT.

Now how we connect the server to the client and how much bandwidth is required will be more important. Today we are wanting broadband everywhere. Have broadband at home, at work and at hot spots. At home I have broadband via a cable company. Work is a corporate connection via a proxy server. The hot spots are a mix of open, closed, and browser based systems. Although many of them are client networks, generally I use the wireless network only to access the Internet.

It appears to me that SBC vendors that have the ability to pack more punch into less bandwidth will have an advantage over those vendors that are dependent on wide bandwidth to make their applications work. One ISP is banking on fiber to your door. Nice, except that sales forecasts for this year are that more laptops, Netbooks and NIDs are going to be sold than desktops. I will bet that mobility trumps big bandwidth. Leave carrying the big pipes to the "Blue Man Group"!

For the enterprises of the world this presents a new security challenge. It is possible to be on two networks at the same time. The secured enterprise network and the open wireless network can coexist on the the same device. So do you build a Faraday cage around every structure or do you switch to thin client systems that can access the enterprise system only by the way it is authorized?

There are over 350 WiMax installation world wide. The largest single installation may be the country of Pakistan by Wateen Telcom with at least 22 cites being served. In the US the list is smaller.

MetroBridge Networks serves businesses in Arizona and Greater Seattle with connections up to 2500 Mbit/s with 8000 square miles of coverage area. MetroBridge Networks 197 Cottage Ave.Sandy, UT, 84070.

DigitalBridge Communications launched the first commercially available WiMAX network in the United States in 2007 under the name BridgeMAXX and holds 2.5 GHz licenses in several regions. Current Deployments are in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Indiana, South Dakota, and Virginia. Digital Bridge Communications Corp. 44675, Cape Court Suite, 130 Ashburn, VA 20147 • Phone: 703.723.3566.

Sprint Nextel holds licences in the 2.5 GHz band covering most of the U.S. Sprint plans to build a "Nationwide advanced wireless broadband network expected to cover 100 million people in 2008." Chicago, Baltimore and Washington D.C. are named as U.S. cities scheduled to be online by the end of 2008 under the brand name Xohm.

Clearwire holds 2.5 GHz licences in several regions, and is running a test market in the Northwestern United States in preparation to deploy a nationwide network to rival the other nationwide carriers. In May 2008, Sprint Nextel announced a plan to merge their WiMax operation under the Clearwire name, with additional investment from five other technology companies.

NextWave Wireless holds licences in the 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz band. NextWave's has portfolio of licensed spectrum holdings in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic and Slovakia. US operations are based in California, 12670 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, CA 92130, (P) 858.480.3100.

NextPhase Wireless holds a national WiMAX license and LMDS in broad coverage areas over Atlanta, Southern California (Los Angeles), Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Wilmington, Delaware/Trenton, New Jersey. NextPhase Wireless 300 S. Harbor Blvd. Suite 500 Anaheim, CA 92805 Xanadoo operates Navini Networks-based pre-WiMax networks in the 2.5 GHz spectrum in 6 markets in the midwest.

Xanadoo operates Navini Networks-based pre-WiMax networks in the 2.5 GHz spectrum in 6 markets in the midwest.

Open Range Communications will build a 17-state WiMAX network providing wireless broadband to 500+ un-served and underserved rural American communities. 1735 Nineteenth St., Second Floor, Denver Colorado 80202, phone: 303.376.2111.

Conterra in Columbia, SC, Charlotte, NC, and nearby areas. Conterra Ultra Broadband, 2101 Rexford Road, Suite 200, East Wing Charlotte, NC 28211.

Quad-Cities Online will use 2.5 GHz spectrum in Illinois. It is currently under construction.

RazzoLink carries WiMax and pre WiMax throughout Monterey County, California on the 2.5/2.6 GHz band. Razzolink 6114 LaSalle Ave, #458 Oakland, CA 94611 800-913-RAZZ (7299), ext. 1.

The list is only going to get longer and the security challenge wider. And the productivity gets better.

Until the next post,

Steve

Digital Pen and Paper, A New Thin Client Part Two

It has been almost a year since I posted about Anoto paper and a digital pen in this blog (click here to read). Chris had called me and wanted to show me something and it was the Anoto paper. He had connected the dots and thought the combination of Anoto enabled paper with a digital pen would make for a rich voting experience and at the same time simplify the back office operations of a board of elections. Just might increase voter's confidence in the voting system also. As with anything that is truly innovative, it a difficult to find people that can see the entire process.

Unlike the “Mariner” in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” we have stopped everyone, not limiting ourselves to wedding guest's, and asked them to try this process. In Taylor's epic poem the wedding guest is bemused by the “Mariner” and also annoyed by the man's tale. But the guest's interest turns fascination as he realizes that the mariner is describing supernatural events.

Two of the more famous passages:

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.

Digital Pen Voting by PenVote.com is not a supernatural event, but for many it appears to be just that. We have been successful on occasions to explain the process and it is wonderful to watch someone as they experience the “Ah Ha! I get it!” There will be more.

A couple of weeks ago Jeff Bell with Business First of Columbus called and asked about the project. Jeff wrote about digital pen voting by PenVote last summer. Late in the first interview I saw Jeff's eye's roll back and he asked a impromptu strong question and Chris answered. He experienced the “Ah Ha.” Below is a follow up report published last Friday by Jeff Bell.

Have also included the report By JANE MCCARTHY with Seattle's KING 5 News further below. She interviews Ken Schneider, CEO of Adapx. He is only the second person that I have read about that recognized that Anoto enabled paper with a digital pen is a thin client/computer. "So what that means is the paper, in effect, becomes the computer and the pen is like a mobile device and it's blue-tooth enabled," said Schneider. Adapx is expanding the depth and breadth of digital paper uses to into new markets. We wish them well.

My take is similar to Schneider's in that the paper is the monitor and the pen is a keyboard. It is the combination of the appearance of low tech with the really easy use of high tech that makes this solution elegant, or is it supernatural?

Friday, April 25, 2008

Election tech startups find common ground

Business First of Columbus by Jeff Bell Business First

Two startup companies in Columbus are working together to see if they can make digital pen-and-paper technology a common tool in Ohio petition drives and elections.

Ohio Petition Co. will invest $50,000 in digital pen hardware, software and other equipment while drawing on PenVote's expertise to deploy the technology on voter-registration forms and petitions in voter signature campaigns, said Ian James, an Ohio Petition principal.

That investment will help PenVote get the certification it needs from Anoto Group AB, a Swedish company that controls the technology for the digital pen-and-paper system, said PenVote co-founder Chris Wilson.

"For us, the funding issue has been the biggest challenge," said Wilson, a former Franklin County elections official who launched PenVote last year with business associate Steve Hilsman.

The first big test of the technology could come as early as May, James said, when the Ohioans for Healthy Families Coalition could begin collecting signatures to place a paid-sick-leave proposal on the statewide ballot in November.

James said he is optimistic his company will land a contract to help collect the 120,683 valid signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot. He worked last year with sick-leave mandate proponents on their statewide drive.

PenVote has helped develop a digital pen-and-paper voter registration form that would be used in the sick-leave signature drive and other petition projects to be taken on by Ohio Petition Co. It fits well with a process the company has developed to provide a line-by-line review of all signatures within 72 hours.

Winning over officials

In a nutshell, digital paper contains thousands of tiny dots that are read by a digital pen. The pen writes in ink and contains a small sensor that records the locations of the pen strokes on the paper. The pen is placed into a cradle, and the data on it is downloaded to a computer for review.

James and Wilson connected shortly after James, Julie Heffelfinger, Chris Kvinta and Stephen Letourneau launched Ohio Petition Co. in January.

Digital pen technology also has potential beyond the elections field, James said. For example, it could it be used to record responses to consumer surveys or register participants at large events. That's fine with Wilson, but he said his focus will remain on election applications.

Like other states, Ohio is moving back to paper ballots because of studies that challenge the security of electronic voting systems. Wilson said PenVote's digital pen-and-paper technology would provide a reliable, cost-effective way to record votes on paper ballots, but he has yet to win over the Ohio Secretary of State's office, which oversees elections in the state.

"We know it will be a long-term battle," Wilson said. "There are pockets of interest around, but the dam hasn't opened for us yet."

Until it does, PenVote will concentrate on the development of voter registration and petition forms as well as a digital pen-and-paper poll book it tested last November in Franklin County. In a field trial at a precinct in New Albany during the November general election, PenVote took existing paper poll books - the ones signed by voters upon arriving at their polling place - and printed them on dot-enabling digital paper. Voters signed the books with a digital pen, which was docked at the end of the voting day. At that point, the digital pen equipment instantly applied the poll-book information to Franklin County's voter registration database.

Wilson said the digital pen technology eliminated the time-consuming and error-prone manual process in which electronic wands read and scan in the data. In a letter to Wilson after the election, Franklin County Board of Elections Director Matt Damschroder said the field test was "exceptionally successful."

614-220-5456 | jabell@bizjournals.com

And Jane McCarthy with Seattle's KING 5 News

Seattle company develops digital pen and paper

08:53 AM PDT on Tuesday, April 29, 2008

By JANE MCCARTHY / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - Over the years, there has been a lot of talk about computers taking the place of good old-fashioned pen and paper. Now a Seattle company is merging the two.

The company is called Adapx (pronounced "adapts"); a prominent technology research company recently named them among the 2008 cool vendors in emerging technology.

From firefighters positioning crews to battle back flames in Southern California to the troops gathering intelligence in Iraq, many are still charting their next moves on a map.

Now, many of them are doing that with a new digital pen from Adapx.

"A digital pen is a much simpler thing for a soldier to carry on the ground than a laptop," said Ken Schneider, CEO of Adapx.

Their capturx software along with a digital pen allows people to print a document off of any normal printer and digitally enable that paper.

"So what that means is the paper, in effect, becomes the computer and the pen is like a mobile device and it's blue-tooth enabled," said Schneider.

As you write, all the information is collected in the digital pen. When you dock the pen in a computer, all the information appears on a screen. Map data that has historically taken days, even months, to update is now done in seconds. The system can also download handwriting and even doodling.

If you ask the people at Adapx, all this talk about pen and paper falling out of favor is a fallacy.

"In many respects, we don't think society has gotten away from the pen at all," said Schneider.

The mapping technology has only been available for a few months and the company now has clients worldwide.

Until the next post,

Steve

Terminal Server and Asus Eee PC

Have been thinking about the UMPC Asus Eee PC and what would compel me to buy it. My needs are access to the internet, Skype video conference and able to remotely manage a Mircosoft Terminal Server. Not a big list. Should be doable.

Went to a giant PC store and found the Asus Eee counter. There were 3 models leashed to the counter and rightly so, they are that small. An easy fit into a coat pocket and out the door.

Unfortunately the sales staff knew almost nothing about the product. Most could not name the software vendor (Xandros) and all said you could install XP if you had a copy. I suspect none of them read the installation instructions to install XP. I would not do it.

Not one knew if you could upload tsclient to the device. You can I found out later. But I was surprised that the 30 day money back guarantee had been shortened to 7 days and a 15% restocking fee applied. What? The sales person said they are getting way to many returns so they went to a more stringent return policy to help keep people from buying the device. Brilliant!!!

Fortunately, standing behind me was a customer that had several of these devices. He confirmed that it was easy to switch to a full desktop version of Xandros. I decided that if I could get the Xandros standard desktop then I could get to a repository with rdesktop and tsclient. We then discovered that rdesktop was actually already in the full distribution, just not in the Easy Mode. Alright, take the plunge and out the door I go with the little package in hand.

Unpacked the device, inserted the battery, plugged in the power cable and pressed the ON button. Answered a couple of questions and it was good to go. Firefox and Skype where already available so it was just matter of getting rdesktop and tsclient running.

First thing to do was to enable the Xandros full desktop. Even an old Windows guy like me found it very easy. Here is link to the instructions.

http://code.google.com/p/pimpmyeee/wiki/HowTo

The script once ran enables toggling (think dual boot) between the Eee presentation

“Easy Mode” and the full Xandros desktop. And sure enough there was rdesktop in the full desktop menu system. But it would not connect to my 2003 terminal server. Was it down? Jumped on to a machine with a beta version of Ubuntu and used tsclient to get right in. It was working. Now what? Could I load up tsclient? Not in the Eee repository. Xandros is a fork off of Debian. Using non Xandros repositories just might break something. Was warned that it was possible to “brick” the Eee. Not an option for me.

Could I load Ubuntu? After very little searching the answer is yes but the wireless component needs to be “tweaked”. More research and found eeebuntu and eeexubuntu. Already had the Eee drivers installed and also had “Live” disks. Downloaded and burned the ISOs.

The live DVD version of eeebuntu worked well. But after the install, both the wireless and wired network connections failed to initialize. The Eee does come with DVD rescue disk. Re-imaged the 4 gig drive. Then tried eeexububtu live CD, but I could not get a wireless connection and the web cam did not work. Back to square one.

After enabling the full desktop version with the pimpmyeee script I noticed that another option was to load additional Xandros repositories. Now at the point that I

know how to re-image the drive so why not? Ran the script again and followed the instructions.

Reloaded package manager and searched for tsclient. BINGO! Select apply and YES I was good to go or was I? The application is to large to fit on the 800 X 480 screen. Oh my! Close but not there, yet. The little Eee has a trick up its sleeve. Press the Alt key and hold down the left side of the mouse bar.

The four arrow icon shows up on the screen and you can drag the dialog box all over the place. Eureka!

Now I can connect to my Terminal Server. Select full screen mode and the entire server desktop appears on my little Eee screen.

Nice.

Until the next post,

Steve