Post A6FKZyRbDNVEfKXSpU by yam655@weirder.earth
(DIR) More posts by yam655@weirder.earth
(DIR) Post #A6FKZw483fXZHxXgy8 by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T15:02:29Z
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Howdy - The local Electronics recycler has an absolutely massive quantity of old WYSE WT3360SE thin clients, and a pretty large selection of HP T5740s and now I'm thinking. I could probably get these machines very cheaply. (Like, Pi0 cheaply. Maybe even less per unit if I get them all.) They come with mice and keyboards, mostly, and are complete.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZwQohJgkQK9oKe by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T15:03:33Z
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I used to daydream about running an application server on an absolutely monstrous "mainframe" that used a bunch of different thin clients as graphical terminals. Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to set up. Linux and BSD are supposed to be multi-user systems by default. Forwarding an X session over SSH or whatever isn't that bad, once you've done it, and the makerspace will have a blazing fast LAN.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZwoDIKP5at6Ung by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T15:09:42Z
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I've never done this in a multi-user setup, or with non-technical end users, but I can't think of a good reason not to. At it's heart, it seems like it should be simple enough. My only real concern is making sure that the mainframe has enough juice, and a big enough straw. But these are *old* thin clients. I think they were designed for Windows CE? So there are doubtless concerns that I'm missing.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZxBxs1P0mYDSoy by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T16:19:45Z
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@ajroach42 I did a quick look around and found https://winterm.gaast.net/main.php/news.htmlThat's a page describing putting Linux on those devices and has some tools to do so.Top article: "Project is dead, sorry!" It also says:"[...] but you have to realise that these are very old useless power-hungry PCs by now. A Raspberry Pi is smaller, more powerful, has better support and likely consumes much less power."Is it a better fit for your use-case than Pi Zeros?
(DIR) Post #A6FKZxdyBtnuBPJpTM by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T16:24:13Z
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@ajroach42 I also wanted to note that you can still do centrally managed, remote root thin clients while still having Pi Zeros with a functioning local cache and enough resources to run their own applications.It's most of the fun of a big server and thin clients, but a more equal balance of resources, and far more likely to result in a functioning outcome.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZy2QixMzPGlMbA by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T17:13:09Z
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@yam655 That's probably closer to what we'll end up with, but likely just with newer thin clients.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZyRbDNVEfKXSpU by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T17:15:03Z
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@ajroach42 Yeah, the HP T5740s have better specs than the Pi Zeros. Those are definitely the ones to grab.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZynvsLMpmazIdk by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T17:29:13Z
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@yam655 i snagged 10 newer than that. 2 cores, 4GB ram, 64 bit processors. They won't win any awards, but they're plenty for $20.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZzBgS2MkyG6Gf2 by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T17:31:36Z
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@ajroach42 Oh, nice! Those will definitely do the job!
(DIR) Post #A6FKZzaUxmDQDDi5L6 by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T17:32:55Z
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@yam655 we'll still use them as graphical terminals for heavy apps, but they can run stuff local too.
(DIR) Post #A6FKZzxXa6eBMgUUFs by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T17:35:49Z
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@ajroach42 What sorts of heavy apps will you be using with them?
(DIR) Post #A6FKa0S1kl28tEkpm4 by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T17:39:53Z
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@yam655 We're going to have three different computer areas. One will be a general computer lab, for like web browsing and research and writing reports and stuff. The thin clients will go there. The others will be for robotics, video editing, and image editing. There's no reason you *can't* do video rendering or image editing on the thin client, but it makes more sense to launch those applications remotely on a more powerful server.
(DIR) Post #A6FKa0tK7GrsFtWdJw by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T18:38:09Z
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@ajroach42 I wonder how the photo/video editing stuff will compare with some of the current web tools.
(DIR) Post #A6FKa1IUbh07VxIjYG by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T19:01:21Z
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@yam655 Could you expand on this thought a little?
(DIR) Post #A6FKa1iN3ThWoDPOt6 by yam655@weirder.earth
2021-04-14T19:05:40Z
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@ajroach42 What's the performance/experience like for the end-user working in a remote application hosted on-site versus a modern web app?There's likely to be differences in what is sluggish (or just not usable) between the two environments.Which one will be a better experience? It's going to be interesting to find out. :)
(DIR) Post #A6FKa27tWa7M5NLmfg by ajroach42@retro.social
2021-04-14T19:07:07Z
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@yam655 Oh, using a web browser on an old thin client Sucks. I mean, it's fine. You can do it. But trying to use a modern web application is miserable. Plus, ideologically, this place is about empowering people to take control of their futures. Relying on a web app, unless it's one we host on site, is counterproductive to our core mission.