In message
On Thu 14 Sep, Malcolm Herbert wrote:
hi
having since Chris Dawkins comments as well and baseing it on our observations here with Thin client testing, the argument is to forget the Citrix route, the license costs will kill you.
Typically I would agree with this. But a year ago Citrix had an offer of 30 licences for the cost of 15 which worked out at 100ukp per station.
I thought that was cheaper than replacing our 8 year old Acorn stations simply to run word and excel - and it was. We also use it on old 386/486 stations around the school - and although I have tried Windows Terminal Server client I have found Citrix mich easier to cmanager and operate through their system of published applications and printer management. To be able to install an application once and find it automatically availble on every station (even if they only have a 386 and a 40MB HD) is simply magic.
However, if the cost had been 200ukp per station I would have bought PC stations but still bought the terminal server.
We run the Terminal server on our Backup Domain controller (despite Microsoft's protestations...) and it works fine - so it did not add the cost of another server. The server load (2x550MHz, 512MB RAM) is rarely above 50% - and when it is 20+ stations are booting into word, or IE5.
there is only limited usage of non-Windows desktops in schools (Felsted the exception), but it has potential when you really analyse what functionality is required.
I think its a shame if pupils never see another desktop -it gives them a false impression on the world of computing - as though knowing what button to press (and which menu its on) is the essence of IT.
let me know if you want some direct advocacy or support. i am off the leash occasionally
Thanks, Alan. -- `paul aka Paul Hornshaw