The Nivo is a new 'ultra thin' client device under development by British, not-for-profit organization Ndiyo. Its principle intended market is developing nations and the project is based upon a non-profit model. The aim of the project is to create hardware and software that can lower both financial and technical skill cost of computer service provision.
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Member since:2007-01-04
I completely agree. There is a lot of wasted power out there. I'm currently using a Toshiba Satellite 300CDS notebook computer (which is roughly 10 years old) as an intranet web-server and web-controlled jukebox. It has been working great for months now. It uses roughly 10W of power with the LCD off and the battery fully charged, which is acceptable by my standards.
Member since:2005-08-26
If apple had an affordable thin-client system, I'd spring for an xserve or macpro, put it in a rack in my coat / wire closet and be all done with PC's on desks.
Unfortunately, the linux offerings don't have the software that I and my family would require in order to do that. Or else it'd already be done.
Member since:2005-07-08
Apple does have a relatively affordable thin client. It's $299, a bit steep for a thin client, but it has NVIDIA graphics, HDMI with HD audio, 40GB hard disk, and 802.11n, which are high-end features for a thin client.
The problem is that they don't want you to use it as a thin client. They call it AppleTV. It's for playing iTunes content on your TV. But it could have been a thin client that extends your Mac onto any display in your home.
Member since:2005-07-06
But thankfully, those monster machines with gigs of RAM and GHz of computing power that we use to write software, encode video, host email/web/db servers, and frag our buddies scattered hither and yon across the intraweb can also be used for streaming music and writing emails and letters.
Now a days, even geeks, can better consolidate their machines. That's what I do on my Mac Pro. Its hosts EVERYTHING now.
Development databases, app server(s), email server, web server(s), music and video library.
4 cores of love, 4GB of RAM, revolting amount of disk space.
Some servers run native on the machine, others run in Linux or Solaris under Parallels. The VM tech is the hot tip here.
Got a "spare heater^WPC" running linux and email server? Migrate it. Create a VM, and copy your install over. Give it a 128M or so.
Consolidate these "little servers", get rid of the wall wart forest, or the cheap power strips, or the aged Pentiums in the the half open cases.
Yup, it's a single point of failure, but so is the power in my house. Most of these services are lifestyle services, and not life or death services. I can handle my email being down a day.
Consolidation to a single server does not scare me.
And that's what any thin client project is doing as well (punting on the potential "thin client talking to cluster" meme).
Now add in that new ASUS flash based laptop with wireless for a cheap, wireless, low power, thin client display.
Now if I can only figure out how to get a thin client to talk to my main Mac. I'd love to be able to log and use my Mac from an arbitrary client. Not clear if that's what Remote Desktop is for or not. I can always X Windows in to one of the Solaris VMs, but..it's not the same.
Member since:2005-11-10
Member since:
2006-01-07
I see it as the way of better utilising the power we get with nowadays computers. It is so unefficient to use monsters with gigs of RAM and gigaherzes of computing power to just write a letter, listen to music and so on. It could be used in much better ways. I can imagine offices or classrooms with these filled with these thinies...