Penny-crunching and the Poor Man’s PC

Enterprises approached by Dataquest-MAIT have cited a variety of reasons for implementing Linux, but the biggest draw to using this system, remains the cost.

Several innovators in the country are combining Linux with various low cost hardware options that are far more affordable.

The best known among these is the Linux based Simputer set to make waves with its Rs 10,000 price-point.

Another innovation is the use of a ‘thin client-thick server architecture’ running on Linux systems combined with the software called ‘Emergic Freedom’ developed by Netcore Solutions.

This software is being used by Jiva Institute in New Delhi in its ‘Digital Bridges’ initiative aimed at developing low-cost computing solutions for underserved communities. The cost of buying standard desktop machines for a class of 40 or more students is extremely high. However, a computer can be used extremely effectively with a far lower configuration.

Instead of a "thick client" (a robust desktop computer), the solution uses a number of "thin clients". These are individual computers that have very minimal configurations—just a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and a CPU (central processing unit) with no hard drive. These thin clients connect to a powerful server "thick server", which takes care of all of the computing processes for each computer.

Coupled with X Window system and a good desktop environment such as KDE, Linux provides a very good and-cost effective thin client platform. KDE (K Desktop Environment is an open source graphical desktop environment for Unix workstations. Initially called the Kool Desktop Environment, KDE is an ongoing project with development taking place on the Internet and discussions held through the official KDE mailing list and numerous newsgroups). Since Linux is free and so are a lot of the applications, not only cost of the hardware is reduced but also the cost of the software. The applications use up the resources of the server and hence the capability to run the latest applications depend on the server and not on the client. You don’t need the latest hardware for each and every user, only need a reasonably fast server.