Category: Thin Client-Thick Server

Bill Burnham writes:

[The] trend is the migration of desktop data to the online storage cloud and the fight between Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to control this data because he who controls the data will most likely control the “webtop” and the suite of web-based applications that access that data.

What is the “webtop”?, well the webtop is basically a web-centric version of the desktop OS. Microsoft’s $270BN market valuation attests to the value of the desktop OS (and its suite of integrated applications) and there is a growing belief in the tech world that much of that $270BN may be up for grabs again as end-users make the platform transition from desktops to webtops. There is also a realization that in the standards-based world of the web, the only real sustainable advantage is control of unique customer data because without that data one webtop OS is basically indistinguishable from the next.

GigaOM writes about Xcerion:

Internet OS sector seems to be getting increasingly crowded. Start-ups such as YouOS, EyeOS are vying for mindshare with Internet giants like Google. The seriousness of market is reflected by the fact that earlier this month, Microsoft set up an all-star group to tackle the Cloud OS opportunities.

A dark horse in this race is Xcerion, a Swedish start-up that came out of stealth earlier this month, and announced its XIOS, its XML-based Internet OS, and got subtle tip of the hat from some of the most respected technology pundits.

WSJ writes:

IT managers are experimenting with new ways to cut power use, while also helping the environment. Companies are taking advantage of software programs such as Surveyor from Verdiem Corp., which enables IT managers to automatically turn off desktops when they aren’t in use. Other firms are turning to “thin client” computers, which are barebones machines that connect directly to servers and use far less power than desktops. And many are also using new features, including enhanced “sleep” features, in software and products from PC manufacturers and companies such as Microsoft Corp. that also save on energy.
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Some companies are turning to barebones PC terminals known as thin clients to cut electricity costs. The Verizon Wireless call center in Chandler, Ariz., for example, last year swapped out most of its 1,700 PCs with Sun Microsystems Inc. thin clients. That helped slash its power usage at the call center by a third, say Verizon officials. Afterward, an official of the local power utility “joked whether we were leaving the building,” says Carl Eberling, vice president for information technology at Verizon Wireless, a Basking Ridge, N.J., carrier owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC.

The Hindu writes in an editorial:

To millions of citizens who cannot afford an expensive personal computer, the early results of a pilot test of a low-cost networked PC, which uses a cable connection to hook up to the Internet, offer new hope to overcome digital deprivation. The nimble `thin computing’ system eliminates the need for the consumer to acquire powerful hardware and expensive software to perform functions such as writing documents, accessing websites, and emailing. The pilot project in a middle-class locality in Chennai by Novatium, a technology products company, to demonstrate a Rs.4,450 NetPC has attracted wide attention; the user has a recurring access cost, inclusive of Internet charges, of about Rs.450 a month. For quite a while, networking companies have aimed to make the `network the computer.’ In parallel, there have been attempts by others to produce low-cost standalone PCs that can break the $100-barrier while plans to develop handheld devices with similar goals met with limited success. The NetPC model seeks to shift the burden of performance away from the user’s hardware to the server. By accessing software that is installed not at the user end but on a remote server, the total cost of ownership for the consumer is reduced.

Wired writes:

Cloudware is filtering down to consumers. Google’s free collection of online apps includes a suite of personal productivity tools that rivals Microsoft Office. For a monthly fee, users can get 10 Gbytes of data storage and telephone support to boot.

At the same time, a profusion of Net-connected devices are challenging the primacy of the desktop. Exhibit A: the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, a slick handheld that does Web browsing, email, IM, and media playback. The TiVo digital video recorder sells movie tickets and streams Net radio. And smartphones like the Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack, and a little monster called the iPhone are leaving the lonely desktop with less and less to do.

By offering online alternatives to desktop apps, businesses can amass a trove of data about customers and their activities — information that can be used to deliver ever more tailored services. Consider wesabe.com, a personal finance service. The site pulls financial data from a user’s bank, credit card, and other accounts. Then the server categorizes purchases, savings, and so on and compares them with the user’s stated goals. It also compares each user’s behavior with that of others on the site, computing average spending and saving habits. And it organizes communities of people who share particular aspirations or patronize a specific vendor.

The Hindu had a story recently on Novatium:

Mr. Mani’s house is now one of 140 homes in Chennai where `Nova Net PC’ offers Internet connectivity and computing solutions at affordable rates.

The Net PC primarily scores with its costing. The Net PC package consisting of the CPU, a 14-inch CRT monitor, a keyboard and a mouse has been tentatively priced at Rs.4, 450 (roughly $100). When Net PC hits the market at this price, it could well be the most economical home PC ever.

However, Novatium is positioning the device beyond the cost advantage. It is talking about the PC as a home appliance that would offer a no-frills attached comfort of use.

So, what makes it comfortable? For starters, the first generation Nova Net PC is stripped off most hardware that could give rise to complications. The CPU consists of a motherboard, an Ethernet connectivity port to connect to the VLAN, 4 USB ports and a serial port for the monitor. Two of the 4 USB ports are used for the keyboard and mouse. Storage, therefore, will exist remotely on a server managed by Novatium. Each user gets close to 2 GB of space.

WSJ writes:

Chief Executive Michael Dell said the new computer, with a base price starting at about $335, would be sold first in China, then other countries, including India and Brazil.

The computer, which Dell calls the EC280, “was designed with China and other key markets in mind,” Mr. Dell said. He said Dell is striving to “adjust our business to meet the needs of customers in fast-growing and emerging markets.”

Designed by engineers in Shanghai, the EC280, unveiled yesterday, features an Intel 205 microprocessor and will cost from 2,599 yuan to 3,999 yuan ($336 to $517), depending on the specifications of the monitor, hard drive and memory chips.
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Lenovo, which dominates the Chinese consumer-PC market, has found an even cheaper way to get computers to people with low incomes. The company has teamed up with Microsoft Corp. to offer a “pay as you go” computer model that puts a PC in a consumer’s hands for an upfront price of about $150. Part of the computer will be financed by a bank loan. The loan is paid back over time as the consumer buys computer cards — similar to phone cards — that give them a set amount of time on the computer and eventual ownership of it.

Vijay Rana has done with an audio interview me about Novatium and the network computer.

No! it is not a dream. It’s now a reality for 400 poor families in Chennai. A company called Novatium has introduced this unique concept in computing where all the computing, multimedia and Internet applications are set up on a remote server. This NetPC has no conventional processor and no hard-disc. It is connected to a remote server through a cable operator or phone company. You can connect to this server by paying a monthly fee like you now pay for Internet service provider or the cable operator. Recently, the Newsweek Magazine profiled the cofounder of NetPc, Rajesh Jain: “This formula may just change the way the average person thinks of computing.” Comparing the NetPC with the $100 laptop of MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte, the Newsweek wrote, “if the winning formula turns out to be Jain’s, or something like it, it could kill the PC altogether. Here in this exclusive interview Jain unveils his vision of a PC for everyone in India.

Following the Newsweek cover story, I came across this article by Chin Wong:

A company in India called Novatium has begun selling the NetPC for only $100, but heres the catch: it has no hard disk, very little memory to speak of, and uses a cheap processor of undisclosed origin thats more typically found on mobile phones. The software? Zip. Youll have to subscribe to that, including the operating system, which will be rented out to you over the Internet. You cant save your files locally, eitheryoull have to send them back to the server over the Internet.
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even if the speed of my broadband connection suddenly doubled tomorrow, I still wouldnt trade in my PC for a $100 NetPC and heres why.

First, I run applications that would crawl over a network. You can do word processing reasonably well over the Internet, but dont try manipulating a 60-megabyte graphic file or editing video over a network unless you have a lot of time on your hands. And hosted applications will slow down as more users get on the network.

Second, I like local storage and I have a hunch most people do, too. This is why we save data files to the hard disk, keep backups of important files, burn digital photos onto CDs and fill up MP3 players with our favorite songs. We like having this stuff available, even when the network isnt.

Finally, and perhaps most important, I like the freedom to run any program I want on my computer without having to get it from some centralized server. This is what drove people from dumb terminals and centralized computing in the first place, and this is what will keep thin clients out of the computing mainstream for years to come. The PC let the genie out of the bottle, and it will take more than a rehashed network computer to get it back in.

Mark Cuban writes:

Google is in a unique position with their datacenters and infrastructure to dominate thin client computing and everything they are doing seems to point in that direction.

If you arent famliar with Virtual Machines, you need to be.

Virtual Machines are exactly what they seem to be. The ability to create a virtual computer on which any and all personal computer applications (as well as higher end apps) can reside. VMs are more ideally suited for applications that dont chew up alot of bandwidth, which is why the seperation of multimedia applications to consoles is critical to VMs becoming popular.

If the heavy bandwidth apps are on gaming consoles, then why wouldnt consumers just connect to the net and use Google Office apps, or MicroSoft Live Office Apps, or any other provider of online apps ?

Which is exactly what I think Google is trying to accomplish in the future.