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I was hoping to do the same using the thinstation project. http://thinstation.org/ However there isn't a port planned for the Pi yet.

Really?

Yes, really. It's been true for nearly a decade. This one took about three minutes to find on google. There are literally dozens of these sorts of projects around. I find it rather incredulous that you own a /. account and haven't heard of them. If you'd like, I'd be happy to bill you for my services in finding it and you can call it "commercial".

I wonder what consequences will website-imposed browsers have. Perhaps we're heading towards some kind of content - terminal matching OS, where all content will come with terminal specs, and you basically install a dozen terminal emulators on your systems. Kind of like thinstation. x86 is pretty much becoming a kind of terminal, with hypervisors. And win32 or Linux a kind of content-packager-gui or something.

What I do NOT need is a fast or even average-speed CPU. I don't need much disk space. I don't need much RAM. Basically, I need ThinStation plus a web browser, along with good, modern, video, keyboard, mouse, weight, ergonomics, battery life, and WLAN technology.

ThinStation is a Linux-based very thin client that does little more than set up a remote terminal connection. It boots off CD, Network, or even a HD if you like. You can store config info on a floppy or network if you want.

From the web page: Thinstation is a thin client Linux distribution that makes a PC a full-featured thin client supporting all major connectivity protocols: Citrix ICA, NoMachine NX, 2X ThinClient, MS Windows terminal services (RDP), Cendio ThinLinc, Tarantella, X, telnet, tn5250, VMS term and SSH.

Using the CD-boot option it's a great way to recycle old PCs today, without waiting for a PXE server to be set up. Just make sure all your network cards and video cards are supported.

Instant dirt-cheap thin client - USB can handle the networking, keyboard, and mouse, VGA gives you a screen.

Can you say ThinStation? I knew you could.

The benefits of thin-clients are many. First, the client can be really bare bones (i.e. no HD, minimal RAM, low-end graphics, low processesor speeds, etc) so they can be cheap ($170 + monitor from WalMart or donated machines). Second, to upgrade all your workstations (perfomrance-wise) all you need to do is upgrade or add another server - not hundreds of workstations. Third, to upgrade all you clients (software-wise), you just upgrade the software on a few servers. Managing one or two Win2K3 servers for viruses, patches, malware, etc, beats the hell out of 200 WinXP workstations!

There are other benefits, but these are the ones that have really made a difference for us. Don't get me wrong, thin-clients aren't the answer for everything. There are many situations where you need to have a fully functioning workstation. However, with the money you save on thin-clients, you can afford to get really good workstations, which in turn can be turned into thin-clients when they are needing to be upgraded.

Most of our users simply need a means of doing basic office tasks like word-processing, spreadsheets, email, web-surfing, etc. Those are perfect for thin-clients.

What would I want to have to make it better? Easy. First, get OpenOffice to work properly on a Win2K3 terminal server, It's not real good in a multi-user environment like that (unless I'm doing something wrong - possible). And the number 1 thing that would make it better: can you say "Tiger Terminal Server Edition"?

You should check out http://www.thinstation.org/

Though the actual implementation could be just a tad technical, and you will need a terminal server, it is an interesting path.

You will be able to use low cost hardware, and nobody will mess up the PC's as there isn't anything installed on them.