Sun to Build Alternative Desktop ?

murthydn writes " At "Sun Tech Days 2003" Developer Conference in India ,Sun Microsystems Inc Chairman, President and CEO Scott McNealy exhorted Indian software programmers to build Sun's "desktop computer" as an alternative system to Microsoft software architecture .The complete article is here" 'Cuz if there is one thing that will save Sun, its a new desktop platform. *cough*

Comments

Not a new platform

[matthew.thompson]

The article talks of a new desktop computer.

Looks like sun are trying to get into the low cost desktop platform providing Office-a-like features on a cheap and cheerful device.

It mentions Linux, Evolution, Gnome and Star Office - sounds like it's more of a re-packaging that anything.

Re:Not a new platform

[rugwuk]

The sunray has been around for several years. Its a flat panel, with smart card reader, move your badge to a new terminal your session goes with you. Walk from one conf room to another and your sessions goes with you!

Re:Sun desktop...

[rugwuk]

Its a server side application in C actually that manages the session and you get the power of the backend server for your desktop! If you have a 64 way E10K, then the user sees a 64way E10K. The session is delivered as graphics packets over ethernet, so the only computer inside the sunray is a graphics card!

SunRay

[jm91509]

The article mentions sunrays. These are great little machines that truely are thin client.

They are small units that have 4 usb ports, a graphics card, sound (in and out), video out and a network card. All they do is relay input back to the server and display the results on the graphics card. They also have a smart card slot where you put in you smart car (obviously...) and it displays your desktop. Then at the end of the day you take out your card and you desktop disappears and reappears when you put the card back in. It doesnt' matter what sunray you put the card in, you desktop will be the same.

Think of a call center. Get VoIP working and this is the business. You can now move people around the office without any problems, and in the middle of a call. Just take out the card and go somewhere else.

Now with a nice desktop environment and sun could be on to something here. They can sell the big iron at the backend.

Sorted.

Re:only four sunrays?

[lindsayt]

The Netra is about $1500 as equipped, and the sunrays are only about $200 each with academic discount. More expensive than a single PC, but less than four PCs! The Netra X1 (the current V100) is a really lowball sun, and it really shouldn't be used for more than five or six sunrays. The T1 (V120) can handle about ten, but for any more you have to shell out the big bucks and get a 280R (~$5000 starting). As long as you keep the number of sunrays low, it's pretty cheap. The most expensive part is the sunray software (I think about $500 if you have to pay full price).