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Dell To Acquire Wyse

Posted by timothy on from the oh-is-that-what-they're-calling-it-these-days? dept.

New submitter alancronin writes "Computer and IT giant Dell said today it will acquire privately held Wyse Technology, a company that specializes in what it calls 'cloud client computing.'"

73 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Dumb by generationxyu · · Score: 5, Funny

    What an idea to acquire such a terminally dumb company.

    --
    I mod down pyramid schemes in sigs.
    1. Re:Dumb by Sique · · Score: 4, Funny

      You don't think this was a wyse decision?

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    2. Re:Dumb by TWX · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh, a Wyse guy, huh?!

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. Oh god by Dyinobal · · Score: 2, Informative

    When I was in highschool my school used Wyse Terminals which was the most bad and ironic name I've ever seen. I hated those things..every one hated those things. They broke all the time and had to constantly be reflashed with a new image. They were so awful that by my Senior year they were being phased out entirely.

    1. Re:Oh god by vlm · · Score: 4, Interesting

      That was the latter years. The old ones were beyond awesome. A good rule of thumb for wyse terms was if you could not flash it, it was old enough to be fantastic, and if you could, its a turd. I have an old one on my desk for embedded work... Hey I've got the space, can always use another screen, etc. Kinda sucks for cut and paste, but perfect for watching logs and boot messages scroll by...

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    2. Re:Oh god by Dogtanian · · Score: 2

      When I was in highschool my school used Wyse Terminals which was the most bad and ironic name I've ever seen. I hated those things..every one hated those things. They broke all the time and had to constantly be reflashed with a new image. They were so awful that by my Senior year they were being phased out entirely.

      YMMV. I had an admin job back in the late 90s that involved entering information into a dumb green-screen terminal. It was as tedious as hell, but at least the dumb Wyse terminal I was using- some of the time- had arguably the best mechanical key action (*) of any keyboard I've used, marginally beating the late-era Model B BBC Micros. Crappily, they later got some beige box PCs running a terminal emulator under NT that came with some mediocre generic membrane crap. To be fair, I'm not anti-membrane, as some modern ones can be quite good, but those were pretty "meh".

      I got a mechanical Cherry keyboard a few years later on that was supposed to have a similar action- it was okay, but had just a bit too much resistance on the keys to have that satisfyingly effortless typing I was after.

      (*) The type that goes "tap" when it hits the bottom of its travel, not the tediously-fetishised "clicky pressure point halfway down" action of the IBM Model M, whose obsessive fans seem to love it but anyone not already used to it would likely find strange- and noisy. (I didn't like it, even though I'd used plenty of mechanical keyboards previously).

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      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    3. Re:Oh god by SomePgmr · · Score: 1

      Yeah I'd say it's hit-or-miss depending on the models, even today.

      I've got a lot of s30's that have run like champs for years now. I don't think I've had a single one go bad yet that didn't involve something stupid (knock on wood).

      I do have some of their 9650 all-in-ones for kiosk applications and some of the old... 3125's (I think?). Those have been terrible. I just replace them with s30's and similar, and they're gtg forever.

    4. Re:Oh god by CAIMLAS · · Score: 2

      I administered on a network where we used the Wyse terminals as dumb clients to talk to our in-house time (accounting) server. We had about 200 of them, of two different vintages.

      We had old Wyse and new Wyse. The old ones ran an in-house rolled BSD, but the new ones were WinCE 4.x or 3.x and we weren't able to flash them with a newer BSD ROM due to the hardware being incompatible.

      We ended up buying replacements for the newer model with the old models on Ebay.

      I have no idea how their products have performed in the last 7 years, though. With a marketing name like 'cloud client computing', I'd sooner not use them.

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    5. Re:Oh god by zipn00b · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yeah I did a LOT of installs from the Mid '80s on using mostly Wyse 50 or 60 terminals hanging off SCO boxes ( back when SCO was a real company not a lawsuit factory) And I was supporting software running on old SCO boxes 20 years later that still only ran nicely with Wyse 60 emulation instead of the default VT100 that so much terminal software assumed everything liked. I think it was in the mid-90's that I started replacing the WY60 terminals with emulators as it ended up being cheaper to run that over TCP/IP instead of hanging a terminal off a multi-port serial card. But for a long time one of my disaster backup plans had a couple locations stocked with the old terminals in case a hurricane took out our main office. Never used any of the newer line of terminals so can't say how good or bad they were but the old Wyse terminals worked great for a LONG time....

    6. Re:Oh god by archen · · Score: 1

      Totally agree with you about the keyboard. I really wish I could use it on a PC. I have the feeling that it would be nearly impossible to replicate today, just by the nature of materials and quality that were probably involved in making them. The closest I've found that I've liked is the overly expensive Das Keyboard.

    7. Re:Oh god by gmarsh · · Score: 1

      100% agreement on what constitutes a good keyboard.

      I'm rockin' a Das Keyboard "Model S Professional Silent" on my work PC, and I'm pretty happy with it.

      I won't call it silent by any stretch; the switches don't click at the tactile point like an IBM Model M keyboard, but there's a pretty loud clack when you bottom out a key. The tactile "give" is still there - but it's a lot "softer" than the M. When you push down on a M key, there's an increasing resistance until BANG, the bottom pretty much falls out of the key. With the Das Silent, it's more of a 'buttery' tactile feel at lack of a better description - it feels like you "push through" the tactile point instead of "breaking" the tactile point. The Das Silent also requires a fair bit less force to type on than a M.

      I've gone back and forth between the Das Silent and the M a few times for the sake of comparison, and I've concluded that I prefer the Das Silent.

      The Das Silent uses "Cherry Brown MX" keyswitches - keep an eye open for a deal on a keyboard using the same switches, I think you'll like it.

    8. Re:Oh god by vlm · · Score: 2

      Eventually the onboard nicad config batteries fail and leak... gotta pull them and replace with a little 2-cell AA battery holder from radio shack.

      nicad juice will rot the traces if not caught in time.

      Its a storage issue. Left plugged in forever, the battery never discharges so it never corrodes.

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    9. Re:Oh god by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Agreed. I really liked those terminals.

    10. Re:Oh god by Forever+Wondering · · Score: 1

      Yeah I did a LOT of installs from the Mid '80s on using mostly Wyse 50 or 60 terminals hanging off SCO boxes ( back when SCO was a real company not a lawsuit factory) And I was supporting software running on old SCO boxes 20 years later

      When I was an engineer at Altos Computer Systems, the engineers were asked to evaluate an early model Wyse terminal. This was because Don Valentine [Sequoia Capital] was an Altos investor and on the board and he was interested in investing in Wyse. The model we got was a bit boxy/clunky (it predated the later WY-30/55/60's that sold like hotcakes) but we felt it had potential. Eventually, a Wyse terminal was usually paired with an Altos system. In particular, the Altos ACS 586.

      SCO didn't manufacture hardware. They did ports of Xenix (Microsoft's version of Unix--in those days, this was a hedge against MS/DOS not being as successful as it was) to various microsystems. Altos did its own port of Xenix to the 586 [but may have used SCO later on???].

      Just curious ... What was the hardware vendor for the systems you were using?

      --
      Like a good neighbor, fsck is there ...
    11. Re:Oh god by Misagon · · Score: 1

      Some of the Wyse PCE keyboards (with IBM PC like layout) talk the PS/2 protocol and can be connected directly to a modern PC with or without a simple adapter. Look for model numbers 900840 and 900866.

      The key switches in the Wyse keyboards are "Cherry MX Black". There are now loads of new keyboards with the different variations of the Cherry MX (black, red, blue, brown...) -- because they have become popular for computer gaming. One of the first, and now most inexpensive models with blacks, was Steelseries 6GV2 and Steelseries 7G. Look also for Filco, Rosewill, Leopold, Deck, CM Storm Quickfire and TT eSports Meka [G1], but note that some of them can come with different Cherry MX switches.

      Vintage Wyse keyboards are quite popular among keyboard enthusiasts (collectors) these days. However ... they are mainly not after the key action but for the key caps to put on their modern keyboards. The key caps on the keyboards for the Wyse 50 terminals (without cursor keys) were made of thick plastic, but the others are quite good too. Both were double-shot injection molded, so that the legends never wear off. People also like the vintage colour scheme of dark blue (not black) on grey/dark grey. In fact, some groups of enthusiasts have made replica key sets. There is a project right now for making an adapter kit with a few missing keys in the vintage style to make them all fit modern keyboard layouts and have the same style.
      A while ago, a group of Korean collectors got a full replica set made ... but they botched the colour code for the blue legends when the ordered it so they got light blue instead ... and now there are other enthusiasts who are making a replica of that set, even, hehe.

      --
      "We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
    12. Re:Oh god by LinuxIsGarbage · · Score: 1

      My only experience with Wyse terminals was my local public library. In the early 90's they migrated from a manual card catalog / checkout system to a computer based one. Wyse terminals were located through the library, and at the checkout. It was revolutionary! You could modem (and eventually telnet) into the system to look up or renew books! They also had a couple Wyse terminals in the back connected to the local Freenet for public internet access.

      They built a new branch 10 years ago that had brand new Wyse dumb terminals. Eventually they migrated to a web based system.

      Meanwhile at my current job we use VT220 terminals and DECwriters connected to 1980's PDP-11's.

      Before we replace those we have to get rid of the 1970's computers.

    13. Re:Oh god by hairyfish · · Score: 1

      Not sure how old you are, but we run 99% of our 2500 machine fleet on Wyse with Vmware View and Windows and they work very well. Maybe your implementation wasn't so good? (although I can't see how you could screw up a simple thin client roll out).

  3. Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by sheehaje · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe Dell can finally offer an affordable thinclient. I am a big fan of their FX100, but it is priced out of range. By the time you license it and plug it in, it costs as much as a small form factor desktop. Not exactly the value customers are looking at with thin clients.

    Lately we've been using PanoLogic Zero Clients. They are basically glorified network cards in a cube. No RAM, Processor, or other overhead that is prevalent in traditional ThinCleints. They are inexpensive and have a good management tool. Its inevitable that someone buys them out at some point.

    1. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

      Lately we've been using PanoLogic Zero Clients. They are basically glorified network cards in a cube.

      Would a Raspberry Pi work as a thin client? You could just attach it to the back of the monitor with sticky tape, plug in monitor, keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet, and then arrange for it to boot over the network.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    2. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by sheehaje · · Score: 1

      Yes, a Raspberry PI would work great as a thin client, just have to have the specific agent for whatever system you are running on the backend. I imagine there would be some tweaking involved to get audio/video streams that sync well. As for booting over the network, wouldn't really need to if you can have a small image on the device. The screen is delivered from the backend servers/clusters anyway. I guess upgrading the image would be easier with booting over the network, but not neccessary. This is what I liked about the PanoLogic solution --- there is no OS on the device itself. It takes one piece out of the equation, which is nice when dealing with cloud type of architecture.

    3. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that's the reason I suggested network boot, for ease of management - but provided it can be updated remotely by the administrator, booting a local image would also work well.

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    4. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1

      Dell offered a thinclient a couple years ago, IIRC. It was fairly affordable for the time.

      You can find thinclients in the ~$350 ballpark, but that's a bit expensive compared to what's capable with ARM devices now. I imagine you could get them down to $200 and run Android without much problem at all and still have decent quality - their specifications don't need to be that steep, and a Beagleboard spec'd device would more than do the job.

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    5. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Informative

      Maybe Dell can finally offer an affordable thinclient. I am a big fan of their FX100, but it is priced out of range. By the time you license it and plug it in, it costs as much as a small form factor desktop. Not exactly the value customers are looking at with thin clients.

      The point was I think that the savings would come from not having to replace it ever unless it broke - so it would last 10+ years or three or four generations of desktops. The other savings was on the IT side - less management (these things boot up, there's nothing to break, nothing the user can download and infect it, etc) and just having to upgrade the server when necessary.

      Of course, most businesses got sticker shock since they had to make huge IT investments, which they were loathe to do - big powerful servers/blades had to be bought, and terminals that cost the same as a desktop. From an initial investment, it didn't make sense since few businesses plan for such timespans...

    6. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by Ceriel+Nosforit · · Score: 2

      The FX100 is generally used for keeping the admins out of the dino-pen. If they're in the same building they can't complain about lag or latency since there's dedicated hardware on the other end to squeeze bits over ethernet.

      A hardware solution to a people-problem.

      --
      All rites reversed 2010
    7. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      It isn't about the purchase price, that is not the point. Thin clients should be plug and play--no administration. That is the real savings.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    8. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

      It isn't about the purchase price, that is not the point. Thin clients should be plug and play--no administration. That is the real savings.

      Exactly right. This is why Wyse thin-clients are popular at places like banks. You don't need to have an IT guy driving all over hell's half acre to the 100 branches fixing them. They just work. And as for the endpoint cost, you also need to factor in the server costs.

    9. Re:Can't wait to see the rebranded offerings by Kiaradune · · Score: 1

      I suggest you check out evga.com's PD02 client. I have bought dozens of them, and they are sleek, cheap ($300) and identically technically to the FX100/P20.

      --
      This space for rent.
  4. Cloud? Why don't we... by PixetaledPikachu · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...call it what it is: Thin Client. Wyse offers pretty good range of thin clients, from Windows embedded to Linux with built in ICA client. We ended up going with HP, since Wyse's equivalent was pricier

    1. Re:Cloud? Why don't we... by TWX · · Score: 2

      Because managers seems to like new buzzwords for old things, and seem to like reinventing the wheel. This, however, is a first in that it's not reinventing the wheel so much as it's repackaging it and calling it something else.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  5. Wyse? Wow. by beaverdownunder · · Score: 1

    I had a Wyse 286 back in the day. Now I know what happened to them...

    1. Re:Wyse? Wow. by Camaro · · Score: 1

      I had one, too. It was my first "real" computer and I bought it at an auction for a farm equipment dealership that was going out of business in 1991. It was a cool machine with the CPU on a card plugged into a daughterboard. It aso has a 70MB hard drive which was pretty big for those days. I had to pull a tape drive to install a 3.5" floppy drive. I still miss the keyboard.

    2. Re:Wyse? Wow. by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      They continued their terminal biz for another 20 years and got into thin clients in the 2000's. They were smart enough to get out of the "me too" IBM clone market, right as everyone and their mother was bleeding out cash to stay up to date and fail (386 maybe 486 era, never saw a wyse 486 myself, but we still have a wyse 386 controlling an even older robotic line at work which I get to fix now and then as I am apparently the only one around dumb enough to say "heh I was a computer tech back when those things were new")

  6. Dell is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...next they will buy RIM...lol.

  7. Dell will become none the Wyser for doing this. by trudyscousin · · Score: 1

    That is all.

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who can't, write technology blogs.
  8. Dell has lost its way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Michael Dell should shut down the company and give the money back to the shareholders

    1. Re:Dell has lost its way by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      No, the shareholders are getting what they deserve. Shareholders demand 10% growth every year. When PCs are in decline (laptops and handhelds are taking off), you buy Alienware to try to keep your 10% growth. Then, when you need more things to sell, you buy Sonicwall, to add to the other networking companies you've already acquired. Looks like thin clients are making a comeback? Wyse it is. They'll acquire their way to greatness or bankruptcy, all to fit the demands of the shareholders, not in spite of them.

      --
      Learn to love Alaska
  9. Relics by Dynamoo · · Score: 1

    Wyse is a bit of a relic. What next? Zenith Data Systems? Kaypro?

    --
    Never email donotemail@WeAreSpammers.com
    1. Re:Relics by vlm · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wyse is a bit of a relic. What next? Zenith Data Systems? Kaypro?

      I'd like Altair to make a tablet. No more of this glass sheet crap, give me about 50 toggle switches and blinking lights.

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    2. Re:Relics by berashith · · Score: 2

      I have been waiting for the HeathKit tablet.

    3. Re:Relics by davidbrit2 · · Score: 1

      They've been around a long time, but they seem to have a decent presence in the thin client and virtualization market. They make a pretty good Remote Desktop + VMware View client for iPhone and iPad (I think there's an Android version, but I'm not sure how it compares).

    4. Re:Relics by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      64 toggle switches, 64 blinking lights, and a run button.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    5. Re:Relics by zipn00b · · Score: 1

      I miss the old HeathKit stuff. Used to drool over catalogs and magazines with that stuff in there wishing $3 an hour or so would let me afford that stuff.

    6. Re:Relics by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Funny

      Because 64 bits ought to be enough for anybody!

    7. Re:Relics by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      [...] Zenith Data Systems [...]

      Hey! I still have my ZDS T-Shirt from when they were supplying the various federal service academies with PCs.

      Okay, the PCs sucked. But the T-Shirt was cool.

  10. ZeroClient by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    PCoIP and Zero Clients have become very usable in the last few years. My current company is using the WYSE P20 zero clients for our contractors. The Wyse nowadays is just a network-KVM for a VM

  11. Curious... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

    Does Wyse have some sort of secret management-sauce that I've not dealt with in my own relatively small deployments?

    I can easily see that thin clients are something that Dell would be interested in selling; but buying out a company to move into a market is usually something you do if the product is in some what specialized.

    Thin clients are basically the most boring single-board computers available(with specs somewhere between embedded desktops-level and weedy ARM SoC, depending on how 'thin' the customer actually wants) running either Windows Desktop OS Embedded Edition, WinCE, or a cut down linux. Surely this isn't the most difficult market for an existing whitebox slinger to break into?

    1. Re:Curious... by berashith · · Score: 2

      not tough to break in to, but now Dell has an existing installed base, some internal knowledge and relationships to support that base, and one less competitor to deal with. Buying this is probably cheaper than spending a year or two building it up.

    2. Re:Curious... by CuriousGeorge113 · · Score: 1

      You also buy a company if it's a good bargain. The fact that everyone is now selling thin clients really takes away Wyse's competitive edge, so they were probably looking for a buyer. Throw in some nice IP and a distribution network, and an acquisition like this makes a lot of sense, if the price was right.

      --
      No man is an island, But if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie them together, they make a pretty good raft.
    3. Re:Curious... by Caratted · · Score: 2

      I deployed three Dell PCoIP thin clients for some public kiosks in a hotel. 16 months ago.

      They had the best pricing and the integration with VMView was seamless. What's that about an existing installed base? This is about patents.

    4. Re:Curious... by davidbrit2 · · Score: 1

      Dell's been growing quite a bit in the server market lately. I could see them wanting to preen the client side components in order to offer a more complete and integrated virtualization stack.

    5. Re:Curious... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

      Dell wants to sell the SERVERS that all these thin-client Wyse terminals hook up to. Racks and racks of servers...

  12. Why is slashdot so behind by gubers33 · · Score: 2

    This was announced yesterday and I actually saw it in the firehouse yesterday. Yet it isn't posted on Slashdot til today.

    --
    Just because you are wrong and I called you out on it doesn't mean I am a Troll.
  13. So, what happens... by The-Forge · · Score: 2

    So does this mean a wyse60 emulation now becomes a dell60 emulation. Oh the poor termcap databases, how will it ever deal. :)

  14. Um...patents? by robla · · Score: 4, Informative

    From TFA: "The company has more than 180 patents, both issued and pending, covering its solutions, software and differentiated intellectual property."

    1. Re:Um...patents? by DigiShaman · · Score: 2

      Basically same thing nVidia did to 3Dfx. Purchase the company for its IP.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
  15. The Touch by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    No more of this glass sheet crap, give me about 50 toggle switches and blinking lights.

    Touch doesn't get much better than manually flipping a toggle switch. Ahh.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  16. RIM would actually be a good plan... by johnjones · · Score: 1

    great international client list

    lots of gov contracts

    absurdly great patents

    dell I don't think could afford them

    have fun

    John

  17. OpenThinClient.Org and $45 diskless from Geeks.com by charnov · · Score: 2

    I use OpenThinClient.Org and $45 diskless workstations from Geeks.com. Works better than the $250 HP's we have.

    --
    [RIAA] says its concern is artists. That's true, in just the sense that a cattle rancher is concerned about its cattle.
  18. Re:How unfortunate: Wyse and not Wang by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

    Wang is nothing to joke about. Once a profitable company, many investors ignored the warning signs of its decline...
    A lot of people lost their ass to Wang!

    I know, it was a long way to go for the punchline...

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  19. Re:How unfortunate: Wyse and not Wang by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just think of all the Slashdot jokes that could have been...

    That doesn't mean we can't still make Wang jokes.

    Q: Who was the first female computer programmer?

    A: Eve - she had an Apple in one hand, and a Wang in the other.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  20. Why(se)? by unixisc · · Score: 3, Funny

    You don't think this was a wyse decision?

    Dell me about it!

  21. Incomplete summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The summary is incomplete. It contains only facts from which readers might ask questions, spur conversation and draw conclusions.

    Where's the unfounded speculation?
    Where's the flamebait anti-[COMPANY/PRODUCT] FUD?
    Where's the troll-tastic open-ended question?

    Get with it /. editors, we won't stand for this kind of sloppy workmanship!

  22. wow by peas_n_carrots · · Score: 1

    What hubris Dell has to think it can turn around a relic like Wyse. This will magically put them at the forefront of cloud computing, the next iCloud!

    This will be fun to watch. Any wagers on how long before they sell this off on their way down the death spiral?

    1. Re:wow by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      they just need couple of fat patents from them and bam it's lawsuit time for onlive&etc.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  23. Re:Tactical facepalm by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Thin clients are not for the end user they are for the administrators and the people who spend the money.
    You will almost always be better off if you have a full speed desktop at your beck and call vs. a Thin Client... However those clients can stay current much longer and at the cost of a beefy server so Admins don't have to do desktop fixes and you don't need to upgrade every system every 3 years.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  24. Dell to acquire Wyse by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2

    But not wisdom.

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    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  25. Re:Tactical facepalm by datavirtue · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Suzie in Records doesn't need performance, and she doesn't need a USB pot to plug her iPod into, or a hard drive on which to install Weatherbug, or an Application Data folder in which to foothold a rootkit. She needs a fucking terminal. Why run around in circles supporting PCs with Windows and all the necessary infrastructure needed to dick with things that have nothing to do with the business. Use an application server, a terminal (thin-client), and walk away.

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  26. Re:Tactical facepalm by clarkn0va · · Score: 1

    Just because Dell sucks and Wyse sucks doesn't necessarily mean that virtual desktops have to suck. Our government funded institution has Dell hardware and Wyse hardware and the sooner it all disappears the happier I'll be. Meanwhile, we recently deployed around 80 thin clients and the experience for both IT and the client has been unilaterally positive (obviously we didn't use Dell or Wyse in this venture).

    If your'e a government office then you must have an RFP process in place. Use it to define a properly-spec'ed solution and enjoy the benefits.

    --
    I am literally 3000 tokens away from the chaotic crossbow --Stephen
  27. Re:Tactical facepalm by clarkn0va · · Score: 1

    We use LTSP with its built-in RDP functionality. Our thin clients are in-house built using an Intel D525MW board, PicoPSU and 2G of RAM in a mini-box.com m350 case. The whole thing mounts with a bracket to the back of a VESA-compliant monitor. Next year we will be testing new boards, including the latest AMD low-power alternatives, ie, Brazos.

    A dual-core Atom is actually pretty beefy for a thin client, and we pay for it in that our hardware is a little bigger and uses a little more power than your typical Wyse, but this is by design, as ours are used for a variety of more demanding applications, including flash video and other animations. The thin client hardware costs us less than CAD300 per unit including mounting hardware, kb and mouse, and the excellent LTSP software is free.

    --
    I am literally 3000 tokens away from the chaotic crossbow --Stephen
  28. Re:How unfortunate: Wyse and not Wang by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 2

    An old friend of mine used to work at Wang. He was emphatic about that. "I do not work for Wang. I work at Wang!"

  29. Re:How unfortunate: Wyse and not Wang by Forever+Wondering · · Score: 1

    An old friend of mine used to work at Wang. He was emphatic about that. "I do not work for Wang. I work at Wang!"

    An old friend of mine used to for (er... at) Wang. Everybody had Wang word processors in their cubicles. So, people used to walk around and say "Show me your Wang" ...

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    Like a good neighbor, fsck is there ...
  30. Wyse keyboards by Ed+Avis · · Score: 1

    This seems like a good place to ask if anyone has experience with the Wyse 901867-01 terminal keyboards? There are some for sale on Ebay UK at the moment and they look good (Cherry MX black switches, apparently) but the connector is nonstandard. Can it be converted to USB or PS/2?

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    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
  31. Re:How unfortunate: Wyse and not Wang by matuscak · · Score: 1

    Lo these many years ago, I worked for a company that used a Wang VS system. We were testing some voicemail thing they were trying to sell us. As I recall, the Wang system wasn't smart about detecting when someone hung up the phone and you were supposed to hit the "#" key on the keypad when you were done with it. We had a training class where one of the women in the department was going over the functions from the phone keypad and she said "Always pound off the Wang". I was snickering for the next week.