Provide students with a "clean" desktop OS that they can access remotely for using online applications; there are plenty of students out there with adware/spyware laden PCs who have problems with accessing online applications. Think of hosting Ubuntu and FreeNX and students can access an always-clean desktop OS (if you set it up that way) or if funding permits, provide students access to a Vista desktop for those who may be running XP Pro or a FOSS OS like Ubuntu. I know I still run XP Pro on my desktop because my hardware won't suppport upgrading to Vista, but would like to be able to have access to a PC running Vista from the comfort of my own living room. Since XP Pro has RDP client built in, accessing a remotely hosted Vista desktop would be easy. In either case load up the apps that you typically host in the on-campus computer labs (MathCad, SPSS, etc.) and let students run those applications remotely vs. standing in line in the lab.
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Provide students with a "clean" desktop OS that they can access remotely for using online applications; there are plenty of students out there with adware/spyware laden PCs who have problems with accessing online applications. Think of hosting Ubuntu and FreeNX and students can access an always-clean desktop OS (if you set it up that way) or if funding permits, provide students access to a Vista desktop for those who may be running XP Pro or a FOSS OS like Ubuntu. I know I still run XP Pro on my desktop because my hardware won't suppport upgrading to Vista, but would like to be able to have access to a PC running Vista from the comfort of my own living room. Since XP Pro has RDP client built in, accessing a remotely hosted Vista desktop would be easy. In either case load up the apps that you typically host in the on-campus computer labs (MathCad, SPSS, etc.) and let students run those applications remotely vs. standing in line in the lab.