With USB, you can have the floppy right next to you. So you don't have to call the IT guy for that or CD or scanner, etc. We also have a "non-OS" reset button so the vast majority of system lock-ups don't require an admin's help either. In our target market, the admins will take the occasional "reboot" responsibility over being responsible for fixing the box after an end-user has gone inside it, changed it, loaded unauthorized s/w, stolen some RAM, spilt some coffee inside and then called for a replacement PC.:-)
So sorry, you'll have to get back to work... can't blame IT for this delay.:-)
You've essentially created a cheap version of analog KVM extension. Our technology is a digital extension of the PCI bus, not just the analog video,keyboard & mouse commands. The difference? Now, you can have peripherals at full speed right next to you. IE, you don't have to go to the closet to put in a new CD or floppy. Feel free to comment directly to:
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Well, what you're missing I guess is that an Xterminal isn't a native 100% compatible PC that can support the applications and h/w for that platform. I've used Xterms, WinTerms, JavaTerms, Ascii Terms (VT100:-) and 3270 terms. I've also used their s/w emulations on PCs (yuck, most of the time). I could use them, but the X,000's of the typical OA users in my previous company couldn't... or wouldn't. IE, they are trained to use basic OA applications that are Windows-based. The industry continues to attempt deployment of non-windows solutions for these types of users with extremely limited success. On paper they look fine, in reality there is serious user-resistance, costs in retraining, development and on-going maintanence of custom software, etc. (All well-documented issues for going "non-standard" over time.) Our product is essentially just another PC... with a large distance between the user and the chassis. However, we do provide many "centralized" benefits while maintaining 100% compatiblity with the distributed PC paradigm of the past 15-20 years.
Feel free to email comments or questions directly,
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Yes, before 2C I worked closely with Citrix since 1996... before they made everyone's radar.:-)
Did you know, however, that 85% of thin client licenses sold by Citrix (according to them and Gartner Group) are used on PCs? IE, the "device" of choice for running "Server-Centric Computing" software from Microsoft and Citrix continues to be a PC, NOT a thin client device such as a Wyse Winterminal. That's why Citrix changed the name of their model from Thin Client software to Server Centric Computing. IE, they don't want the benefits of their model (which are great) confused with "it requires a thin client device". They sell the benefit of heterogeneous, remote-access-at-very-low-speeds, single application hosting or publishing... whatever the device. I personally believe many corporations can benefit from Server-centric computing... BUT as the market has shown, a PC is still the preferred seat for accessing that mission-critical POS application via Citrix or MSTS. Our product provides many similar benefits of the thin client device without taking away the PC compatibility, functionality, peripherals, and distributed "standalone" capability. I believe it's the perfect companion for Citrix, as I've used three generations of thin client devices so far and I wouldn't be happy with being forced to use one. (No internet messaging, limited color, no standard multimedia/audio/video support, poor browsing experience, etc.)
TCO reductions are in various areas such as reducing the expense of going to every cubicle for upgrades or maintenance. Also, in protecting the assets (no 64MB of RAM getting exchanged with a home PC stick of 16MB or exchanging slower speed CPUs, etc.) and preventing unauthorized end-user intrusion or s/w installations. (You don't have to provide them a CD if you don't choose to.)It also eliminates the cost of end-user disruption (time not spent doing other work due to maintenance being performed in their cubicle) and reduces downtime due to easier access (PCs on pull-out shelves instead of crammed under desk and less cabling to remove... VGA, printer, serial, ps2, etc. is at the desk instead of the chassis). Our product is most useful to customers that already have CAT5 installed in their building (estmates range from 90%-95%). However, if you're going to run Fiber to every PC, then we do feel this simplifies the infrastructure, not complicates it. Now it consists of short drop cables and existing CAT5, instead of re-wiring the whole building.
Feel free to email directly,
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Granted, our product doesn't change the fact that it is still a PC. IF your facility can choose to do away with PCs throughout your organization and centralize on NCs, Java, Xwindows, etc., then you don't need this. However, most of these platforms have very limited acceptance compared to PCs. Even Thin Clients for Windows (sales doubling every year) still total less than 1% of the PC sales for last year. I agree that it is silly to waste 1Gps... which is what every CAT5 cable out there is doing when it's running only 100Mbps.:-) Seriously, the CAT5 cable in the cubicle is dedicated to that PC and it's used to run 100Mbps. Why not run our C-Link protocol over that same wire, move the PC to a central location and now run fibre with a 6 foot drop cable over to the co-located fibre-channel switch? NOW, you can consider centralizing those PC resources to a single or few SAN farms. RAID protected, centralized backups, and it eliminates the loss of data and downtime due to hard drive failure in the PC. (Replace with similar box, data & apps already on the "C:" drive on the SAN farm... configure, boot and go.) Only requires a fat pipe, which we help reduce that cost... Lots of IT shops asking for SAN to the desktop PC.
BTW, administration doesn't have to go to the end-user, it can be done local to the chassis with another Cstation or KVM switches or remote via software such as PCanywhere. However, the USER can do other work, now that distruption in the office is eliminated when maintanence or upgrades are required.
Well, the majority of businesses in the world do have CAT5 already installed. This really isn't a technology for solving CAT5 wiring issues, but it can provide dramatic cost reductions for deploying fiber to the PC. (Think SAN-based farms for every C: drive on the net. Better utilization of storage costs, RAID protected and centralized backups... trade-off is it requires a very fast dedicated pipe to each PC... generally means run fiber throughout your building INSTEAD of the CAT5 already installed in most sites.) IF you have CAT5 installed already, our product allows you to centralize the chassis within a few feet of your fibre-channel switch. Now deploying fiber to every PC involves only the NIC and a short fiber patch cable. No need to run 100's of feet to every cubicle and office, thus eliminating the costly labor as well as dramatically reducing the overall fiber lengths required. While most users don't "NEED" a high-powered PC, most users don't accept anything less. Have you used a thin client winterm (256 color, no multimedia/video, no internet messaging, slow internet browsing experience, etc.)? NCs, NetPCs, Thin Clients, etc. have serious user resistance due to limited compatibility and training issues. While all these models offer unique benefits, we feel ours provide many of the same ones AND still uses a PC. Feel free to comment directly via email, Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Actually, the "other" attempts that have met with limited success are more like the "return to mainframe days". Unlike Thin Client devices, NetPCs, NCs, XWindows, or JavaTerms, our product doesn't take away the end-users' PC, nor does it put all users back on one single server like the 3270/IBM 360 days (or VT100's on a VAX/PDP). Yes, there continue to be attempts at solving IT's big problems with "look it's not a PC" and they continue to fall short of expectations. Bottom line, the meat of the industry R&D still targets the PC platform. We're providing a product that embraces the past 20 years of this movement, BUT provides as many of the "mainframe" or "server-centric computing" benefits as possible without sacrificing compatibility or the end-users' experience/peripherals. (And yes, it uses one single CAT5 cable, NOT 2.)
Feel free to email direct with comments or questions,
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
It's a 1-to-1 relationship between a Cstation and the PC chassis. IE, for every Cstation there must be a PC. Think of it as a peripheral for a PC, just like a NIC card or something.
Performance is no different to most users, though some high-end AGP graphics-intensive users might notice a slower FPS. Video and multimedia runs at full speed and I personally know that Quake III appears no different.:-)
So, there is one user on each PCI backplane, just like a regular PC. We are extending the bus over a single CAT5 cable using a digital transmission protocol we call C-Link to allow centralization of corporate/federal PC resources.
Feel free to email questions or comments directly,
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
So far, we really haven't seen an issue that "confuses" the admin as to the problem. Either our product works (IE, the system boots) or it doesn't. After that, configuration issues are the same as a non-modified PC.
The applications range from hostile environments, corporate IT shops disappointed with the limitations of thin client devices (or resistance from end-users), clean-room (fabs) or quiet-room (NLE post-production) environments, maintenance-free zones (kiosks, video slot machines, atms), or asset-protection-required sites (hotel rooms, corporations where RAM goes walk-about, etc.).
It's a solution that both IT managers AND their end-users can appreciate. NCs, Thin Clients, NetPCs, JavaTerminals, etc. don't provide a real PC. There are 100+ million PC users out there that won't accept having their PC taken away from them. We just move the chassis, providing many of the same benefits as these other devices without taking away the personal computing experience, compatibility, peripherals and features from the end-users.
Feel free to email me directly with further comments.
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
You're right on with that example. Of course, a DVD player with a USB attachment can be co-located right by the Cstation, so there's no need to go to a different room to pop in the DVD.
Feel free to email me directly with additional comments.
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
We are working with Gartner to analize the cost savings per PC due to reductions in TCO, asset protection, centralized maintenance, elimination of cubicle-to-cubicle administration (& user disruption), etc. We are comfortable stating the it will pay for itself in the first year of deployment in mid-to-large corporations.
Feel free to email directly with further questions.
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
I would consider them a close competitor because of the similar benefits derived from centralizing all the PCs in an organization. However, we support the complete range of user-interface peripherals such as printers, scanners, floppies, cdrom, cdr/w, PDA cradles, zip drives, etc. I understand they only provide keyboard, video, mouse... similar to analog KVM extension. Also, they require the purchase of both the end-user appliance and the PC. We can work with existing PCs.
Feel free to email directly with further questions.
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Well, we showed our beta product at Networld+Interop and the editors of both Network Computing and Internet week selected this product as a finalist for best of show. We didn't win, but feel very honored and excited that our product received this recognition out of the 300+ submissions for best of show. It is a working product in beta deployment now, so you should be able to judge for yourself in the next few months. We'll be at ITExpo later this month as well as Comdex in November. Look us up!
Thanks,
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Our product does provide a remote reset button for systems that provide MB access to the power/reset logic. Most systems with the feature "sleep on power off" or "hold power button down for 5 secs before powering off" support our remote reset. (Many older systems without this feature can support it as well.) We poll between the card and Cstation on a direct current pulse, so even system lock-ups should be able to be rebooted remotely.
Feel free to email me direct with further questions. Thanks in advance,
Chandler Hall
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
This person is NOT testing our product. I work for 2C Computing and can definitively state he is "out to lunch"... or maybe "out 2 C".:-)
Seriously, just found out we were mentioned here and haven't had time to post any followups to other questions. Would anyone want to hear more?
Thanks in advance,
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
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With USB, you can have the floppy right next to you. So you don't have to call the IT guy for that or CD or scanner, etc. We also have a "non-OS" reset button so the vast majority of system lock-ups don't require an admin's help either. In our target market, the admins will take the occasional "reboot" responsibility over being responsible for fixing the box after an end-user has gone inside it, changed it, loaded unauthorized s/w, stolen some RAM, spilt some coffee inside and then called for a replacement PC. :-)
So sorry, you'll have to get back to work... can't blame IT for this delay. :-)
You've essentially created a cheap version of analog KVM extension. Our technology is a digital extension of the PCI bus, not just the analog video,keyboard & mouse commands. The difference? Now, you can have peripherals at full speed right next to you. IE, you don't have to go to the closet to put in a new CD or floppy. Feel free to comment directly to: Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Well, what you're missing I guess is that an Xterminal isn't a native 100% compatible PC that can support the applications and h/w for that platform. I've used Xterms, WinTerms, JavaTerms, Ascii Terms (VT100 :-) and 3270 terms. I've also used their s/w emulations on PCs (yuck, most of the time). I could use them, but the X,000's of the typical OA users in my previous company couldn't... or wouldn't. IE, they are trained to use basic OA applications that are Windows-based. The industry continues to attempt deployment of non-windows solutions for these types of users with extremely limited success. On paper they look fine, in reality there is serious user-resistance, costs in retraining, development and on-going maintanence of custom software, etc. (All well-documented issues for going "non-standard" over time.) Our product is essentially just another PC... with a large distance between the user and the chassis. However, we do provide many "centralized" benefits while maintaining 100% compatiblity with the distributed PC paradigm of the past 15-20 years.
Feel free to email comments or questions directly,
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Yes, before 2C I worked closely with Citrix since 1996... before they made everyone's radar. :-)
Did you know, however, that 85% of thin client licenses sold by Citrix (according to them and Gartner Group) are used on PCs? IE, the "device" of choice for running "Server-Centric Computing" software from Microsoft and Citrix continues to be a PC, NOT a thin client device such as a Wyse Winterminal. That's why Citrix changed the name of their model from Thin Client software to Server Centric Computing. IE, they don't want the benefits of their model (which are great) confused with "it requires a thin client device". They sell the benefit of heterogeneous, remote-access-at-very-low-speeds, single application hosting or publishing... whatever the device. I personally believe many corporations can benefit from Server-centric computing... BUT as the market has shown, a PC is still the preferred seat for accessing that mission-critical POS application via Citrix or MSTS. Our product provides many similar benefits of the thin client device without taking away the PC compatibility, functionality, peripherals, and distributed "standalone" capability. I believe it's the perfect companion for Citrix, as I've used three generations of thin client devices so far and I wouldn't be happy with being forced to use one. (No internet messaging, limited color, no standard multimedia/audio/video support, poor browsing experience, etc.)
TCO reductions are in various areas such as reducing the expense of going to every cubicle for upgrades or maintenance. Also, in protecting the assets (no 64MB of RAM getting exchanged with a home PC stick of 16MB or exchanging slower speed CPUs, etc.) and preventing unauthorized end-user intrusion or s/w installations. (You don't have to provide them a CD if you don't choose to.)It also eliminates the cost of end-user disruption (time not spent doing other work due to maintenance being performed in their cubicle) and reduces downtime due to easier access (PCs on pull-out shelves instead of crammed under desk and less cabling to remove... VGA, printer, serial, ps2, etc. is at the desk instead of the chassis). Our product is most useful to customers that already have CAT5 installed in their building (estmates range from 90%-95%). However, if you're going to run Fiber to every PC, then we do feel this simplifies the infrastructure, not complicates it. Now it consists of short drop cables and existing CAT5, instead of re-wiring the whole building. Feel free to email directly, Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Granted, our product doesn't change the fact that it is still a PC. IF your facility can choose to do away with PCs throughout your organization and centralize on NCs, Java, Xwindows, etc., then you don't need this. However, most of these platforms have very limited acceptance compared to PCs. Even Thin Clients for Windows (sales doubling every year) still total less than 1% of the PC sales for last year. I agree that it is silly to waste 1Gps... which is what every CAT5 cable out there is doing when it's running only 100Mbps. :-) Seriously, the CAT5 cable in the cubicle is dedicated to that PC and it's used to run 100Mbps. Why not run our C-Link protocol over that same wire, move the PC to a central location and now run fibre with a 6 foot drop cable over to the co-located fibre-channel switch? NOW, you can consider centralizing those PC resources to a single or few SAN farms. RAID protected, centralized backups, and it eliminates the loss of data and downtime due to hard drive failure in the PC. (Replace with similar box, data & apps already on the "C:" drive on the SAN farm... configure, boot and go.) Only requires a fat pipe, which we help reduce that cost... Lots of IT shops asking for SAN to the desktop PC.
BTW, administration doesn't have to go to the end-user, it can be done local to the chassis with another Cstation or KVM switches or remote via software such as PCanywhere. However, the USER can do other work, now that distruption in the office is eliminated when maintanence or upgrades are required.
Well, the majority of businesses in the world do have CAT5 already installed. This really isn't a technology for solving CAT5 wiring issues, but it can provide dramatic cost reductions for deploying fiber to the PC. (Think SAN-based farms for every C: drive on the net. Better utilization of storage costs, RAID protected and centralized backups... trade-off is it requires a very fast dedicated pipe to each PC... generally means run fiber throughout your building INSTEAD of the CAT5 already installed in most sites.) IF you have CAT5 installed already, our product allows you to centralize the chassis within a few feet of your fibre-channel switch. Now deploying fiber to every PC involves only the NIC and a short fiber patch cable. No need to run 100's of feet to every cubicle and office, thus eliminating the costly labor as well as dramatically reducing the overall fiber lengths required. While most users don't "NEED" a high-powered PC, most users don't accept anything less. Have you used a thin client winterm (256 color, no multimedia/video, no internet messaging, slow internet browsing experience, etc.)? NCs, NetPCs, Thin Clients, etc. have serious user resistance due to limited compatibility and training issues. While all these models offer unique benefits, we feel ours provide many of the same ones AND still uses a PC. Feel free to comment directly via email, Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Actually, the "other" attempts that have met with limited success are more like the "return to mainframe days". Unlike Thin Client devices, NetPCs, NCs, XWindows, or JavaTerms, our product doesn't take away the end-users' PC, nor does it put all users back on one single server like the 3270/IBM 360 days (or VT100's on a VAX/PDP). Yes, there continue to be attempts at solving IT's big problems with "look it's not a PC" and they continue to fall short of expectations. Bottom line, the meat of the industry R&D still targets the PC platform. We're providing a product that embraces the past 20 years of this movement, BUT provides as many of the "mainframe" or "server-centric computing" benefits as possible without sacrificing compatibility or the end-users' experience/peripherals. (And yes, it uses one single CAT5 cable, NOT 2.) Feel free to email direct with comments or questions, Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
It's a 1-to-1 relationship between a Cstation and the PC chassis. IE, for every Cstation there must be a PC. Think of it as a peripheral for a PC, just like a NIC card or something. Performance is no different to most users, though some high-end AGP graphics-intensive users might notice a slower FPS. Video and multimedia runs at full speed and I personally know that Quake III appears no different. :-)
So, there is one user on each PCI backplane, just like a regular PC. We are extending the bus over a single CAT5 cable using a digital transmission protocol we call C-Link to allow centralization of corporate/federal PC resources.
Feel free to email questions or comments directly,
Chandler
Chandler@2ccomputing.com
So far, we really haven't seen an issue that "confuses" the admin as to the problem. Either our product works (IE, the system boots) or it doesn't. After that, configuration issues are the same as a non-modified PC. The applications range from hostile environments, corporate IT shops disappointed with the limitations of thin client devices (or resistance from end-users), clean-room (fabs) or quiet-room (NLE post-production) environments, maintenance-free zones (kiosks, video slot machines, atms), or asset-protection-required sites (hotel rooms, corporations where RAM goes walk-about, etc.). It's a solution that both IT managers AND their end-users can appreciate. NCs, Thin Clients, NetPCs, JavaTerminals, etc. don't provide a real PC. There are 100+ million PC users out there that won't accept having their PC taken away from them. We just move the chassis, providing many of the same benefits as these other devices without taking away the personal computing experience, compatibility, peripherals and features from the end-users. Feel free to email me directly with further comments. Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
You're right on with that example. Of course, a DVD player with a USB attachment can be co-located right by the Cstation, so there's no need to go to a different room to pop in the DVD. Feel free to email me directly with additional comments. Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
We are working with Gartner to analize the cost savings per PC due to reductions in TCO, asset protection, centralized maintenance, elimination of cubicle-to-cubicle administration (& user disruption), etc. We are comfortable stating the it will pay for itself in the first year of deployment in mid-to-large corporations. Feel free to email directly with further questions. Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
I would consider them a close competitor because of the similar benefits derived from centralizing all the PCs in an organization. However, we support the complete range of user-interface peripherals such as printers, scanners, floppies, cdrom, cdr/w, PDA cradles, zip drives, etc. I understand they only provide keyboard, video, mouse... similar to analog KVM extension. Also, they require the purchase of both the end-user appliance and the PC. We can work with existing PCs. Feel free to email directly with further questions. Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Well, we showed our beta product at Networld+Interop and the editors of both Network Computing and Internet week selected this product as a finalist for best of show. We didn't win, but feel very honored and excited that our product received this recognition out of the 300+ submissions for best of show. It is a working product in beta deployment now, so you should be able to judge for yourself in the next few months. We'll be at ITExpo later this month as well as Comdex in November. Look us up! Thanks, Chandler Chandler@2ccomputing.com
Our product does provide a remote reset button for systems that provide MB access to the power/reset logic. Most systems with the feature "sleep on power off" or "hold power button down for 5 secs before powering off" support our remote reset. (Many older systems without this feature can support it as well.) We poll between the card and Cstation on a direct current pulse, so even system lock-ups should be able to be rebooted remotely. Feel free to email me direct with further questions. Thanks in advance, Chandler Hall Chandler@2ccomputing.com
This person is NOT testing our product. I work for 2C Computing and can definitively state he is "out to lunch"... or maybe "out 2 C". :-)
Seriously, just found out we were mentioned here and haven't had time to post any followups to other questions. Would anyone want to hear more?
Thanks in advance,
Chandler@2ccomputing.com