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A corporation is providing a hardware / software package that is halving the costs of computer labs worldwide while decrease electricity use by turning one computer into ten.
The vast majority of computers are idle during work hours. It's a strange phenomenon, but no so surprising when you think about it.
The things that we normally do at our computers (read, type, type, read) is an afterthought for today's gigahertz processors. That's why Userful, the world's leader in public computing, recently started hooking one computer up to as many as ten workstations.
The result:
Users have no idea that they're sharing a computer and computer labs all across the world cut their budget in half. But, more importantly, this also saves a huge amount of energy. First, because the computers don't have to be built in the first place, and second because one PC running a maximum capacity uses way less energy than three computers idling, let alone ten.
The hardware is basically a PCI card that allows more monitors and keyboards to be hooked to a regular desktop computer. Userful's software then controls each workstation separately, making it look as if each user has his or her own computer.
Userful has calculated that their hardware / software bundle, called DiscoverStation, has prevented the release of over 13,000 tons of CO2. If just 1% of PCs in the world were switched to the DiscoverStation platform, it would be like removing 26 million cars from the road.
Talk about a good idea who's time has come!
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written by DontStopDancing, July 11, 2007
If you go for configuration without sound.. i just remake with old UNIX technology ie one box many terminals. I have seen this type of configurations on high-schools, its called multi-seat.
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written by Tobias, July 11, 2007
But I do like the idea.
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written by Jade, July 12, 2007
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written by jayKayEss, July 12, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client
I read somewhere on the intarwebs about how thin-client computing on Linux is becoming a popular option for cash-strapped public school disticts.
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written by Josh, July 13, 2007
an interesting thought is that providers are beginning to do the opposite: with google at the top level using hundreds of computers linked together to provide a single service, now we are going to be using one computer to serve many people from a lower level.
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written by Jason, January 03, 2008
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