News
Userful's computer sharing technology reaches 30,000 schools
4 March 2010
Userful Corporation, a developer of multiseat Linux desktop
virtualization, has announced that 30,000 schools worldwide have chosen
Userful virtual desktops to reduce computing costs and improve
computer-to-student ratios.
Userful virtual desktops allow up to 10 users to simultaneously and
independently share a single PC, each with their own monitor, keyboard,
and mouse. The system also supports many of the same USB multiseat
devices as Windows MultiPoint, making it easy to turn one computer into
many. The system uses free Linux for the server, reducing the cost to
just $69 per seat. Windows MultiPoint requires users to purchase a
Windows Server license and a separate client access license (CAL) per
seat,
Microsoft recently announced it's own multi-seat solution, Microsoft
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. "We think Microsoft joining us in the
multiseat space is great news, it underscores the worldwide demand for
multi-seat computing," said Tim Griffin, President of Userful Corp.
Tough economic conditions, budget pressures, and funding shortfalls
have led more school districts to embrace the hardware, maintenance,
space, and electricity savings of multi-seat Linux desktops.
Much the way Microsoft scrambled to prevent Linux's desktop threat on
Netbooks, says Userful, Microsoft is now taking action in the multi-seat
market, where it has watched entire states and countries move to desktop
Linux. But Free Linux and open source software provide cost savings and
flexibility that Windows simply can't compete with.
Deploying Linux based computer infrastructure frees governments from
depending on Microsoft, and allows governments to engage local companies
to source and customize a Linux distribution and open source software
stack uniquely suited to the needs of their region. With the virtual
desktops, governments are also able to engage local companies to source
all hardware for deployments since Userful has broad support for
standard computer hardware including low-cost video cards, and does not
require any proprietary hardware.
Desktop virtualization software is based on a simple fact:
PCs sit mostly idle while we check our email, surf the web, or type a
document. The PC sharing technology leverages this unused
computing power to create a high performance, environmentally efficient
alternative to stand-alone PCs and thin clients.
"It's hard to say no to a mature technology that allows you to deploy
over twice as many desktops for the same budget, while also slashing
maintenance and electricity costs." Said Sean Rousseau, Marketing
Manager for Userful. "And three years down the road, instead of having
to replace a mountain of obsolete computers, only 1 out of every 10
desktops will need replacing. That's the sort of long term
sustainability that schools need."
Last month, Userful released Userful Multiplier V3.7 which added
improved multilingual support among other features. Over 10 Linux
distributions are supported including Ubuntu 9.10, SLED 11, and Fedora
11. It is available in 64-bit and 32-bit packages in both RPM and DEB
formats, making it compatible with virtually all open source software.
A free 2-user version of Userful Multiplier software for personal or
trial use is available from:
http://userful.com/products/downloads/free-2-user
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