[K12OSN] Crazy OSX thought (2)

[Alan A Hodson]

This may be a little off target, but if there is a K12LTSP server 
that feeds thin clients, most Macs can be part of that lab. A simple 
patch cable gives them access to the internet (OS 9/OS X), and 
running an application like "Chicken of the VNC" allows the Mac to 
completely become a thin client, while still keeping all the Mac 
functionality... The best of both worlds!

For multiple Macs, it seems like setting up a K12LTSP server might be 
the "easy" route to follow...

Cheers
Alan A Hodson
aahodson at episd.org
http://links.episd.org
-=o=-


>On Fri, 28 Jan 2005, Jim Kronebusch wrote:
>
>>  Is the concept feasable to make and /opt/ltsp/osx that contains the
>>  necessary items to boot OSX over LTSP on true thin terminals?
>
>That would be OSX for PPC thin clients.  Unless you are talking about
>porting OSX to the x86 platform.  Probably not an easy thing to do.
>
>>
>>  Is it as simple as packaging a running OSX directory structure and placing
>>  it there, then calling on the proper kernels with something along the lines
>>  of yaboot?  What is the basic process that goes into making the opt/ltsp
>>  directories?
>
>That would be sort of like loading an entire redhat distribution into a
>subdirectory, maybe /opt/ltsp/redhat.  and netbooting a thin client to
>mount that directory.
>
>The problem is, it ends up running a whole boat load of stuff that isn't
>needed in a thin client environment.  The whole init process is way too
>bloated for a thin client.  No reason to run sendmail or cron or any of
>the other services that a typical Unix/Linux box runs at startup.
>
>Sure you could cut it down to the bare minimum, but when you are
>finished, does it really end up looking like OSX?
>
>
>And, if you want to see the basic process that goes into making the
>/opt/ltsp directories, download the LBE from cvs, and build it.  That
>generates the entire ltsp tree.
>
>
>>
>>  I just ask becuase it would add another dimension to LTSP's capabilities and
>>  further help "sell" the idea.  I know you can netboot OSX but that seems so
>>  old hat :-)
>
>It wouldn't be LTSP anymore.  It would be OTSP or something else.
>
>>
>>  It would be very cool to run multiple sessions on a booted thin
>>  simultaneously and be able to hot key between OSX, Fedora, and Terminal
>>  Services.  Then I could still maintain a completely thin LTSP computing
>>  environment yet still have operating system diversity at your fingertips.
>
>You want to run multiple operating systems on a single thin client
>simultaneously?  If you could pull it off, you might get the best of all
>worlds, but keep in mind, you'd also be getting the worst of all worlds.
>
>The whole idea of LTSP and thin clients is to keep it all simple.
>Simple to manage, simple to install, simple to use.
>
>Sorry, I don't mean to knock your idea.  If it's something you are
>interested in, go for it.  that's the cool thing about this free
>software stuff.  There is NO barrier to entry.  Anybody who's got an
>idea can just jump in, and run with it.  AND, they don't have to start
>at zero.  They can start with something that already works, and build on
>top of it.
>
>Jim McQuillan
>jam at Ltsp.org
>
>
>
>>
>>  Jim Kronebusch
>>  Cotter Tech Department
>>  507-453-5188
>>
>>
>>  --
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