Linux extinde eforturile Red Hat de reducere a costurilor IT pentru desfasurarile pe platformele laptop si calculatoare de birou. Cu Linux, personalitatea si datele care creeaza unicitatea unei masini sunt mutate in retea. Prin intermediul unor agenti inteligenti de actualizare si backup (realizare a copiilor de siguranta), personalitatea si datele utilizatorului sunt stocate in memoria oricarui sistem local pe care il alege utilizatorul. Aceasta permite mobilitatea si flexibilitatea unui sistem de birou standard, dar cu costurile de administrare ale unui client restrans. Pentru administrare, costurile de intretinere si dezvoltare sunt minimizate. Pentru utilizatori, disponibilitatea datelor este independenta de robustetea sau fibilitatea unui sistem singular. Timpul de inactivitate al unui utilizator se limiteaza la intervalul de timp necesar pentru a primi un sistem de schimb

http://www.romsym.ro/detalii_stire.php?news=94

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Note added at 15 mins (2008-09-16 20:10:44 GMT)
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Iata definitia conform Dict. Microsoft de calculatoare, Ed. a II-a, 2002:

thin client - client restrâns

Nivel software al unui calculator client care face foarte puţine lucruri, pentru un terminal de reţea cu gestionare centralizată. Clientul restrâns permite accesul utilizatorului la aplicaţiile şi datele găzduite în server.

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Note added at 19 mins (2008-09-16 20:14:57 GMT)
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A thin client (sometimes also called a lean or slim client) is a client computer or client software in client-server architecture networks which depends primarily on the central server for processing activities, and mainly focuses on conveying input and output between the user and the remote server. In contrast, a thick or fat client does as much processing as possible and passes only data for communications and storage to the server.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client

Thin client


A form of client/server architecture in which no data is stored and relatively little processing occurs on the client machine, which may in extreme cases be a Network Computer (NC). Other forms include the NetPC, which is a Windows machine with limited local storage and configurability. The thin client approach is a very popular concept, but its use should be viewed with caution for sophisticated analytical applications or power user access. Note that ‘thin clients’ often actually require significant processing power and RAM, as well as a high bandwidth network connection, and in the business context, are usually fairly high specification PCs with hard disk drives. See also zero-footprint.
http://www.olapreport.com/glossary.htm

thin client A stripped-down computing device with much lower processing power than a full-blown smart PC. It is designed to work with a host server computer in a client/server computing model. It costs less to acquire and maintain. More recently, this term has been used to describe a computer that works with a Web browser via the Internet with little local computing power. (See browser, client/server.)
http://www.texmed.org/Template.aspx?id=3506



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Note added at 34 mins (2008-09-16 20:29:11 GMT)
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În opoziţie cu fat/thick client - client lărgit, cf. Dict. MS: în arhitectura client/server, calculator client care realizează în mare măsură sau integral prelucrarea, serverul având foarte puţin de lucru sau deloc. Clientul se ocupă de prezentare şi de funcţii, iar serverul gestionează datele şi accesul la acestea.

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Note added at 43 mins (2008-09-16 20:38:09 GMT)
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Alte variante ar fi "terminale thin client" sau chiar "client subtire". Google da mult mai multe rezultate in acest sens.