Userful MultiSeat Enables the $59 Linux Desktop Computer
Reduces hardware costs by up to 80 percent.
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Userful Corporation, a specialist in Linux desktop virtualization, has released Userful MultiSeat 4.0, software that turns one Linux computer into 11 high-performance, independent computer stations using standard USB devices such as the HP t100, Wyse E01, MCT MWS 8820, and DisplayLink devices. Userful MultiSeat enables schools and businesses to deploy more than twice as many computers for the same cost while enabling up to 11 users to use different applications at the same time from one host computer, each with their own monitor, keyboard, and mouse. At just $59 per seat (education pricing), Userful MultiSeat is a low-cost computing solution with the features and performance of a full desktop computer.
Userful MultiSeat enables organizations to quickly deploy large numbers of computer stations for a very low cost, whether in the classroom, office, call center, oil field, hospital, library, military base, hotel, internet cafe, or anywhere else multiple computers in close proximity are needed. It reduces hardware costs by up to 80 percent and reduces required infrastructure (power plugs, cabling, etc.) by a factor of 10 compared to a traditional PC-per-seat solution.
It also reduces energy costs by up to 90 percent%, enabling organizations to recover the cost of their computers through electricity cost savings over a few years. On average, Userful's customers report saving 60 percent in up-front costs, and 80 percent in annual power savings compared to their previous PC-per-station solutions.
Each user individually controls his or her own station and applications. To users, it seems as if they each have their own dedicated PC, but in reality they are all sharing the resources of a single host computer. Set up is plug-and-play -- simply plug USB MultiSeat devices into the host PC, plug a monitor, keyboard, and mouse into each USB MultiSeat device, install Userful software, and the system is ready to support multiple users using different applications at the same time from one computer, each with their own monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Userful MultiSeat is also available as part of a software bundle for schools, called Userful MultiSeat Linux 2011. This all-in-one install DVD is a Linux based software bundle that includes a wide variety of no cost applications such as: Edubuntu operating system, iTALC classroom computer management tool, OpenOffice.org office suite, Firefox web browser, and subject based applications for astronomy, chemistry, languages, mathematics, planning, and more. Hundreds more applications can be installed at no charge with a single click through the Software Center -- a centralized repository of free Linux based applications.
With the included classroom computer management software teachers can centrally manage and monitor the computer stations with ease. For instance teachers can see what each student is doing on their station, send students messages, remotely take control of a student's station, share files with and between students, create or delete student accounts/change passwords, and add a new application to all computer stations by installing it only once on the host computer, among other control features.
To learn more, visit: www.userful.com.