Some comments inline, below --
"In my opinion the best source for session based computing (SBC), thin clients, remote desktop, etc. information and discussion is Brian Madden (Microsoft MVP):
http://brianmadden.com
His community of users, vendors and implementers is the epicenter of what is possible today and forward looking to what is coming. (If you know of others, please share)"
This is a bit hyperbolic; the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Terminal_Server_Project ) has been around for quite a while. I'd recommend the version that ships with Ubuntu Linux: http://edubuntu.org/UsingEdubuntu
"In short, I do not feel SBC and thin clients are a viable solution for student lab use today. Yes, they can work today for the business office, but multimedia support is the limiting factor when students are the intended end user. Great advances are being made by Citrix, Wyse, Microsoft and a host of other vendors. I feel 2010 will see the tipping point toward thin clients. Today the overall cost of a SBC ONLY solution, balanced with the end user experience, is just not there."
Strip out licensing fees, and any need to pay or recurring licenses, or seat licenses, and TCO is much better. Also, RE multimedia, if the multimedia apps are run locally (ie, on the thin client) you can sidestep some of the performance issues. But yes, multimedia on thin clients is not what you get on a standard desktop machine.
"I feel there is a perception that thin clients are a Windows only solution, but Aqua Connect is working with the Mac OS to deliver the experience on thin devices:"
In my experience, this is not a broadly held perception. Given the stability of Linux-based thin clients, and the move toward inexpensive handheld/small-profile systems (ie, the eeePC), most people are surprised to learn that MS is still in the game at all.
Cheers,
Bill
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