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List:       suse-linux-uk-schools
Subject:    Re: [opensuse-edu] what does LTSP\thin client technology mean to
From:       Ian Lynch <ian.lynch () zmsl ! com>
Date:       2007-07-19 22:47:30
Message-ID: 1184885250.5817.227.camel () Zaphod
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On Thu, 2007-07-19 at 19:22 +0100, Phil Thane wrote:
> On Thursday 19 July 2007 16:29:49 Ian Lynch wrote:
> > Get them to fund Dial Solutions to port PDT to Linux and Windows and
> > Open Source it.
> 
> Am I missing something here? Dial Solutions I've heard of, but their CAD 
> package is Oak Draw originally for Acorn I think (hence Oak) but now for 
> Windows. It's basic 2D proabably comparable to TechSoft's Primary Design.
> 
> What's PDT? 

Parametric design tool developed for the Acorn Archimedes back in the
late 80s. I think considerably more powerful than Oak Draw but Phil
Driscoll is better placed than me to say what it can do. I think it was
written in C so might not be too difficult to port.

> ProDESKTOP which is common in UK schools (but now obsolete) is often referred 
> to as ProD. It was produced by Parametric Technology Corp (PTC). Back in the 
> day when a specialist CAD workstation was needed to run PTC's ProEngineer, 
> ProD was the Windows desktop PC alternative for smallish designs. These days 
> a decent Windows or Linux PC will run ProE so commercially ProD is pointless. 
> It continues in schools becase a) they've already got it, and b) it's 
> reasonably simple as 3D CAD goes.

Thing is that thin clients are not ideally suited to specialist CAD but
as servers are getting more powerful that is becoming less of an issue.
Also in a school, I suspect teaching the principles of vector graphics
is not generally highly developed in any case. I see very few examples
of kids stretching inkscape or OpenOffice Draw (or proprietary
equivalents) never mind professional CAD tools. If a school needs 500
terminals for general productivity tools and 5 specialist CAD machines
hooked up to CAM then it seems more sensible to have 500 Linux thn
clients and if necessary 5 workstations running Windows or whatever. We
don't have to have every machine identical. Let's fit the technology to
the educational need rather than having a one size fits all applications
mentality.

Ian
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