Now I am confused.

[ianhull]

Hi Guys,

How do you have a PC with no tower?
I saw a system which was working great but it only had a monitor, keyboard and mouse and some sort of switch, the switch also went into the ADSL socket.

Really strange to me, anyone shine any light on this?

Thanks

[bnkrazy]

Got any pics?

Some (really) old machines (C-64 (http://oldcomputers.net/c64.html)) had the CPU integrated in the keyboard itself. Also, are you sure it was a PC and not an iMac (http://www.apple.com/imac/design.html)?

I'm not really into Apple stuff so there may be other newer all-in-one boxes that they offer now.

[Intrigued]

Something like this you mean?

http://www.cybernetman.com/default.cfm?DocId=602

[bnkrazy]

Something like this you mean?

http://www.cybernetman.com/default.cfm?DocId=602


Hmmm, those are really nice looking. Good find!

[ianhull]

Yes it was definatley a PC,

I went to install a new printer, but then realized there was no Tower or CD Rom

I have asked a few people this question and one of them seem to think that the little switch was going through some cisco? switch to a remote server of some sort.

So everything was managed remotley,.

I was asked to connect the printer to the switch via the usb socket and then left it.

I was told the the IT guy would install it after his lunch but he was in another city 80 miles away.

I just thought that it would be a really good idea to have just one server and remote clients connecting through such device.

It would save lots of money and time on individual PC's and repairs. visu removals etc.

if anyone else has any ideas please post.

Thanks

That is a nice find, looks like a little DVD Player, could maybe hook this one up to my TV with a TV Card and do everything at home while sat on the sofa:)

[bnkrazy]

Ahh, didn't think of a Thin Client (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client)...

There are tons of Thin Client manufacturers so it is quite possible you are looking at just what you described. If so, it is essentially a dumb box that when powered up connects to a remote server and simply gets screen refreshes...no processing is done locally.

I have a friend that works with those things...they are pretty neat but most lack a lot of 'mediaish' finctionality so are usually reserved for office applications (which sounds like the case here).

The big push is as you mentioned...the ability to manage everything remotely and not allow the user to mess anything up. :yes

[Corey]

"Thin Client" is my self ascribed nickname. I've been trying to get people to call me that for over a year without a single success. Apparently it's time to re-double my efforts. :yes

[Tek]

Hey... then they can call you T.C.! (Just like on Magnum P.I.) :)

[TJS]

It also could have been a clearcube. This one isn't a thin client. It's a full PC except the hareware is on a blade tucked neatly in a rack in your server room. All the user needs is a cute little "switch", a monitor and their peripherals.

http://www.clearcube.com/controller/product_overview.php

[Intrigued]

It also could have been a clearcube. This one isn't a thin client. It's a full PC except the hareware is on a blade tucked neatly in a rack in your server room. All the user needs is a cute little "switch", a monitor and their peripherals.

http://www.clearcube.com/controller/product_overview.php

http://www.clearcube.com/view/images/english/CC-Overview.jpg

Ha! That looks like me when I would pull out the PRI modem card(s) out of a Total Control unit to clean them with compressed air.

:D

[ianhull]

Looks like it was a thin client package like this one.

http://www.wyse.com/products/winterm/1200le/index.asp

I also found a little software package that will help me setup such a system without buying new hardware.


I could even use old PC's
http://www.2x.com

Niceley priced too which is a bonus.:yes

Thanks for all your input guys,

I think I am now going in the right direction after your posts.

[Corey]

Hey... then they can call you T.C.! (Just like on Magnum P.I.)
*EXACTLY*! Thanks goodness someone understands.

John Candy once did a skit on SCTV called "Magnum P.E.I." which was him with a Tom Selleck moustache and hawaiian shirt protecting potato crops out on Prince Edward Island. :D

It was like a direct variation on his cop skit "Clog" in which he played a Swedish detective (with a ridiculously generic accent) who stops criminals by flicking his shoes (off his feet) 20 feet through the air and knocking them out. John Candy was as funny as any man I've ever seen. Bar none.