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the_zero_dollar_lab_project [2016/12/30 15:47] – created alanthe_zero_dollar_lab_project [2017/01/05 16:41] (current) – alan
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 ====== The Zero Dollar Lab Project ====== ====== The Zero Dollar Lab Project ======
 +\\
 +~~socialite~~\\
 +\\
 December 30, 2016\\ December 30, 2016\\
 \\ \\
 +[[Beginnings]]\\
 +[[Meeting Notes]]\\
 +[[Project Tracking]]\\
 A very old friend approached me with a proposition. Create a plan to extend computers into low income institutions. In Senegal he saw [[http://www.ltsp.org/|Linux LTSP]] being used in places that had the barest of resources.\\ A very old friend approached me with a proposition. Create a plan to extend computers into low income institutions. In Senegal he saw [[http://www.ltsp.org/|Linux LTSP]] being used in places that had the barest of resources.\\
 \\ \\
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 Thin clients offer some terrific advantages. The cost per seat can get very low. New out of the box dedicated thin clients are less than $200.00. Ten year old Windows XP computers can be converted into Linux thin clients. A suitable Linux computer can be purchased for less than $100.00 (Price based on [[http://witsinc.org/app/|WITS St. Louis]]). A hodgepodge of donated computers could work in a pinch.\\ Thin clients offer some terrific advantages. The cost per seat can get very low. New out of the box dedicated thin clients are less than $200.00. Ten year old Windows XP computers can be converted into Linux thin clients. A suitable Linux computer can be purchased for less than $100.00 (Price based on [[http://witsinc.org/app/|WITS St. Louis]]). A hodgepodge of donated computers could work in a pinch.\\
 \\ \\
-A thin client needs a server to connect to. For a Windows server to serve 50 desktops, properly licensed with Microsoft, with MS Office, also properly licensed, is going to cost between  +A thin client needs a server to connect to. For a Windows server to serve 50 desktops, properly licensed with Microsoft, with MS Office, also properly licensed, is going to cost between $6,000-$10,000).\\ 
 +\\ 
 +To Recap:\\ 
 +|50 desktop thin clients | $5,000| 
 +|50 screens | $5,000| 
 +|keyboards & mice | $500| 
 +|Server, Office | $6,000| 
 +$16,500\\ 
 +Estimated hours for setup and configuration: 20\\ 
 +Technical difficulty:  Need to be experienced with Windows Server\\ 
 +Help available: fee based\\ 
 +\\ 
 +Cost of a Windows 10 lab:\\ 
 +|50 Windows 10 computers | $25,000| 
 +|50 screens | $5,000| 
 +|keyboards & mice | $500| 
 +|MS Office | $4,000| 
 +$34,500\\ 
 +Estimated hours for setup and configuration: 70\\ 
 +Technical difficulty:  Need to be experienced with Windows 10 in a professional environment\\ 
 +Help available: fee based\\ 
 +\\ 
 +Cost of a Pi/LTSP Lab:\\ 
 +|50 Raspberry Pi | $1,000| 
 +|50 screens | $5,000| 
 +|keyboards & mice | $500| 
 +|Linux LTSP Server | $400| 
 +$7,000\\ 
 +Estimated hours for setup and configuration: 70\\ 
 +Technical difficulty: Experiences with Linux \\ 
 +Help available: online\\ 
 +\\ 
 +All labs assume 1 Gb switching and a high speed Internet connection.\\ 
 +\\ 
 +PiNet [[http://pinet.org.uk/]] lowers this cost even further. PiNet offers a classroom management system based on network logins and Raspberry Pi computers. The PiNet server can run with as little as 2Gb of RAM. The client can run on the Pi Zero computers at $5.00 a piece. In a shared environment, each student can carry their school compute on an SD card and plug it in to the lab computer when needed.\\ 
 +\\ 
 +See the PiNet [[http://pinet.org.uk/]] documentation for further information.