Andrew (R.S Admin) @ajroach42@retro.social

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I've never done this in a multi-user setup, or with non-technical end users, but I can't think of a good reason not to.

At it's heart, it seems like it should be simple enough. My only real concern is making sure that the mainframe has enough juice, and a big enough straw.

But these are *old* thin clients. I think they were designed for Windows CE? So there are doubtless concerns that I'm missing.

I used to daydream about running an application server on an absolutely monstrous "mainframe" that used a bunch of different thin clients as graphical terminals.

Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to set up. Linux and BSD are supposed to be multi-user systems by default. Forwarding an X session over SSH or whatever isn't that bad, once you've done it, and the makerspace will have a blazing fast LAN.

Howdy - The local Electronics recycler has an absolutely massive quantity of old WYSE WT3360SE thin clients, and a pretty large selection of HP T5740s and now I'm thinking.

I could probably get these machines very cheaply. (Like, Pi0 cheaply. Maybe even less per unit if I get them all.)

They come with mice and keyboards, mostly, and are complete.

Anyway, now that someone else has done all the hard work of designing the thing, I'll probably put it on the docket for a q4 this year or a q1 next year project for the maker space.

I'll probably only follow through with Mod #1 and maybe mod #2 (and the ones I build to sell, if I build any to sell, will probably just not have an OS supplied, or ship with FreeDOS and expect the user to update.)

Modification #1 - on motherboard ESP8266 as COM2.

Modification #2 - Cyberdock (that is to say, a docking station that provides a mechanical keyboard, a monitor, and a trackball, in a cyberdeck configuration)

Modification #3 - Instead of Windows 98, multiboot windows (if the user insists, FreeDOS and/or a BSD flavor (with optional DOS emulator)

Mod #4 - TandyDock (that is to say, a keyboard enclosure for the computer, with a real floppy drive and a TGA compatible graphics mode.)

Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJEp4ZUG7BI

It's *almost* entirely made from new parts. The sound card uses a chip that is commonly available but out of production.

I've looked in to some of these system on modules before, but I've never done PCB design, so I've always been scared away from going down this path.

The little box he comes up with is delightful, and I'd love to build a few myself (with a few small modifications)

I saw this video on youtube (link in the replies) where this guy builds a very small MS-DOS and windows machine on a 1ghz 486 compatible embedded computer.

It's not a product that he sells, he's open sourced the designs. He builds an ISA soundcard and a couple of other peripheral bits, and the whole thing boots from an SD card.

It is a very fast 486, but it can be made to be a slow 486. It does not have any 3D acceleration, but is otherwise a very serviceable DOS gaming machine.

I think I'm going to take my cinema camera out tonight and try and get some b-roll as the sun sets.

I watched the first act of a stage production of The Importance of being Earnest last night and I noticed some pretty remarkable similarities between Wilde's style in Earnest and the places that Wodehouse would explore with Jeeves and Wooster.

I've always been fond of both, but never noticed the similarities until today.

I think I just hit my four year mastodon anniversary?

My Laptop is On The Way

I can tune it out when I'm working quickly. I can ignore it when I'm not under a deadline.

But, when I'm working on something that requires both deep concentration and lots of thought it might be better for me to use a more quiet keyboard.

I've noticed that, when I'm working on a deadline and feeling stressed out, the sound of a model M somehow makes things worse.

I said "Somehow" here as if it was difficult to understand. It ain't hard to grok, it's a rapid fire barrage of loud clicking sounds punctuating any progress I make with a cacophony, and underscoring that cacophony with a truly unbearable silence as I struggle to get to the next line.

I haven't had a real, new laptop in 6+ years.

I ordered myself a new laptop, a Lemur Pro from System 76 outfitted with:

- 4.7 GHz i7-1165G7 (12MB Cache 4 Cores – 8 Threads)
- 40 GB DDR4 at 3200MHz
- 2 x 500 GB PCIe Gen3 Seq Read: 2400 MB/s, Seq Write: 1750 MB/s
- 14.1" Matte 1080p FHD Display
- Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics

I ordered it on the 1st, so it should ship "soon"

I'm getting antsy, I would very much like it to arrive so I can start migrating to it.

Today, I hope to finish cleaning off my desk, get my HDMI capture box set up to record some VidyaGames and my MFJ Video Effects Titler and Sony Trinicon camera set up to shoot some videos, and then to do a quick video tour of the Hyperkin SQ which is super neat (though not as neat as I expected it to be, yet.)

Not pictured here, my buddy Ryan standing in an antique store, because everyone made fun of his shoes the last time.

That antique store was where he and I met, it was my first job out of highschool, my first programming job, my first experience with failing to live up to someone else's expectations.

I didn't buy anything while I was there, it's all too expensive, and it was very crowded.

I did see the owners for the first time in five years, and the second time since I left that job in 2010