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Terminal / Server Computing under Linux

Linux (and other *nix operating systems) have adopted an X server / X client approach from the earliest days of windowing systems, and so are ideally suited technically to deliver the benefits of terminal / server computing.

• For clients: the modular design of the Linux kernel also means it is easy to design a minimal Linux kernel to power an X terminal. The fact that Linux and the X Servers XFree86/X.Org are free of licence fees also makes their use in large numbers of terminals commercially attractive.

• For servers: Linux is also an ideal operating system for servers, as it was designed from the outset to support tens to hundreds of users on a single system, with all the reliability, scalability, and security features that server based computing requires. Linux now offers open-source software for providing normal office computing – web browsers, email clients, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, presentations – making it a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows for most office users.

Microsoft Windows, however, is a relatively poor platform for Terminal / Server operation.

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