Multiseat Linux makes inroads into rural schools

SOFTWARE

Desktop virtualisation firm Userful Corporation reports that its latest solution, Userful MultiSeat Linux 2010, is being snapped up in Latin America and Asia, despite not being officially available yet.

The company says the low cost and robustness of its MultiSeat solution has even made it possible for schools in rural villages in Brazil, where infrastructure is minimal, electricity is unreliable, and there is little physical space, to provide computer access to students for the first time.

Userful MultiSeat Linux 2010 allows up to 10 students to connect to a single host PC at the same time, each with their own monitor, keyboard, mouse and applications.

Userful says the upfront hardware and software cost savings, and ongoing electricity and maintenance cost savings provided by Userful MultiSeat Linux 2010 can multiply the number of computer stations available to schools, delivering more stations within the same budget. On average, Userful's education customers report saving 60% in up-front costs, and 80% in annual power savings as compared to their previous PC-per-station solutions.

The company reports that more than 30 000 schools in 100 countries are using Userful to provide millions of students with computer access.

Beverley Gallagher, VP Strategic Partnerships at Userful, says: Our education customers have been asking us to bundle Userful MultiSeat technology with their favorite Linux software so that they can install it all at once from a single DVD. That's exactly what we've done, and the response has been fantastic.

Because the product is Linux based, the operating system (OS) and application software is all free, allowing hundreds of free, open source, end-user and education-specific applications to be included, such as: Edubuntu OS, iTALC classroom computer management tool, ATutor teacher assignment tracking software, OpenOffice.org office suite, GIMP graphics suite, GCompris educational games suite and Firefox web browser.

Teachers can also use free open source software to further lower costs, tailoring curricula to individual students, and monitoring and controlling the classroom computers.

A preview version of Userful MultiSeat Linux 2010 is available now for pilots and customer trials. To learn more and to download, visithttp://userful.com/products/userful-multiseat-linux