On 26/05/17 06:54, Robert Latest wrote:
> Andrew Gabriel wrote:
>> It's not clear to me if you are still wanting the Pi to be a
>> thin client or not.
>
> Frankly, I don't even know what "thin client" really means -- all I know is
> that the current Windows-based wall-mounted PCs are called thin clients,
> and this colleague of mine and I want to replace them with cheap, reliable
> stuff.

Originally a 'thin client' was a serial terminal. Where all the clever
stuff is dine on the server.

Whether a browser is a thin or a thick client depends on how much
JavaScript you write :-)

Arguably a browser interfacing to a database is pretty 'thin' - its just
a terminal with some graphics ability.


>
> This is big corporation type issue. Windows OS and hardware is leased from
> and maintaned by an external contractor, with extra charges for units
> deployed on the 24/7 shop floor. Huge cost for a few hundred terminals and
> web browsers.
>

Yep.

>> Modern web browser is too big to run with any performance.
>> Some of the cut-down browsers will perform better, but will not
>> provide a modern experience, will not handle some web sites
>> properly, and will feel old.
>
> "Browser experience" is not an issue. The browser is only needed for
> quasi-static, text-only, purely technical content in an industrial
> production environment. An ncurses-based text-only browser is out due to
> lack of user acceptance and smooth transition from today's GUI (IE)
> solution.
>
Yep. Plenty of options for a basic browser. Especially if you can
restrict web pages to exactly what it understands and format exactly for
the screens available. Heck you could go back to firefox release 3 or
something...

You could, given the simplicity of what you appear to want, even write
your own cut-down browser in python or something.

One of the advantages of a private industrial installation is that you
ought to be able to come up with a configuration that needs no upgrades
ever.

Until the hardware is so obsolete it cant be replaced or fixed.



> robert
>


--
Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

"Saki"

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