Press Release For Immediate Release


Waterford, MI USA; 7 Jan 2002 ­ The Linux Terminal Server Project
team announce the immediate release of version 3.0 of the LTSP
software package. The LTSP package has become the standard for
running thin client computers on a Linux server.  It provides an
ideal solution for organizations who want to provide high quality
computing solutions to networked users at the lowest possible cost.
LTSP software can be found in homes ­ providing affordable
computing for all the family ­ through internet cafes and
classrooms, right up to commercial, corporate, and public sector
organizations, providing enterprise scale desktop computing.


The launch of Windows XP and the imminent end of Microsoft support
for Windows NT/9x is threatening many organizations with an
unwanted and expensive software and hardware upgrade. LTSP v3
provides an alternative, extending the life of existing desktop PCs
until they literally fall apart from old age. The tiny footprint
LTSP v3 client software boots in seconds on standard PCs, and
can deliver leading edge performance even on 486 PCs on the
desktop. Users of previous versions of LTSP have eagerly snapped
up PCs dumped on the second hand market by Microsoft users.
Usage has been particularly enthusiastic in countries where IT
budgets are tight ­ variants are available in English, German,
Spanish and Indonesian.


Using LTSP v3, all the heavy work takes place on a server. Due
to the efficiency of the underlying operating system, a business
class server can serve hundreds of desktops ­ far more than a
comparable Windows system. The more users who run the same
software package, the more efficient the system becomes.
Furthermore, a server based architecture means easy
administration of all clients from one central point, no
software distribution hassles, virtual elimination of virus
problems ­ all of which add up to low maintenance, low cost
computing.


At the heart of LTSP v3 lies the open source GNU/Linux operating
system, specially tailored to run on a diskless workstation ­ a
thin client computer. The LTSP team have taken standard
utilities familiar to Linux/UNIX people and built them into a
single, easy to install, fully documented package, which runs
on all common Linux variants. This means that anyone with basic
UNIX or Linux skills should have no difficulty installing and
running a complete LTSP v3 environment. And, as it's open
source, there are no licence fees to pay.


For Jim McQuillan, lead technical architect at LTSP, launch of
version 3 of LTSP has come at a perfect time. "We can now roll
out a desktop where former Windows users feel completely at home.
With KDE or Gnome, everything acts like it used to under Windows.
For people familiar with Microsoft Office, Linux alternatives
like release 6 of StarOffice are a perfect replacement ­ as it
uses the same file formats, users can continue to use their old
files and exchange files seamlessly with Microsoft users. It's
just that everything runs more reliably, and for a lot less
expense. We have at last a better windows than Windows."


LTSP v3 is available for free download from the LTSP website,
http://www.ltsp.org, or for purchase on CDRom for $6.95 (US)
from http://www.DisklessWorkstations.com.


Technical Information

LTSP v3 packages are available in RPM, TGZ, and DEB formats
from the LTSP website http://www.ltsp.org. On the server, LTSP
v3 is supported under the following Linux distributions:

   o  Redhat 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2
   o  Mandrake 7.2, 8.0, & 8.1
   o  SuSE 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1 & 7.2
   o  Debian 2.0, 2.1 & 2.2
   o  Caldera eDesktop 2.3, 2.4, & eServer 2.3;
   o  Conectiva


The standard client software is based on a specially built
2.4.9 kernel and XFree86 4.1.0. It can be booted from a
floppy disk, a hard disk or a network card using Etherboot
software (http://etherboot.sf.net) or PXE bootroms.
The client software supports the use of local printers
(serial / parallel port and USB), and v3 includes automatic
detection of PCI network and video cards, simplifying the
installation and configuration process.


About the LTSP organization

The LTSP software is developed, supported, and maintained by
hundreds of developers across the world, working under the
Open Source development model, and using the facilities of
SourceForge http://www.sf.net. For further information, join
the LTSP discussion lists details at
http://www.ltsp.org/mailinglists.php.


For further information, contact

Jim McQuillan  tel: (810) 713 2830 email: jam@McQuil.Com

Online versions of this press release are available at:
   
PDF  - http://www.LTSP.org/press_releases/ltsp-3.0.pdf
TEXT - http://www.LTSP.org/press_releases/ltsp-3.0.txt


Windows and the Windows operating system are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.
and/or other countries. StarOffice is either a registered
trademark or trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S.
and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus
Torvalds. All other products, services, companies, events and
publications are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service
marks of their respective owners in the U.S. and /or other
countries.