Showerthought: I saw a public library's computer lab and it made me think about our work differently

I was at the downtown branch in Springfield yesterday and noticed they have 30 identical, locked-down PCs for public use, all running a custom Windows image. It struck me how much unseen maintenance that setup requires compared to a regular office. How many of you have experience managing a public or kiosk-style computer environment?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek_lee28d ago

Actually, those library PCs are probably running a thin client setup, not a full custom Windows image on each one. It's way cheaper and easier to manage. They all connect to a central server. The local machine is basically just a dumb terminal. That's why they can have so many identical units without constant re-imaging.

rowan_reed6828d agoTop Commenter

Yeah that makes total sense. Always wondered how they kept those things running with so many people using them. Must be a huge relief for the IT staff not having to fix every single computer when something goes wrong. Just reboot the terminal and you're back to the same setup as everyone else.

kevinking27d ago

Oh man, that's a good point. I never thought about how they all just pull from one main computer. Makes you wonder why more places don't do it that way.