The new version of its NeoLinux OS is based on the v2.6 kernel, with better support for wireless connectivity and USB, and will ship with the 9.3.4 release of Citrix’s ICA client, which is the latest for Linux environments.
Among other enhancements is the inclusion of the Firefox browser, replacing the Netscape software with which previous versions have shipped. Dual video support is also achieved more cleanly than in earlier iterations, and the OS has been given a more XP-like look and feel.
The King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based developer started shipping Linux in the mid-nineties, with Red Hat as the distribution used, but in 2005 it acquired a number of Linux companies with their own technology in the space. The first was French developer Mangrove (January 2005), then eSeSix in Germany (March) and Maxspeed in China (October). The result was a proliferation of Linux versions within the company, which have been consolidated into a single code base.
Another important change is that the new NeoLinux ships with a union file system, which means new apps can be added by the customer, such as an Adobe reader, without having to call in Neoware to do the job. There are also more wizard-based set-up capabilities to enable customers to give the devices their corporate identity on the interface, effectively creating an own build, again without recourse to the vendor to do the work.
The announcement follows last week’s unveiling of beefed up versions of its three flagship products for the desktop market, namely the entry-level c50 for task-based workers such as contact center agents, the midrange e90 with richer features and the high-end e140, which has the dual-screen capability and a PCI extension enabling quad-screen and wireless. These devices are now fitted with DDR2 RAM, as well as a new generation of processor from VIA which, though faster, also draws less power.
The e905 ruggedized thin client is designed for places such as cold rooms and foundries, i.e. wherever the environment is too inhospitable for regular machines, explained Andy Gee, sales manager for Northern Europe at Neoware. It can support temperatures between -50 degrees and +50 degrees, ships with a smaller heater on board, and comes with a touchscreen and wireless connectivity, he went on.
The reason for the EU-specific version as distinct from the e900, of course, is the need to comply with environmental legislation such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directives. The e900 has been available in the States for almost two years, so the logic would appear to be that, as the US and other regions pass laws similar to Europe’s, the e905 could replace it in those geographies too.
Pricing for the e905 will only be announced this week, but by way of indicative pricing, the e900 lists for around $3,000 Stateside.
Gee said none of Neoware’s competitors (the main two being HP and Wyse) have such ruggedized products. Neoware was also ahead of the game in having a thin client laptop (the m100, launched in October 2006), which HP has announced as an intention for later this year.
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One of the interesting aspects of the new NeoLinux is the union file system, which is recognition on Neoware’s part that more of its customers are seeking to deploy multiple apps to their thin clients, to the point where it has enabled this to be done by their IT department rather than requiring the intervention of its professional services staff. A smaller vendor in thin client, Germany’s Igel, has been talking about multi-service thin clients for a while now and actually burns multiple apps into the Flash on its devices for this purpose.
As for the ruggedized device, Neoware claims to be alone in offering such a device, and the company was also ahead of the game with its portable thin client.
