Sun Microsystems' new Java Desktop System (JDS) is at the centre of a joint initiative with ICL to provide low-cost computing systems based on open standards.
Sun says JDS will soon be available to provide an alternative desktop solution that is more secure and cost-effective than current systems, yet compatible and interoperable with existing corporate IT infrastructures.
Daryl Blundell, ICL business unit manager, says many CIOs are looking for alternative desktop systems that are cost-effective, secure, flexible, and can support multiple platforms. "Most clients ask for flexibility, compatibility and interoperability."
Blundell told last week's Sun Forum north of Johannesburg that JDS meets all those requirements. "JDS is based on Linux and has all the functionality of the most commonly used desktops which means a saving on licensing and training costs." He says JDS costs a third of the standard PC environment.
"JDS will run on existing PC hardware, laptops and thin clients." Blundell says the use of Sun Ray thin clients represents significant savings because they have low maintenance, administration and power requirements while delivering high performance and eliminating the need for multiple expensive desktop computers.
Dumisani Mtoba, Sun senior systems engineer, told the Sun Forum there was no reason to doubt the viability of JDS because of its strong Unix and open source heritage. "Being Linux-based makes JDS more secure because it is less vulnerable to virus attacks." He says common operating systems are more frequently targeted and because of their common code across all applications, propagation of viruses is more rapid.
Mtoba says JDS comes with an open software stack that offers additional functionality and convenience to users, while reducing the total cost of ownership. He says because JDS is based on open standards, migration costs are also low. "There is no need for server side transformations and there is complete file format compatibility."
Mtoba says Sun staff members have been using desktop solutions based on the same technologies as JDS for the past three years. "I haven't heard any complaints in all that time."
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