“Hewlett-Packard made news last June when it announced it would
start a Southeast Asia rollout of its Multi-user 441 Desktop, a
low-cost Linux-based computing setup that allows up to four users
to share one computer, each with his own monitor, keyboard, mouse,
and piece of the CPU. But Userful, a computing services company in
Alberta, Canada, has been selling its own multi-user Linux, called
1-Box, for two years already. The system makes it possible for up
to 10 users at a time to maximize the efficiency of one
computer.“HP positions its multi-user Linux product as a solution for
emerging markets in the education sector in Third World countries.
But Userful is going for North American as well as international
business by marketing 1-Box to public libraries, enterprise
resellers, and OEMs. According to Userful president Tim Griffin,
the company has been working on the software application since
2000…”
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Reuters/Wired:
HP Multi-User PC Sparks Debate(Jul 12, 2004)