ThinLinc at the Raspberry Pi Product Expo – Building our demo

[jeanz]

Hi ThinLinc Community!

We will be at the Raspberry Pi Product Expo on 14th October at De Vere Beaumont Estate, Windsor. We’re excited to take part and connect with the Raspberry Pi team, partners, and the wider community.

For the event, we (@adaha @jeanz @tobias ) are preparing a ThinLinc demo using the Raspberry Pi 500 kit (computer-in-a-keyboard) together with the Raspberry Pi Monitor. The plan is to run the ARM client of ThinLinc on the Pi and access a remote Linux desktop that can handle a 3D application or something fun and interactive.

We’ll also share here the steps we take in setting it up, so this thread becomes a little behind-the-scenes log of the demo.

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We’d love your input:

• What applications or use cases would you like to see in action?

• Any ideas to make the demo more engaging and memorable?

Here’s our starting point (approx. cost: USD 160 for the Pi 500 kit + USD 160 for the monitor):

As the Expo highlights:

“The Product Expo is a valuable opportunity to showcase your Raspberry Pi–based solutions, connect with our global network of Approved Resellers, Design Partners, fellow exhibitors, and engage directly with the Raspberry Pi team.”

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You might not be aware, but ThinLinc is also part of the official Raspberry Pi catalog under Powered by Raspberry Pi:

“Our Powered by Raspberry Pi logo shows that a product uses Raspberry Pi technology. It indicates to customers that the product is powered by our high-quality computers and microcontrollers. Manufacturers can apply to us for a licence to use the logo on Raspberry Pi-based products and their packaging.”

See the catalogue here: Powered by Raspberry Pi

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If you are in the London area or planning to attend the event, reach out to us — we’d love to connect in person!

Looking forward to sharing updates here — and maybe seeing some of you in Windsor!

[j.maus]

This actually sounds like a great upcoming demo and nice application showcase for ThinLinc. Note, that perhaps thinRoot (https://github.com/jens-maus/thinRoot) could be a perfect match here In fact, here in our institution we are PXE booting several RaspberryPi systems directly into RAM (no local storage required) and these systems are then just used to run the ARM ThinLinc client to allow to connect to our ThinLinc server where people hold their sessions. So, a Pi500+Monitor could be a perfect ThinClient using thinRoot IMHO – just try it!

[jeanz]

Thanks for the recommendation @j.maus ! I really like the thinRoot project, and the PXE concept in particular—it removes many of the headaches that come with endpoint management. I’m not sure we’ll be able to include it in the demo at the Expo, since there may be limitations (such as needing to boot over the internet or having less control of the setup on site). Still, this is great information to highlight in flyers, blogs, or other materials to inspire people about the possibilities. We’ll definitely keep it in mind! If not in this demo, we should revisit it later and create a tutorial around it.

[jeanz]

A short video update about our Raspberry Pi Demo.

Raspberry Pi 500 + ThinLinc: Remote Linux Desktop with 3D Apps

[jeanz]

We are now here in Windsor. Welcome!