With the growing trend for desktop and application vitalization, the alternative seems all too often to get over looked. Thin-clients, all be it and “old” solution, is still a good way to deliver software to resource-constrained machines.

MS has repackaged their Windows Terminal Services. Aimed at students, it offers a thin-client platform on Server 2008 R2. Renamed Windows multi point server 2010.

This system, which was announced last year, allows 10 PCs to connect to a host. The host runs Multi Point via remote desktop services (WTS). Microsoft have dubbed Multi Point Server their flagship product in this range, which also includes Mouse Mischief and Multi Point Mouse SDK.

However the platform can only pr obtained via OEMs or MS’s Academic VL program.

The platform has been delivered in response to the demand for more modern and cost effective computing systems within education.

In recent years MS has certainly been pushing to make Windows more accessible to Educational Institutions with lower prices and large discounts to students on Windows 7.

But there is a catch. Multi Point does restrict the end user experience. There will be no Media centre, No Windows Flip, task bar previews or Aero.

So, all this will also set up a new generation of computer users, and clearly a growing market as computing systems become more integral to educational Institutions. But? a growing market means competition, and the restrictions MultiPoint pose will surely open the door for Apple and Linux.