What type of a computer would you recommend for broad deployment in the university's computer labs - a standard computer desktop personal computer or a thin client and why?

Answer 1

I would lean more towards a thin client as it would save a lot of money in the long run. The bulk of the funds would go towards a powerful server that could virtualize the operating system for the thin clients. The thin clients would just be a gateway to the server to load the OS. As I understand it, the major flaw would be if the server goes down, so will everyone else without exception. Although, I believe that is the case in any scenario.