Due to hardware reqs we’re tossing the idea at work to replace the Microsoft termserv with Linux. Due to the userbase being all windows fans we’d need a full on GUI and i’ve been prodded towards Mint. Good idea or bad?
I’ve happily set up a remote kunbuntu for my workspace previously, but accomodating multiple complete linux neophytes is giving me a bit of pause.
Bit more info: The current termserv is a debloated win10 machine with the multisession registry edit. However, it’s on an R515 with proxmox (and running extremely well). Due to partner network requirements, we can’t run depreciated software, and the box won’t support win11, and frankly, I sat the boss down and asked him if he wanted to be microsoft’s bitch for the forseeable future and junk serviceable hardware. He’s absolutely up to getting on a linux ecosystem, but the graphical desktop environment is non-negotiable on his end.
You can make KDE Plasma look like a dead ringer for Windows. This might make user acceptance easier.
I’d look at KasmWeb for VDI. You can make instances ephemeral or keep them persistent, and you can also hook actual desktops via the VDI as RDP sessions. I have also set up a docker instance of a Windows session via Dockur and exposed it via Kasm
I’m not sure if you can disable desktop customization in plasma
I just wouldn’t enable persistence on the Kasm session.
I’ve never used Kasm personally. It sounds like a decent piece of software.
Why do you recommend KDE? Wouldn’t Xfce4 or Cinnamon be simpler and lighter weight?
Update: Kasm really is not Foss and requires a EULA
It’s easy to transition a windows user to Plasma as their underlying concepts are very similiar in how windows and workflow are organized. And you can set it up to look exactly like Windows, which would reduce pushback/confusion by the users.
I had one person convinced the laptop I gave them was a Mac for several week. I mean an experienced user would notice things after a short while, but it took quite a while for this user to catch on, and when I told them they were on Manjaro (which they have no clue what that is), there was a shoulder shrug and carried on. Apps like WPS Office look different, but not all that strange.
A basic KDE desktop is as lightweight as XFCE in my experience. You can load it up if you try hard enough, but they’ve put a pile of work into keeping things light and snappy.
Kasm is pretty neat. I run it as a docker stack on it’s own VM, it’s getting quite decent from a sysadmin standpoint since that’s a heavy focus of theirs for setting up a Linux based VDI.