RE: Green Screen (Dumb Terminal) Email Client for System i

["John Taylor" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I think it is likely that the client doesn't want to allow any of the
> possibilities that having a web browser enables.  There are good
> reasons
> for that.  Locking down web access or a web browser may be more trouble
> than it's worth.  I think there can be legitimate reason why a business
> wouldn't want to allow anything like that.
>
> What about a solution that is for all intents and purposes all green
> screen?  I'm thinking you could have a linux machine that doesn't run
> X.
> On one VT you run tn5250 in console mode, on another VT you run pine or
> elm.  Using only VTs, everything is basically green screen - i.e. it is
> an
> old ASCII terminal.
>
> Another possibility is to use twm or some other basic window manager
> and
> run X.  You could configure twm to only launch x5250 (for a much nicer
> experience than tn5250 in console mode) and an xterm for pine.  A basic
> window manager like twm doesn't support icons on the desktop or many of
> the things in a modern desktop.  With an appropriate system
> configuration,
> there wouldn't be any web browser to launch or any games or anything
> else
> at all - x5250, xterm, and pine are all you get.  Nothing for the users
> to
> waste time on.


Or, you could just configure a GPO in the Active Directory to lock down the
Windows machine so that the only programs it will run are the Terminal
Emulation software and the email client. That would take about 5 minutes.
But the Linux solution would for sure generate more billable hours for the
OP! :))