For a project I'm working on the customer ordered Raspberry Pi3 Thin Client from ViewSonic to evaluate. Why is this interesting? Citrix made the promise to release a Thin Client blow $100 dollar to end, in my opinion, stupid discussion about Thin- and Fat Clients and the initial price for the device.

Thin Client vendors have blown up the price for their devices that many customers said it's the same or even more expensive as a fat client. The customer total leaves out the fact that Thin Clients have normally a much longer lifetime than a fat client. I have customers still using the same Thin Clients for more than 10 years! The guy who is purchasing the device for the company doesn't know about it and just compare A with B and is a comparison between apples and pears - it's simply not the same!

Citrix has been in the business for over 20 years; the founder and dominator of the multi-user market. The questions are always the same: "Do I need XenApp or XenDesktop - Isn't Microsoft Remote Desktop enough? Do I have to spend a lot of extra money on Citrix?" I was a Microsoft MVP for Remote Desktop Service (RDS) for four years and I remember the last time I was in Redmond. I said some things Microsoft should change or add that have become true with the latest release of Windows server. I never have to "sell" anyone Citrix when RDS is just enough. It always depends, but I think things have changed such that it’s now time to re-think.

Citrix released StoreFront 3.5 and for me the one that finally killed Web Interface! You should get your Hands dirty with 3.5 :-) First lets have a look what has been added to the 3.5 release of Citrix StoreFront.

New Features:

• Store-centric console architecture for authentication and Receiver for Web settings
• Specify the optimal NetScaler Gateway appliances for various users
• New or enhanced Receiver for Web settings:

Icannot belive it myself but it's has been ten years when I launched my web site with my name ThomasKoetzing.de! Two years before I still had my site CITRIX4GE running and was reffering to my Citrix forum account "Citrix for Germany".

2006 was quite a year for me! Beside opening up my new site, I was also annaounced Microsoft Most Valubale Professional - RDS and Citrix Technology Professional and actually a founding member of the CTP program.  As if the awards where not enough, it was also the time I went independed and is a huge step for everyone to get "on your own" to make money for a living.

I'm a fan of using what strategic products offer before considering a 3rd party solution. In some companies, it seems to be common to solve problems or gaps with yet another tool or utility. Those companies have an arsenal of 3rd party vendors and they do not always revisit their decision afterward to determine if it's still necessary to have the 3rd party solution. When looking on an architectural level, then the IT environment should be as simple as possible and for that reason, additional components or software will make it more complex to manage. A wrong mix or configuration can make things harder than they have to be. For that reason, any addition to the environment should be carefully evaluated.

I have lately dropped here and there comments about Citrix Universal Printer Server code name "Phaser" and actually some Citrix guys make fun of me because I'm so persistent with that topic since 2009! Why 2009? Well at iForum 2009 in Las Vegas, Citrix developer Gary showed the first bits (really just some command line exe) of project Phaser. Since then I keep telling Citrix to get it out of the door every time I have a chance. Now it seems it will finally happen after three years!