Environmentally Friendly Software that Turns One Computer into Ten

Userful's innovative 1-Box software offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional computers. Userful's software turns one computer into ten fully independent workstations. 1-Box software creates substantial environmental benefits by reducing the hardware required by quickly turning an ordinary PC into a network of up to ten workstations. Ultimately, this software allows up to ten users to work simultaneously from the same computer box; reducing power consumption, unnecessary waste, and emissions from computers.

Tim Griffin, President of Userful, who holds a Masters degree from the University of Calgary in Environmental Design said, "We designed our 1-Box software to bring affordable and environmentally-friendly computing to the world. Currently, less than three percent of the world's population owns a computer, yet computer hardware disposal is becoming one of the fastest growing threat to our environment. Imagine a software product, such as 1-Box, that can reduce the environmental impact of computing by as much as ninety percent."

Modern desktop computers sit idle virtually the entire day while we read or type. 1-Box software leverages this unused computing power to create an environmentally-efficient alternative to traditional desktop computing.

1-Box software eliminates up to ninety percent of the computer boxes in a ten workstation system, significantly reducing power consumption within an organization. A ten-user 1-Box system can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 2.5 tons per year. [See NOTES below for calculations]

In addition to the obvious power and air conditioning savings, 1-Box software also reduces the environmental impact of computer hardware disposal. Computers have become one of the largest single elements of electronic waste, globally. The disposal of computer components that contain lead, mercury, cadmium and a number of other persistent, toxic and bio-accumulative compounds present a growing threat to our water and air quality. By turning one computer into ten, and allowing users to reuse existing monitors and computer boxes, 1-Box software reduces the environmental impact of hardware disposal.

About Userful

For the past three years, Userful has been transforming the world of desktop computing with their unique 1-Box multi-desktop software. Userful's innovation of turning one computer into ten has earned them the status of technology leaders in the field of desktop computing. With this compelling ten-to-one advantage, Userful has gained a strong presence in the public computing market; its mission is to become the dominant platform for affordable desktop computing worldwide.

Userful's 1-Box software customers include libraries, academic institutions, Internet cafes and commercial businesses across North America, and is sold globally through a network of resellers.

For more information about Userful and 1-Box, visit Userful's online newsroom at http://www.userful.com/press/

NOTES: Excluding the monitor, a computer uses about: 110 Watts booting, 60Watts when idle (no power management) and 35Watts in sleep mode. For an average computer system this would correspond to perhaps 80Watts for 10 hours and 35Watts for the 14 remaining hours (assuming the computer is left on overnight). So 1.29 kilowatt hours per day for 6 days and 35Watts all day Sunday. This gives 8.58kWh per week and 446kWh per year. If the Userful system replaces ten PCs the saving is a bit less than nine PCs (since the 1-Box has extra four extra video cards) so the gain is about 8.5PCs or 3,791 kWh. For electricity generated at 1.45 lbs of CO2 per kWh, the savings are 2.45 tons of CO2 per year. In a building that uses air conditioning, the environmental savings would be significantly higher.

Userful is a registered trademark in Canada. 1-Box software is a trademark in Canada, the United States and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

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