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On 3 Jan 2006, at 23:52, Michael Dodd wrote:
Yeah, seems like a good project. I could possibly see various forms of Linux, maybe Edubuntu as an example, as a viable option for networks in Primary Schools because of the lesser funding and lesser reliance of ICT in the curriculum. Plus the software which is bundled with the distribution should be more than adequate for the needs of Teacher and Pupil.
I don't see Linux as such a good option in High school now though. The vast majority of high school have had their ICT infrastucture in place for many many years now, with a vast number of those networks being based on Research Machines (RM) hardware. Unless the ICT department is in dire straights in terms of funding and cannot afford to continue to run Microsoft-based products, the amount of time and effort going into setting up, configuring and securing the servers, as well as setting up the workstations to be "secure", wouldn't be worth the time and effort in the eyes of many School ICT Administrators. People are naturally lazy, so if it ain't broke, they won't want to fix it.
I've been to a lot of schools recently on a sales basis talking to them about their requirements. These are teachers who have next to no interest in how the thing works, only that it does and it is easy enough for them to use.
I have seen on countless occasions Open Source lose out because there has been one application that won't run. Currently the hot potato in schools are interactive white boards. These are specialist items and provide a connection to the desktop/laptop. They also provide a suite of software that is written (as far as I know) for MS only. As long as suppliers continue to think in a narrow MS tunnel this will always be a problem.
Of course we still have the problem that every desktop is punted out with XP on it. If MS supports its products for 5 years then Linux will always be the OS to put on it just before the hardware dies! Using hardware that old is always a bad economy.
We have found that Linux desktop still has to fight against these problems reducing the opportunity for it to shine. However, the back end Linux server can provide great savings for schools right now. I visited one large college that is still using Novell and Groupware as its primary OS. They were considering allowing pupils to have email accounts which would total around 2500 accounts. This would have been a walk in the park for Linux. They may well have been able to use their current hardware (disk space allowing). Fantastic saving. The servers tend to be a much more behind the scenes and so less likely to be affected by non Microsoft software insisting on Microsoft as the operating system.
So yes, Linux, namely the educational distributions such as Edubuntu and Puppy, could be effectively deployed in a Primary School environment where the infrastructure is small and initial downtime is not much of an issue. High School networks, on the other hand, are too far developed to make an overnight switch viable.
IMHO I think that each case should be tried and tested on an individual basis. I am always looking for the opportunity to get Open Source into businesses and schools. Cost is just one advantage that I think everyone focuses on too much. Open Source isn't just cheap its better. I think there are a lot of other reasons why people should use open source. In fact, by going in on cost can sometimes under value the product. If someone said to you they would sell you a brand new rolex watch for £5 you would think it was a fake or stolen.
Just my two pennies worth. Phil Gibbons w: http://www.samoth.co.uk/ e: phil@xxxxxxxxxxxx -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG Mail majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe list" in the message body to unsubscribe. FAQ: www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html