Linux in Schools?
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Windows-free since '06
New user
58 posts
Posted: 23/06/2008 3:06 PM
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An open question -
With the federal government putting up to $1000 per student into school computers is there any chance that Linux vendors will step in to show how it should be done?
Surely a thin client (or even a fat client) network running edubuntu, Mandriva or fedora would meet the specifications with plenty of change left over.
I can see MS and the big resellers walking off with bucket loads of taxpayer money if the usual centralised government purchasing model works to form - and I doubt the schools would even end up with workable systems. The federal government is leaving standards policy to the State and Private education policy makers, so there's every chance the current practices, fuelled by glossy brochures, animated powerpoint presentations, FUD and long corporate lunches will see the status quo maintained.
With many European and South American countries opting out of closed standards and proprietary software, is there any chance at all that Australia will encourage some real competition in this area?
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New user
162 posts
Posted: 23/06/2008 4:06 PM
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Quote:
is there any chance at all that Australia will encourage some real competition in this area?
I assume you mean the Australian government. Anti-MS sentiment aside, the answer is likely: "not likely".
The following references have some relevant info:
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Government-agencies-embracing-open-source-AGIMO/0,130061733,339279972,00.htm
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Lundy-Time-is-right-for-open-source-in-government/0,130061733,339289121,00.htm
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/hardware/soa/Aussie-schools-get-first-116m-in-PC-funds/0,130061702,339289837,00.htm
And this one is very cool (read the 'linux' tab)
http://www.lorien.com.au/
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Windows-free since '06
New user
58 posts
Posted: 23/06/2008 8:06 PM
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Thanks for the links. The Lorien one is particularly inspiring!
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User
77 posts
Posted: 23/06/2008 9:06 PM
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We provide some schools here in Qld with hardware and software (Both Win and Mac) !
The answer to whether the gov will endorse Linux is a resounding "NO" because of the reason I have been saying all along about Linux ...............
-It is not a newb/novice friendly OS
-It doesn't support many common apps
-Too many hidden functions which need CLI expertise
-But the biggy is ............. There is NO official support !!!
Most of my techies cringe at the thought of going out to machines running Linux because it is just so hit-and-miss and we are thinking as to whether we should continue with this offered service. There are way too many distros and versions of distros to try and find solutions for that most of the time it is simply left, and us having to say to the customer "I'm sorry" (with no charge) or upgrade to an OS that has genuine support and drivers for common hardware !
I'm not bagging Linux !
Just trying to point out that Linux will never be used in the average computing environment as long as there are a million people contributing to a kernel/code which is written to suit a million different individuals.
The argument by some which say "my grandma is using Linux" doesn't stack up because the person saying this is available to his grandma for IT support 24/7 ........ Most users don't have this luxury !
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New user
162 posts
Posted: 24/06/2008 11:06 AM
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Dude, read my last link. It's polite to do so before posting a response.
To respond directly to your points (which I'll allow would be significant if they were relevant)
As we're talking about schools:
1 & 3) Novice/newbie OS not required (Learning environment, remember?). Student aren't required (or allowed) to administer the system - what are they going to do with the CLI? copy a file?
2) "Common apps" aren't relevant (name a "common" chemistry modelling, math typing, sound editing (etc) app that is designed for school students on MS)
4) I'm not sure about support - perhaps you should send them an email advising against all their decisions for the past 7 years because they don't obviously don't have any.
I empathise with dealing with users every day who just want their system to "just work", without wanting to know why.
I'm not even asking you to reconsider your stance on linux. Read the link. Even if EVERY school in Australia didn't utilise a linux OS, Lorien Novalis school is an example of how it can be done successfully, and a counter-example to everything you always harp back to about the applicability of linux OS's.
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User
77 posts
Posted: 24/06/2008 1:06 PM
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AndyCee wrote:
Dude, read my last link. It's polite to do so before posting a response.
Dude ! .... I didn't respond to your post ! .... But Aubrey's !
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New user
162 posts
Posted: 24/06/2008 4:06 PM
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Ah, fair enough. It's a shame you can't tell on these forums. In retrospect I see you were answering directly to the OP.
Do read the link though :)
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oooh....fire indeed hot
New user
4 posts
Posted: 24/06/2008 8:06 PM
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Quote:
-But the biggy is ............. There is NO official support !!!
Interesting point. There is no official support but if you think about most businesses that have a significant IT dependency they generally have a helpdesk and or on-site tech support to deal with all their support issues.
Furthermore, a lot of these helpdesk and tech support functions are just outsourced contracts.
It may be a significant business opportunity for someone who has the time and skill to set it up to start a company that contracts with businesses and schools etc. that use Linux to provide their support. I'd suggest there is a reasonably untapped market for such a service in the Linux world, whereas the IBM/Microsoft world is probably saturated by such services and/or monopolised by a handful of the bigger players.
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Windows-free since '06
New user
58 posts
Posted: 24/06/2008 9:06 PM
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True, apeach - But the "NO official support!" line is troll BS anyway. Red Hat, IBM, Mandriva, Mepis, and Novell all have corporate support for their distros and other FOSS products in the corporate market and Canonical offers paid support for Ubuntu/Edubuntu etc for both corporates and individuals (at, I think, about $250 pa per installation). And I'm pretty sure the Brazilian Government, which recently mandated Linux throughout its education system, France, Macedonia and many other Governments with pro-open-source purchasing policies have probably covered the support issues too.
But Australia is pretty poorly served by businesses offering professional level Linux support suitable for the K-12 education sector (there are some, but not many). Maybe its a chicken and egg ( and gecko!) thing - without Government policy support (let alone purchasing) there's too small a market(?)
Maybe the $1000 per unit limit will actually drive a genuine move to more efficient deployment of technology (and therefore to FOSS).
Hopeful.
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User
77 posts
Posted: 26/06/2008 4:06 PM
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AndyCee wrote:
Ah, fair enough. It's a shame you can't tell on these forums. In retrospect I see you were answering directly to the OP.
Here's another forum improvement suggestion, APC !!!
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