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Spanish Province Dist-Upgrades

Posted by michael on from the choice-of-a-gnu-generation dept.

Johnny Mnemonic writes "The Spanish province of Extremadura has adopted Linux for the official OS of schools and offices, largely because of price. Simply, they don't have enough money for other OSes, and they promise to handle the rollout more gracefully than a similar Linux initiative in Mexico. According to Wired, this is the first time a European school system has switched to Linux."

4 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. bilingual? by CmdrTaco+(editor) · · Score: 2, Troll
    I've wondered for quite some time now about the need for programmers to be bilingual, especially with things such as Linux. I know most of the documentation has been translated into various languages, but it is impossible to translate the actual code. So to be a sysadmin for a Linux based network, I would think you would need to know at least some English.

    This brings up the point of cost. Sysadmins in Spain that are bilingual will probably charge a slightly higher fee than those that speak only Spanish. In my experiences, getting Linux running properly requires mucking about in .conf files and code and what not, whereas an MS box will essentially set itself with only the occasional button to press or box to check. I think the end result will be lower cost savings over other alternative OS's than previously predicted, although it will definitely still save them a significant amount of money over an MS "solution".

    1. Re:bilingual? by CmdrTaco+(editor) · · Score: 0, Troll

      That's my point, he's probably an MS sysadmin. I'm talking about Linux sysadmins here, which is what this Spanish province will need.

  2. The desktop-revolution stays where it is by mobydill · · Score: -1, Troll

    Even the most die-hard Linux desktop advocates will agree that man-hours spent maintaining Linux as a desktop solution will probably exceed the cost of Windows licenses. It's a pity that they'll figure this out the hard way. I revert back to the old saying: "Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing," and well, the school system will be paying people to configure Linux desktops, chief.

    --


  3. said Luis Mill�n V�zquez de Miguel, by CySurflex · · Score: 0, Troll

    switched to open source, said Luis Millán Vázquez de Miguel

    My name is Luis Millán Vázquez de Miguel. I have slept with over a thousand women.

    My name is Luis Millán Vázquez de Miguel. You killed my father. Prepare to die.