Addison UK Server Roadshow for Schools

NeTraverse writes "Addison UK is doing a Linux server roadshow demonstrating Linux at schools throughout the UK. This is a easy way for schools to see how Linux could be implimented in their school. Nice resource for those schools thinking about becoming enlightened. They are demonstating thin client computing using Linux and Windows-to-Linux migration software WinLin Terminal Server from NeTraverse..."

Comments

It's About Time

[tomakaan]

I'm suprised there hasn't been this sort of "push" before. Why should money be wasted on Microsoft licenses when it could be spend on something more useful? Maybe even education.

I think using *nix is something that needs to be more forcefully sugested to schools, especially with the current financial situation most schools are being placed in (at least in Michigan). You drop Windows, Novell, and expensive website solutions, and convert to open source ones and you're gonna save a heck of a lot of money.

Future OS users are now playing games

[jabbadabbadoo]

Microsoft has grown large because kids started on Microsoft OS's, playing games, doing fun stuff.

So when they grew up, they knew the ins and outs of their favorite Windows OS.

The point? If Linux is to grow big, focus on making it a great gaming platform. Todays gamers are tomorrows professional users.

Re:Future OS users are now playing games

[Realistic_Dragon]

No, it's because of the teachers - generally their skills were seriously eroded when Windows came along and it was standardised for staff rooms.

My mother used to be able to write BBC Basic (no major feat, i'll grant) with no real problems, and the BBC masters in her classroom were well used by the kids. All of them were perfectly happy with the command line and loved messing around with the things.

Now she is a WinXP user (after several versions) and has panick attacks over having to install stuff - years of experience have taught her that it can easly make stuff break. She thinks the Linux command line is scary and unusable. The kids in the class write the odd dcument in word and play a few shitty little games. No chance of them writing their own.

Windows degrades computing skill like nothing else - new users and kids should be made to use a fun, tweakable, stable platform which requires you to pick up a few things about programming (that are easy to learn for large returns, like BBC Basic) to get the most out of it.

I got my early education, like programmers most I suspect, hacking around with simple computers that could do little unless you wrote it yourself. How are this generation going to lean those skills with Microsoft dumbing down the computing experience at every opportunity?

Re:Thin client using Linux...

[sould]

With the Windows License (EULA) is there any cost benefit in using Linux as a thin client?

The winlin link from the article mentions quite a few cost benefits:

...reducing costs and increasing productivity by migrating to a more reliable, cost-effective and high-performance computing platform...

...ensures the significant cost savings necessary to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership of desktop management...

shrug. Adspeak.

More importantly (and they also mention this) - you can use it to ease your users from (expensive) windows to (cheap) linux.

We evaluated Citrix and discovered the opposite.

Citrix doesn't give you the wealth of linux tools + an eventual end to windependence.

I see two problems....

[madmarcel]

(Without reading the article - as usual ;)

I'll assume they're going to visit high schools and primary schools...

This is a good idea...but:

I see (at least) three problems:

(I'm going to get flamed to a crisp for this :^o

1) From (my own humble) experience...the teacher who takes the 'computer class' at high school is not necessarily a very experienced computer-user. He is usually a random teacher who was sent to a course to learn about computers, someone else set up the network for him, that is all he knows.
More often than not his students know more about the computers they are using than the teacher.
(Ah, sweet memories...Anyone here who did NOT hack the high-school computer network? ;)

Now it's stupid of me to generalize like this, but I don't see the average teacher installing linux just like that without help. I'm not saying that teachers are stupid - just lacking experience perhaps - and no, not all schools have an IT department. (OTOH Usually there's a 'whiz'kid around, who's more than glad to help...)

2) Don't Micro$oft and Apple sponsor schools and
give them free computers? Do they still do that?
(The obvious idea is: Get the kids to use your
software and computers in school --> they'll want to use them at home and later at work as well --> more customers)
How do you convince the schools to switch to linux (and potentially miss out on future freebies?)

3) See 2, the kids (and parents - the ones who pay the bills) will want what 'everybody else' uses. Experience with $%#% Word etc is perceived as being essential for getting a job. OpenOffice? Hmmm...don't think so.

Of course it's not all bad....
Obvious advantages (for a school)

- Linux is cheap.
- Linux is secure.
(And it will be placed in an environment where
its security-model will get thoroughly tested ;)
- By 'exposing' kids to linux earlier we can increase it's acceptance. (see 2)
- Will run on older hardware (schools have limited budgets)

</rant>

Microsoft UK education

[pubjames]

I used to work for a large educational organisation in the UK. Microsoft wanted to work with us on their stand at BETT, which is a big education fair in the UK. I met with the Microsoft people and they explained what they wanted - basically educationalists from the organisation I worked for to do various demonstrations using MS software showing how it could be used in schools. We would get a load of free software in return.

I raised the point that I thought that the demonstrations they were suggesting were not very educational and poorly designed. I was amazed at the response I got from them. They basically said they didn't care if they weren't educational. They were just there to get schools to buy MS software and to try to get the maximum profit from schools. They actually said that, bare faced. I couldn't believe it - at least they could have pretended to be a bit interested in the educational aspect.

And before some of you respond "they're a business, what do you expect, it's only about profit" etc... I have worked with various companies before on joint projects between industry and education and most of them have been great - really helpful, genuinely interested, really wanting to do something to help educational organisations. IBM were great on one project for instance, and they didn't try to milk it for publicity either. That day with Microsoft I felt I'd really seen into the heart of the beast, and it's not pleasant.

No useful learning is OS dependant

[Ebony Run]

Kids can learn important computer skills on ANY operating system. Schools should be using Linux cause it allows them to put money back into other educational programs, like arts -- not because of some fancy road show, and certainly not because it can run Windows apps.

Parent is a troll

[alpharoid]

But I'll bite. :)

This isn't college. Kids will only learn the basic usability issues that'll get them ready for "real" CS courses -- provided they even want to go that way.

By learning through Linux, they'll probably be one step ahead of the students bound to Windows. As a general rule, those familiar with Linux have no problem running Windows. The opposite is so not true.

Linux and learning

[pen]

Linux is a really good operating system to run in a learning environment, since a lot of tasks require the user to learn something about the software and hardware*. I think a nice after-school program (or even a week or two of a computer class in high school) would be just putting together and configuring a Linux box.

That being said, I think that "word processing" computers should remain Mac OS or Windows.

*Today, this is only true of some distributions.

Re:This is NOT a good idea

[minus9]

"acknowledging the cold, hard reality that MS Windows and Office are and will be the de facto standards in business worldwide for the decades to come."

I don't remember what the de facto standard was when I was at school. It certainly wasn't the same as it is now. Technology changes constantly, that is its nature.

Children need to be learn general principles not how to use Microsoft Office 2000 SP2.

Re:Thin client using Linux...

[Arker]

Proprietary software one can use to wean yourself off proprietary software. Hmm.

Methadone for your computer eh?