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Hawaii Puts Old Computers To Work in Linux Labs

Posted by michael on from the wearing-flipflops-until-age-18 dept.

johnp pastes "'As pressure mounts to meet state-mandated educational technology standards, some Hawai'i schools with limited budgets are getting updated computer labs at a fraction of the typical costs.'"

6 of 168 comments (clear)

  1. Wait a Second by rhsanborn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You mean someone realized that they could get a comprehensive solution for extremely little money by NOT buying windows? What a concept. I really hope more schools get Linux labs, even if they already have MS systems. I like the idea of kids getting their hands on something other than MS.

    1. Re:Wait a Second by Randy+Wang · · Score: 5, Funny
      Hey, imagine a Beow- oh, never mind.


      I, too, think it's great that they're setting up Linux labs and it's costing them next-to-nothing, but I don't actually think that's the really important thing, here. While it's great that the kids are being given the chance to sample non-MS software, the money that isn't being spent on software is being spent elsewhere, improving education there within the same budget.


      So, save money on computers, you can afford to pay teachers just a little more, new textbooks can be purchased, and so on. There's a much larger effect than just the adoption of open-source, you know.

      --
      --- Egads, I glow in the dark!
  2. Nice precident in this by tjlsmith · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As the UoH basically invented computer communications by using a discarded satellite to create the ALOHA system, the basic mathematics of which govern Ethernet and the Internet.

    --
    Mumia Abu-Jamal is *laughably guilty*. Check the evidence.
    1. Re:Nice precident in this by HoneyBunchesOfGoats · · Score: 5, Informative

      At first I thought this was some kind of joke or something (the ALOHA system? in Hawaii?), but it turns out the above poster is actually right. http://www.laynetworks.com/ALOHA%20PROTOCOL.htm

  3. Sneaking in through the back door... by Mudcathi · · Score: 5, Interesting
    From the article: "...the (Hawaii Dept of Education) is unlikely to convert to open-source machines itself, because the schools get big discounts on service for proprietary software. Although the open-source programs are free, technical support is not," (Rodney Moriyama, assistant superintendent of the DOE's Office of Information Technology Services), pointed out, "so the DOE would have to pay if there were problems with the software. There's actually no incentive for us to do it," he said.

    Apparently, he doesn't realize that other branches of the state gov't feel differently, and are putting out bids to convert from Windows to Linux

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    "He who throws mud, loses ground." - proverb

  4. Re:not terribly surprising... by nordicfrost · · Score: 5, Informative

    How can the TCO of Linux possibly be higher than Windows? I manage the network of a small company, with som PCs and a Linux file server. The Windows machines are taking 90% of the work time to manage. The Linux system sits there humming along, while the Windows machines get infected, clogged down and what not. So far, for the company (a small one), the Linux server has cost them 0$ since they recycled an old server, whereas the Windows is 900$ in new hardware for XP + 4 manhours last week trying to remove the about:blank spyware shit. And they are even running in non-priveliged accounts! + Countless more man-hours setting it up, trying to locate drivers etc. Windows has not a lower TCO than Linux, in my experince.