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Ditching Microsoft Could Save Education Millions
ElvenMonkey writes "The Times Education Supplement has published the results of a BECTA (British Educational Communications and Technology Association, the Government's ICT agency) study, to be published next week, into the TCO of using Microsoft products compared to using Open Source products. The report shows an average saving of 24% per computer in schools using Open Source over those using Microsoft systems. Now if only the government wasn't insistent on locking schools into using Microsoft in arguably illegal ways."
http://edge-op.org/grouch/schools.html
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/695
Didn't you know?
Laws are for people with no friends.
Take a look at http://skolelinux.org/ to see what can be done to create an elemtary school distro. It's installation friendly, somehow userfriendly (KDE 2) and has nice setups for thin-client environments.
roy
Computers are like air conditioners.
- They stop working when you open Windows.
In order for this to happen, I'd need the following to happen first:
* All other agencies that communicate with my district would have to settle on a common, open document format, and stay with it. We need to read what the state sends us.
* Our student information systems would have to support something other than Microsoft products. Tell NCS/Pearson to port SASIxp/IGPro/PCXP to something other than Windows. Follet Software did it with their media circulation software. It's far from impossible.
* All other agencies need to hire something other than web developers who took a half-semester ASP programming course.
* Our accounting systems need to be ported to something other than Windows. There are no cost-effective systems that run on Linux (it's not just initial purchase, it's the support availability).
Where I could substitute with Linux, I did. It's not just Internet access and games for kids, either. Many districts are computerized from top to bottom, so the answer to "why do we need computers in schools", is "because it saves labor costs and gets the job done faster." You also might want to consider that many schools don't have full-time IT staff. Most of the available contractors are MS Certified Reset-button Pushers.
Fred
"A fool and his freedom are soon parted"
-RMS
That's why organizations/resources like Linux in Libraries exist. They are working for putting Linux in public spaces. There are a number of cool projects that this group has pointed me to including Koha, an open source library system and implementers of open source library solutions like LibLime. Check them out.
1) Who is going to code their applications? Schools will have to hire hoards of developers to write custom code. Nearly all IT shops are against this, in favor of COTS.
Do they have that much money to waste? Fact is, Rapid Application Development in Linux is no big monster. You can always develop in RealBasic and compile the executable to run on Linux, that if learning curve is a problem.
Otherwise they can develop in Java: Look at Skype, Limewire, Azareus, Digichat.
Java is cross-platform you know?
Simpler languages like Tk/TCL are also cross-platform and easy to program in.
Fact is VB programmers are used to recycling ActiveX components which are very unstable, bulky and guess what support is now obsolete. Windows 2000 very soon will also lose support
2) Who are they going to call for tech support? How much does that cost?
Forums, Google, Articles, Books. People are badly accustomed with bad support that charges enormous rate; when it is known that people that work for them don't have a clue but follow from an answer manual. I know this girl that is clueless about computer and works for an IT Support Centre answering the phone.
Plus Linux hardly need as much support as Windows. It doesn't decay and corrupt so easily, it doesn't get so readily infected by nasties.
3) Who sets the standards for interoperabily?
I hope you don't think it should be Microsoft.
Interoperability is not a challenge for Linux, many internet cafes with solely Window clients run Linux on the background. Many corporates have their mail server sitting on Linux.
Can't comment on Mac though, never used it.
But can assure you - that with many more OSS education-related arising, Linux is by miles a cheaper better and saner idea.
The good thing about Microsoft is that you can always blame them if something goes wrong - so that can be handy for school admins.
How about more money to be dispersed for more instructors and support staff.
I wish we could have it that way but the way money is organized a certain percentage of funds are dedicated to materials/services. Which means unmaintained equipment. Actually we dump loads in contractor work because that is a service. No contractor earns less than $50 per hr. Dell is a big money maker because it cost %20 to insure their equip with no questions asked warrantee, which we do. Over the last 3 years and 120 Dells we have had Dell repair their hardware about 9 times. The building contractors earn an even greater deal We paid $1M for a giant foundation for a gym. Classified positions pay no more that $24 per hour. Teachers earn Salary 3500 to 5000 and money can be appended to this for special credentials. Here's what I have to say for the teachers, they earn enough here in CA but there needs to be more teachers, counselors and support staff. Or at least in my district.
I currently work at a Jr. High for very little as a lab assistant(officially) or (unofficially) as the Site Technical Lead and District Technology Representative of my Site. This is my last year there I hope they find more qualified people and pay them reasonably. Or they can trust bad contractors and salesmen to savagely tear apart their budget.