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How Schools Can Get Free Software

Posted by Zonk on from the free-as-in-both dept.

RicJD writes "The BBC is reporting on a school in England which has found a way to save money through Open Source Software. It goes on to explain the idea behind OSS, and briefly how they've incorporated it into the school system. Could this be the way to show the UK government that savings can be had through OSS?" Likely an adoption spurred by the education report we reported on earlier this year.

8 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. Schoolforge-UK by alanw · · Score: 4, Informative
    Schoolforge-UK is an organisation that is working together to implement open content resources using Free, Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) in UK education

    The are organizing a conference in Bolton next week: on Thursday 14th & Friday 15th July 2005.

    1. Re:Schoolforge-UK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Why though? I have just finished my last year in the UK school system and I've read slashdot since about Yr9.

      As such, I've watched the rest of my class 'learn'. Most work is done in Access, Excel and Word and a little bit of Outlook.

      I can say hand on heart as a Linux user most of what they would of learnt in the *nix land would of not been applicable to the Windows world. Access especially - the tools on Linux don't match up at all from what I've seen.

      Even more importantly they would really, really struggle to get Linux sysadmins. They struggle to get Windows MSCEs (rural area) so I really doubt they'd be able to get one linux person, nevermind the 2 they have. Considering the amount of issues that would arise because of a switchover, they would need at least one extra sysadmin to handle all the problems.

      Not only that, they get it _FREE_. Microsoft gives them a free site license like most schools will get.

      I don't see what the incentive is. If your school isn't getting a free site license, they should be. Microsoft gives most schools free licenses these days.

  2. um, rtfa? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's about how the school uses OSS on servers and Windows on desktops:

    "What appears on screen - the so-called desktop - for ordinary users is the familiar, paid-for Microsoft Windows.

    The software used by staff and students includes the content management system Moodle, which is open source, and Microsoft's Word, Excel and Powerpoint."

    The administrator claims over 30,000 pounds yearly are saved by using OSS servers. That seems a tad high for a single high school.

    1. Re:um, rtfa? by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Informative

      he administers not only the high school, but a lot of the local primary schools as well...

      --
      Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  3. My school uses Linux too! by rivenage · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've just left (about a week ago) my school after 7 years. Last year a new business studies block was built with two Linux suites in it. They both have about 30 thin clients in each, which run off of one server. They are using Suse (9.1 IIRC) after Fedora Core 2 kept struggling. All of the teachers were complaining that they didn't know how to use Linux, but of course now they've found it's just fine, because with KDE they can use it just the same way as windows. By using thin clients the school has saved a lot of money on hardware as well as software. The Linux machines are also a lot more stable than the Windows network, and everything is much more up to date (the windows network is still 98 with IE 5.0!). If anyone is interested its the Deepings School near Peterborough in the UK.

  4. I used to go to this school... by JimmehAH · · Score: 2, Informative

    and they've had this for a while (from at least 2000).
    All the computers there are old business ones that are now running Red Hat (they even got a little plaque from RH to put up in the lobby) with Citrix connected to Windows NT Terminal Server on top of that.

    I used to help out the head IT guy (Tim) at lunch (my nerdishness was secure even back then) by installing RH over the network for the new computers, fixing the mouse if it ever stopped working (by reinstalling the drivers usually) or just copying down the serial numbers of the computer equipment in to the online database they had.

  5. Re:I for one, agree by ILikeRed · · Score: 2, Informative

    I know lots of people who are paid to develop free software, but only two who develop proprietary software. The proprietary developers hate their company, their work, and are looking for someplace more open. I think it's already been proven that most developers write software for in-house projects, not shrink wrapped goods.

    --
    I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress -J Adams
  6. It's not even news anymore ;-) by cheros · · Score: 2, Informative

    Do a Google on "Cutter" and "Orwell school" - they've been smart because for some apps you need Windows - all the rest is done via Terminal Servers (note to OpenOffice: why is your memory footprint so much larger than StarOffice?).

    The Ubuntu lot have a link into the SchoolTool efforts of Mark Shuttleworth, and anyone who's followed the FLOSS in Government trails will know about the fantastic work that has taken place in the Extramadura region in Spain. Link to all the presentations.

    There is far, far more happening out there than the UK Government seems to know - I wonder when they finally try and spend some money efficiently and emulate what the Spanish did. Could be a new concept: actual *efficient* use of tax money...

    --
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