How Schools Can Get Free Software

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.

Comments

How Schools Can Get Cheap Software:

[AEton]

Make a credible threat to switch to free software.
(Submit your school's "migration plan" to the BBC. Just in case Microsoft doesn't read that, Slashdot the story!)

Re:How Schools Can Get Cheap Software:

[Alex P Keaton in da]

There is a very, very real danger in students using free software- they may develop a crazy idea that information should be accesible to everyone, and reasonably priced and GASP even free!!!
Next thing you know these crazy kids will be downloading free copies of Boy George hits, drinking excessive amounts of YooHoo, and having parties where more than 10 people watch a movie on DVD without paying royalties!!!!
This needs to be stopped now! Ship windows! Ship windows!!!!!!! Why isn't Geldoff taking up this cause!

Schoolforge-UK

[alanw]

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.

I for one, agree

[Grep*coke*]

This sounds like the best idea an education system, whether it be the UK or the US, has ever had. All schools could save hundreds of dollars by using Linux instead of Windows, and it would give kids a better background. Also, it might encourage the development of more OSS by the students.

Re:I for one, agree

[garcia]

All schools could save hundreds of dollars by using Linux instead of Windows, and it would give kids a better background.

A better background in what? Using OSS software instead of Microsoft software? In the real world (yes, there are some exceptions) people use Microsoft Office. HR drones and automated readers reviewing your resumes aren't going to understand that Open Office is like Microsoft Office. They want to see Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access on your resume, not their OSS counterparts.

Also, it might encourage the development of more OSS by the students.

Why? Because a machine that's running OSS will somehow be any less locked down by the admins than a similar Windows workstation? Give me a break.

Yes, Linux is less money and should be used in schools to give the taxpayers a break. It should not be thought of as anything other than a tool though. The students will use a web browser, an office suite, and e-mail. They aren't going to be using it any differently than if they were using Windows.

Re:I for one, agree

[Approaching.sanity]

That is one of the more horrible things I think you could have said.

IT is pervasive in modern society. It not only runs our work lives as a tool, it is also recreation and education. The more exposure you have to more kinds of software the better equiped you are to deal with more situations.

If we use your arguement then we should not require all students to take science courses as they will not all be using the knowlege of what a mol is in their every day lives.

Re:I for one, agree

[jbolden]

"HR drones" don't come from mars they come from the very school systems we are talking about. They believe that their job should involve pattern matching instead of understanding because non honors courses in school emphasize regurgitation instead of understanding (often the honors courses do as well).

Correcting the use of Microsoft software and switching over to a Unix frame of mind could potential aid in fixing the larger problem.

Re:I for one, agree

[Aldric]

"A better background in what? Using OSS software instead of Microsoft software? In the real world (yes, there are some exceptions) people use Microsoft Office. HR drones and automated readers reviewing your resumes aren't going to understand that Open Office is like Microsoft Office. They want to see Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access on your resume, not their OSS counterparts."

If schools all use free software (as they should, I don't see why my taxes should go to Microsoft) then the HR drones aren't going to have much choice but to learn that an office suite is an office suite no matter who the vendor is.

Re:I for one, agree

[legirons]

"In the real world people use Microsoft Office."

Actually in the real world (when I was at school), people use WordPerfect for MS-DOS, and smaller companies were starting to use Lotus Ami Pro.

How would it have helped if I'd learned those applications?

We even had a fairly-major CS test at school, where one of the questions was 'what keystroke is used to right-format a line in Ami Pro'. How is information like that going to help me now, typing into a Slashdot textbox using FireFox (neither of which could even have been imagined when I was learning IT/CS)

How would teaching people Word help now? The next generation of business technology seems to be influenced by what CS graduates are using at home today, and recently that's been Linux, Free Software on Windows2000, and we're starting to see some Mac OS. If you wanted to teach in school "for business", then you would start by thinking what people will find useful in 5-10 years when they get their first jobs.

And even if you're "living in the present", why would you standardise on something that requires the parents to pay hundreds of pounds extra to do computer-related homework, when you could select an almost-identical program that you can distribute for free?

Re:I for one, agree

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I can't tell you the horrible problems I had when I joined the work force, coming from my background of mostly Sinclair Spectrum and Amigas. I took me literally seconds to get to grips with Windows! That sort of hesitation nearly killed my career.

Re:I for one, agree

[Charles W Griswold]

[. . .] will they be able to competently work with a Start menu?

That reminds me, I need to get back to my first-draft manuscript of "The Start Button for Real Dummies".

Yea, I think that most X users can handle a Start menu. A more likely complication of learning Linux and then switching to Windows are screams of frustration at the bone-headed limitations inherent in the Windows environment. (Like the fact that you have to essentially run as root to do anything.)

How Schools Can Get Free Software

[Anonymous Coward]

Bit-Torrent?

Oooooh you mean the other kind of free.

Some other interesting "F/OSS in schools" articles

[codergeek42]

http://edge-op.org/grouch/schools.html
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/schools.html

My school uses Linux too!

[rivenage]

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.

Re:My school uses Linux too!

[Lifewish]

Remember in the long run it is the administrative costs that will outweigh the hardware/software costs. And for that, Windows has a much lower administrative cost.

Actually, the BBC article specifically states that the school IT administrators now have enough time on their hands that they can help out in local primary schools as well (if I'm reading the article correctly). It's hard to see how that tallies with the higher administrative cost you mention.

Money saved, but only to be wasted elsewhere

[mc6809e]

No one ever got elected by saving money. This saved money will only be spent elsewhere.

That said, the best reason for using open source has nothing to do with saving money.

It's the opportunity to get a look inside at how the machine works.

Anyone that's taken apart a toaster or washing machine timer, etc, understands how valuable a thing it is to be able to see how it works.

That's why open source belongs in schools.

Re:Money saved, but only to be wasted elsewhere

[dewie]

This saved money will only be spent elsewhere.

Um, yes. Yes it will. Is that a bad thing? Why save it otherwise?

The switch isn't that bad

[Nf1nk]

This is the third time I have tried to switch to linux, The first two times went badly and I gave up
(if you care Redhat in 2001, and Suse in 2003).
I have tried Ubuntu and the installation went smooth, the applications work easy, and haven't even seen the comand line once.
Everything works, that wasn't true before, The installation was easier than the last windows install I did, and for a school enviroment being somewhat incompatable with most games (and Viruses) seems like a huge plus.
I think It's ready and everything works just the way I am used to, (except that the status bar is at the top wierd how much that bugs me).
The kids shouldn't have any problems doing what they are supposed to with the computers.

Re:Dear Children

[ettlz]

Dear sch00l sys4dm1n d00dz...

thnx 4 installing teh linux on the computaz! we iz LUVVIN it!!!

just the otha day i woz finkin how totally 1337 it wud b 4 the skool 2 move 2 3 software. like cutin costs n shit! i sed to our Mynds, propriatary solushuns was not da way fowward, and that impartiality and freedum from corprut influnce in da edukashun system cood only be inshured throo open sours. yeh, that's wot gary the geek said anyway.

yeh. and mynds wuz just sayin how good it woz to write up her gcse pole dansin coursework wiv LaTeX and not dat mingin Word shit!!! i fink she fancys gary coz he knows ALL DA TRIX! she said to me that she wood backslash his curly braces any time of da munf.

i finks its GREAT that my kids gonna grow up in a world were software is free and it don't affect your benefits, and maybe they cood do the same 4 nappys coz my weekend job at teh off-licens^Hc^H^W booz r us pays shit and vodafone keep aksin me 2 pay 200 quid for those 4000 txts i sent. 2 ton? get out of heer!

ur teh shit!!!!!
sara xxxxx

ps. sorry bout my speling and grammer and punctual^H^Hati^H^H^H^H^Hhuashun, teh inglish teeching is crap