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Linux Desktops in New Zealand Schools
nigelr writes "The New Zealand Ministry of Education has signed a deal with Novell New Zealand to provide SUSE Linux desktop licenses in schools. The article claims that while the price for a desktop license now matches what Microsoft charge, the new deal will significantly reduce the over all cost due to reduced charges for existing Novell products used in schools around the country."
Clearly you didn't even read the whole summing up, let alone the article.
They are paying the same price for their desktops but as part of that their single license with Novell means that whatever else they are using (Zenworks, Netware or whatever) costs are greatly reduced. Good use of purchasing power IMO.
Isn't the point of Linux that it's free and all that jazz? I mean... paying for it takes away a whole lot of the attractiveness IMHO.
If you mean that it's free in the sense of it not costing any money, no, that's not the point. The point of the operating system that it's been bundled with, GNU, was to provide a "free" OS in the sense that the user could do whatever he wished with it, i.e. modify it and share it with others. The sharing aspect means that it's very easy to obtain without paying for it, but that wasn't the purpose. I paid for my copy of GNU/Linux. Why? I like Linux in large part because the source code is accessible, and I think good work deserves good pay.
Freeware (in the sense of cost) has always been around in great quantity. What makes open source programs different is the *open source code*, not the fact that you can download it for free.
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this theorem that this sig is too small to contain.
If you want a bit more information on the BECTA reports in this area go to:
1 4_9_1
http://www.becta.org.uk/leas/display.cfm?section=
This gives a lot more information than the short summary in the on-line Times Eudcational Supplement. As well as hassling the teachers (I hope your being a little facetious using the term "hassle") it's a good idea to approach any councillors who sit on the LEAs education committee, the LEA itself and, of course, the school governors. But before you do anything else speak to the Head Teacher. Without his/her support, or at least informing them what you are doing, you will find things difficult.
No but, yeah but, no but...
We can assume they are already familiar and happy with Novell's support organisation as the article states they are doing this to leverage their existing Novell investment.
In the specific Linux space I would image their support is as good as their other products. Before they bought SUSE Novell had a major problem, they had an excellent Technical support and Professional Services organisation worldwide but declining OS sales. In transitioning SUSE they have retrained many of these engineers and now have a very good (IMHO) Linux support team.
Where I work we had a similar situation. We licenced DirXML (Now Novell Identity Manager). When Novell bought SuSE we found we were covered for support on both products with the same existing support contract, a net saving for us and big improvement in support which we were previously bying from a third party.
Sorry to say that with the work I've done in NZ schools the problem won't be the learning curve for the teachers (all they tend to is word-process and email anyway) its going to be the restrictions the ministry has on what are "suitable" school management programs.
Essentially all the ones that I have come across, rely on Windows. Given that these are not simple systems, I would say that it is going to be a while before Linux in the schools really takes off. Too bad as most of the CS inclined teachers I liase with (who often end up doing most of the admin work) are all for Linux in the school.
In case you were wondering, the areas I can vouch for are Nelson and Dunedin. The other areas, well lets hope they are in a better situation.
Karma? Hey I just call it as I see it.
I could not agree more with this post.
Part of MS' success was IBM's failure to engage "the lower end of the market" with OS2. Anyone on a budget (ie student like me at the time) had to use Windows. IBM concentrated on blue-chip corporate accounts where desktop OS2 deployment was heavily leveraged in Mainframe and AS400 installations.
(I kinda know - I worked for IBM UK in the mid 90's).
What IBM failed to realise was that today's kids have a habit of becoming tomorrow's IT directors. For a lot of them, IT==windows not because windows==best but because windows==familiarity. Particularly in the SME space. (Note to non-UK readers - in the UK there are not many CS majors working as IT directors. They are often accountants, or God help us, marketers).
Im not a fan, but MS to their credit absolutely understand the need for getting the youngsters to equate technology with Microsoft. They also understand which wheels to grease to make it happen.
These days I live on the Isle of Man. My kids go to the local school which is wall-to-wall Apple Macs. OK its not Linux but at least they are able to see that There Is An Alternative.
I wish at was Friday, but I dont want to wish my life away. So I wish it was last Friday.
Many schools in Norway have been running School Linux for some years now. This is actually quite a bit cheaper than this commercial solution - built by the community. But this have given some headache for many teachers, who find the technology complicated and not so intuitive as Microsoft's products. Confused teachers are bad teachers. I'm not sure saving money on technical solutions is the best way to educate our kids.
Also novell was/is quite costly for schools, we were thinking of changing but the cost was just too great, if this new deal helps get more novell servers out there instead of windows servers I am all for it. But the real question is who really is going to support this? I mean you do need someone there that knows what they are doing I mean are you going to call novell every time you need a user created? A lot of the tech's that work at schools in Australia are just out of school and are in traineeships, who is going to teach them to use a Novell server or to configure a Linux desktop?
at any rate I'm glad there is finally some action from the Novell front, quite possibly the only real chance for an alternative in the business and governement sector.