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Linux vs. Windows for Schools?
Fiachra06 writes "I am involved in helping to maintain the computer systems in the local school (200 ~ 250 pupils) in my home village. The children range in age from 4 to 12. The 14 PC's are running either Windows 95, Windows 98, and XP Home Edition and I find this rather abhorrent. The licensing fees to upgrade all the capable machines to XP pro is unreasonable for such a small school. What would the esteemed Slashdot readers think of shifting all these machines to a Linux distro (probably Ubuntu). I have no doubt the children will have no problem adapting to the new OS (although the teachers might), the main concerns are the availability of educational software for them to use, and practicality of maintenance for people who are new to the OS given that I am not there regularly enough to be a full time sys admin. Preferably I wouldn't like to running too much through Wine but it is still an option."
That being said, we did get 1 pc for games, and a eMac 'cause my daughter insisted on being contrary and demanding photoshop. The mac works out great, the pc was an upgrade disaster trying to get games to run. We finally gave up and got a used X-box to deal with the games -- should have done that from the start.
The point? Kids can deal with linux just fine, it will probably be more stable than early versions of windows, and if web browsing and writing are the major apps, you're fine. If the staff has got a bunch of windows-only applications that they've got to run you may have problems.
Good luck.
-- ac at work
You have got to sit down with the teachers and compile a list of what they are using the computers for and then determine if there are open source alternatives and if the teachers are willing to accomodate a wholesale OS change. If the open source versions of the tools they need exist, then they should be open to change based solely on cost savings. As a taxpayer, I want to know that the schools that are devouring my money are spending responsibly. However, as a taxpayer, and someone who who predates computers in the K-8 grades, I have to ask just what the hell are they doing using computers to teach K-5 students????!!!! I suspect that they're teaching dependency on technology, or worse, the teachers are pushing their responsibilities onto computers, dumbing down the teaching staff and hurting the children in the end.
Amazing... Simply ask a question hoping to gather some info and ideas and the incensed reaction from the Windows Elitists and their foaming at the mouth amazed responses that someone should dare consider something other than windows...
Lets review this persons response shall we...
*Abhorrent? Please. Licensing costs for 14 copies of XP Pro Academic Upgrade would run just under a grand.*
- Obviously current affairs are not a strong point with you - most schools are closing down programs or closing all together, for years the teachers themselves had had to purchase their own supplies for the classes they teach, supplies the schools used to supply (pencils, Scissors, Construction Paper, paste)
*If the machines are running 95 and 98, I'd bet more then a few are old enough that they probably shouldn't be running XP so the actual cost likely is less.*
- this combined with the privious statement shows your true lack of understanding within the modern school system let alone proper project planning and managment - IF the PC's in question are indeed incapable of running WinXP well then it will just cost less in licensing then LOL no, because then you have to upgrade/replace the PC to modernize the PC to run todays software and so then it will indeed cost far MORE - the person posting the original question was hoping to find a low cost solution to a modern need and as even Micro$oft and its ferverent backers will all agree, linux is moving up the usability ladder and showing up more and more in mainstream life - get used to it LOL
*Yes it's a significant chunk of change, but not crippling expensive. Obviously running 95, 98, and XP Home may not be the best solution overall, but it apparently seems to work for the time being.*
-See my first section in response to this, amazing some people actually think our school system can just go buy anything - sad to have that little understanding of the modern school crisis faced today
*What you are proposing is installing an operating system that is completely foreign to them. The software that they already own has been untested on it. It may or may not work. The availability of future software titles that run natively is also limited. Neither the kids nor the teachers have any experience with it. And to top it off, you even point out that you can't really support it like you should.*
- Has anyone knows children learn at a far faster rate and adapt to new tech far faster than adults, they wouldnt have a problem (and prolly would help the teachers as well) adapt and learn the new systems in no time - your assuming that Point-N-Click is a windows only thing?? take 1 PC, Load Ubuntu or whatever distro on it, load and setup Wine, add the needed software and test, once you are sure its stable, image the PC and load on the other PC's (after taking some time to familirize the staff with the new OS and the dreaded Point-N-Click on the icon interface as they prolly never seen that before)
*Sounds like a great plan!*
- despite your sarcasm, it does, nothing better than saving a cash strapped school system a few thousand needed elsewhere desperatly dollars than dump them into the coffers of Micro$oft that will dump Million$ (of its Billion$ in revenue/profit) into the school and educational systems worldwide, but cries licensing disputes right here in the US itself for the further education and empowerment of the youth here and now.
Has anyone knows children learn at a far faster rate and adapt to new tech far faster than adults, they wouldnt have a problem (and prolly would help the teachers as well) adapt and learn the new systems in no time - your assuming that Point-N-Click is a windows only thing?? take 1 PC, Load Ubuntu or whatever distro on it, load and setup Wine, add the needed software and test, once you are sure its stable, image the PC and load on the other PC's (after taking some time to familirize the staff with the new OS and the dreaded Point-N-Click on the icon interface as they prolly never seen that before)
Sarcastic comment accepted. I installed Linux on my home PC without telling my live in girlfriend and she was using it just fine when I got home the next day. Most of the programs she used remained the same (Firefox, Thunderbird, etc.) and the other programs she used were easy enough (and resembled her old programs enough) that she needed very little help adapting. I think most people forget that the vast majority of home/school computer use is for information, communication, and entertainment. Aside from the newest of the new computer games (which wouldn't be on school computers anyway, the bigger programs (or a free equivalent) are available and supported on multiple platforms.
Children are likely to pick up on the tech much quicker than my girlfriend (this is the nature of a young mind), so as long as you are not making them actually install/set up the OS they should be fine.