KDE Desktops For 52 Million Students In Brazil

An anonymous reader writes "Mauricio Piacentini writes about a deployment of systems running Linux and KDE in Brazil's schools; some 52 million students are to be served by this initiative. 'What is interesting about this project is that it not only provides infrastructure (computers and net connectivity) but also open content to students in public schools. The software installed on these systems is "Linux Educacional 2.0," a very clean Debian-based distribution, with KDE 3.5, KDE-Edu, KDE-Games, and some tools developed by the project.' The distro comes in Portuguese only at this time." quarterbuck notes that Linux is making other inroads in the BRIC economies (Brazil-Russia-India-China): India and China are getting a custom-designed Ubuntu laptop from Dell, and Russia is making their own Ubuntu laptop this year.

Comments

Re:Poor Brazilians.

[mweather]

Don't worry it'll soon be over. They're switching away from Windows.

Excellent!

[timeOday]

From a selfish perspective, this is great. So long as Linux gains significant adoption somewhere in the world, we will get better hardware support. Much as I like linux, drivers are the main problem.

Re:Excellent!

[daliman]

Do you really have such a problem with hardware support?

I only buy hardware with Linux support. The companies I have worked for, when they have decided on Linux, ensure that the hardware they buy will work with the OS they have selected.

Hardware support has not been a large problem for me. Drivers are not a huge problem.

Re:Excellent!

[kebes]

If the numbers in TFA are true (36 million students, growing to 52 million by the end of 2009), then this is absolutely huge in terms of Linux install base. In fact, I think this project would approximately double the install base.

I know that "counting" the number of Linux installs is essentially impossible, but here are some random numbers I've accumulated that point to the approximate size of the Linux user base:
1. The Linux Counter estimated 29 million installs in 2005. This estimate involved numerous assumptions, such as extrapolating from 8 million installs reported by Red Hat in 1998.
2. According to an IDC study, the Linux marketshare for PCs was ~3% in 2003.
3. There are about 1 billion Internet users. Browser logs indicate that Linux accounts for ~0.8% to ~3.9% of web traffic. This gives us an estimate of 8 million to 39 million Linux users. (The upper estimate is undoubtedly an over-estimate since the value comes from W3Schools, which probably has a greater fraction of 'technical' users.)
4. According to Canonical's server logs from OS updates, there are approximately 6 million active users of Ubuntu (see here and here). Assuming that Ubuntu represents 30% of Linux usage (based on this), you can come up with an estimate of 20 million Linux users.
5. According to Fedora's logs for OS updates, there are approximately 2.8 million installations of Fedora Core 6, and 1.6 million of Fedora 7. Assuming Fedora represents 9% of Linux installs (again, based on this), you can estimate 48 million Linux users.

Obviously all of these methods have their own problems. I'm not claiming that any of these estimates are robust. However they do at least suggest a range for the number of Linux users (~20 million) and the marketshare of Linux (~1% to 2%).

So, this single project, it would seem, is drastically increasing (doubling?) Linux usage. This is huge, in my opinion, because a generation of students who have learned Linux will be far more likely to use and improve upon FLOSS when they enter the job market.

Re:Excellent!

[deragon]

Drivers are not the only issue. Linux support on the web is important. The more Linux users, the more websites that are IE/Windows only centric will switch to become OS independent. The more Linux users, the more software will be written for it and better the interoperability will be.

Re:Excellent!

[abigor]

Actually, it's only around 825 000 installs (55 000 labs * 15 "access points" per lab) serving several tens of millions of students. It's still a lot, but not as huge as one install per student.

Re:Excellent!

[xSacha]

There is a huge take up of linux in schools now. I heard about some very large install base but forgot where. Heck, there are even doing it here in Melbourne, Australia: http://freesoftnews.com/archives/7184 (13th April, 2008)! Problem with those estimates is they they extrapolate linearly. I think the growth is exponentially increasing -- especially with this hunk of rubbish called vista.

Re:Excellent!

[orasio]

XP has the same issues.

I got a new laptop with Vista Ultimate (Toshiba Qosmio F45, already out of production).

I am barely used to XP (lots of previous windows experience, tough), so I don't have enough experience to beta test Vista. I have been having some problems, like random freezes, random network failures and permission problems I don't understand, and can't be bothered to learn. That, aside from the performance issues I have been suffering.

So, I decided I should install XP Professional, so I can work on the Windows-only software I need for my work.

To my surprise, the oem XP SP2 install did not recognize my SATA HD. I had to jump through lots of hoops in order to slipstream the SATA drivers in the CD. Had to get software to modify the ISO, change lots of text files with strange snippets I found on the web.

It finally installed. Then I realized my video was not supported (Intel GM965). Ok, I downloaded the drivers. They worked. I also downloaded some "chipset drivers"

Then I found out I didn't have sound. I spent two nights crawling for drivers. I finally got the Realtek drivers, that bring a visual bug with my volume control, leaving small windows on top of my windows. I "fixed" that getting rid of the volume tray icon.

Now, I found out it doesn't come back gracefully from hibernation. I will see if next weekend I am lucky enough to fix it.

My point is that the problem is not that Linux drivers are difficult. They have been problematic in the past, but right now they are much better. On the other hand, Windows drivers can be a real headache, but you usually don't see it because they come preinstalled.

The real issue is that installing an OS on a machine is really hard, unless someone does it for you.

About my machine: I tried the live Ubuntu 7.10 in it, and everything worked flawlessly out of the box.

Disclaimer: I know Intel chipset driver issues with Windows XP are not supposed to be the fault of MS, but we all know that Intel and Microsoft are very good friends, it would be very easy for Intel to provide the right drivers in their website for XP, and not only for Vista, when we are talking about a chipset released when XP still was the top seller.

Re:wrong headline, wishful thinking

[mweather]

They could run a non-stripped down full featured distro. Just keep compiz off.

A major win for Open Source

[elh_inny]

This is very important.

Back when I were in school, we had no other choice than to use Windows. Even back then, I realized the clever tactic of Microsoft - if everyone is taught to use Windows the have plenty of market.
But Microsoft is just too greedy, instead of giving the software away to educators, which, in the en would result in bigger market share, insist on licensing and charging everyone - which in turn makes initiatives like these worthwhile.

The only marketing methods I've been exposed to as admin for a bunch of libraries, is the scare and bribery methods they used on a country-wide level, which resulted in M$ centric solutions being shoved down our throats.

The director of the libraries I've working on, has been told that installing Linux will result in BSA audit. We did, nothing happened, obviously, but all the other libraries are still using Windows servers.

And paying for that, instead of buying books or journals.

This has happened in EU approx 3 years ago.

Re:A major win for Open Source

[penguin_dance]

Back when I were in school, we had no other choice than to use Windows. Even back then, I realized the clever tactic of Microsoft - if everyone is taught to use Windows the have plenty of market.

But Microsoft is just too greedy, instead of giving the software away to educators, which, in the en would result in bigger market share, insist on licensing and charging everyone - which in turn makes initiatives like these worthwhile.

Early on in the US, Apple was donating systems to schools in order accomplish the same thing. But by the time MS got involved, they already got a foothold on business. Most people wanted a computer that was compatible with the type they used at work. MS gave some licenses away, but just like a crack dealer they just gave them enough to replace Apples with PCs. The next hit you pay for. Then it became the defacto OS and so the school hierarchy thought--no sense teaching children the Apple when business are all using Windows....

The director of the libraries I've working on, has been told that installing Linux will result in BSA audit. We did, nothing happened, obviously, but all the other libraries are still using Windows servers.

Yes, I'm sure the MS rep told him that!

Re:A major win for Open Source

[domatic]

The director of the libraries I've working on, has been told that installing Linux will result in BSA audit. We did, nothing happened, obviously, but all the other libraries are still using Windows servers.

The thing to do there is to start dealing with Red Hat and then when that threat is made, passing it on to Red Hat. If you doubt they'll get anywhere with antitrust then I still doubt Novell would take kindly to MS pissing in their Wheaties that way and would be happy to create more European antitrust trouble for them.

You also tell whoever threatened you with the audit not to EVER approach you with that again and that they are to bring it straight to your attorney. Like any bully, they tend to blink when stood up to.

If this was not Linux or F/OSS

[zappepcs]

These press releases would also state how many millions of dollars these contracts are worth to the company supplying the products.

What is even better about this is that not only is there no dollar value in the story to make it worth hearing, but millions and millions of people will be using F/OSS software rather than beginning a life of paying for the privilege of 'using' software.

So the story is about success and growth rather than money and contracts. A positive story. Sure, it's good for Dell monetarily, and Ubuntu too but it's not all about money, profit, and contracts. Just reading it make me feel the world is a bit more free.

(cynicism on) How long before we see stories about MS doing deals to counteract these successes? (cynicism off)

Re:If this was not Linux or F/OSS

[zappepcs]

While I agree with you on the point of both being exploited, having used both I have to say that GNU/Linux (Ubuntu) is far more securely set up right out of the box than any Windows installation. period.

There is nothing in the Windows world that ever gave me the joy that I experienced last night: I logged into my Ubuntu laptop and up popped a window for updates. It said there is a new version of Ubuntu ready and asked if I would like to upgrade. Sure, it took all night to upgrade, but it was FREE! All I had to give was my consent.

This morning I had a cup of coffee, scanned the news, and checked out Ubuntu 8.04 briefly. This is an experience that Windows users will never have. Specifically I mean free upgrades, improvements, patches (free for both-ish, but you never know exactly why or what MS is patching) and security improvements. The sense that I get from GNU/Linux and F/OSS is that they are working to HELP me, not the other way around.

Point of info: I donated to Fedora, Ubuntu, DSL, Puppy, OOo, Gimp, ClamAV, and will probably donate to others this year if I find I'm using their code regularly. So when I say free I don't mean I'm freeloading. I truly feel that I'm getting damned good value for the money I donated.

Eventually, there will be an exploit but in the meantime I'm not paying someone to put that exploit on my machine for them, I'm donating money to pay for the hard work that went into creating world class software that I use. There is quite a difference between the two cultures, even if both will be attacked at some point.

Back on topic, the F/OSS world is opening up the information age to many people who would not otherwise be privy to it. That means an entire class of people are giving this to them, sharing it with them. RMS should be proud of what he has promoted and done.

Re:If this was not Linux or F/OSS

[mhall119]

What Microsoft has done in the past is offer to pay for the cost of "upgrading" to Windows. This covered not only the license cost, but also the cost of manual labor, which was always billed at well above the going rate for the location. Basically they say: "If you want to switch your computers to Windows, we'll give you a free license plus give you $100 per PC to cover the cost of labor to install it.", when the labor costs about $1 per PC. Who can pass up such a deal?

I have always said Gov Open Source makes sense

[xtracto]

I have always said that using Open Source in government schools and other offices makes complete sense. Specially if they are not inside the USA.

My reasoning is that, as a tax payer in say, Brazil. I know that part of my taxes are going into buying whatever I.T. infrastructure is needed for the government (and there are countries and states where the government is *the* most important economy).

Therefore, as a tax payer, I prefer my contribution to go to Open Source projects (say, for example Open Office), which I would be able to use, instead of having to pay the proprietary software (Microsoft Office in this case) and giving that money to other countries (to the USA in such case).

Governments should mandate that all the software that is used in the government must be Open Source. The money with which the software is being bought is the money of all the contributors, and is in their best benefit to put that money in open standards, but most importantly in technology that *they* will be able to use.

Unfortunately, strong forces at the top of the governments impede such thing (at least in my own country) where big corporations push governments with "discrete" bribes in order to make them adopt whatever closed technology they sell.

It seems that the countries that will adopt Open Source as common initiative are the ones where socialism is not seen as such as scary term, akin to communism. And even the word communism does not equate to "Russian soviet slaves". Unlike USA and other countries that are *very* influenced by Capitalism.

Microsoft caught in the middle

[javilon]

Apple is getting the high margin users that want a good desktop experience, and Linux is getting more and more users that need good value deals.

Microsoft is in the middle, giving up market share on both sides.

Re:wrong headline, wishful thinking

[Anonymous Coward]

say what you will, but remember, while these children are not getting the best of linux, they are getting linux experience. Using , linux I've made more friendships and awesome contacts than I ever thought possible. I've had people let me into their homes, knowing very little about me, besides the fact that I was going to help them uninstall microsoft. They knew nothing of linux. Many times linux gave me strange problems with hardware issues. By having them sit with me while I checked the community for help, they saw what I saw: Computer users coming together as a community. This feeling that we shared is now available for 36 million school aged children? No matter what anyone says of the distro, the number of children, or anything else, these children are now given access to the one educational precept that will guide them for the rest of their lives. Each one teach one. The community will only spread with these types of initiatives. Someday, you may see them posting on slashdot, praising that initial step as the reason they went on to higher education. You may see them on IRC, helping one of our own. You may yawn, and this is ill advised. You see, when initiatives such as this arrise, it is up to all of us to collectively stand, and applaud.

Re:Poor Brazilians.

[phpmysqldev]

This summary is a little misleading. According to TFA there will be about 55k labs serving 50mil students. (and i thought labs were crowded at college)
This is definitely a step in the right direction for a developing country, but it doesn't seem to have the large scale plans of say the XO laptop program.
At least its Linux though...wonder if theyll be getting hardy heron anytime soon?

OpenEducationDisc

[pluke]

About time. Profiteering should have no place when it comes to a child's access to education. I'm an ICT teacher and we are trying to teach skills and not packages. But it is more than that, you can;t teach kids everything in school and being able to access the skills and tools that you implement in school at home is essential to complement what they are learning in school. After two years of quite severe debate, our school now uses several OSS packages and the kids are given copies of the OpenEducationDisc. Teachers and students can't believe it is free. I now have kids making music, 2D and 3D graphics and actually able to complete written assignments at home as they have something to write with and open word docs with (OOo). For me propriety formats do not have a foot to stand on when you take the home situation into hand. The latest version of the openeducationdisc is here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=203390

Headline from the future:

[Anita Coney]

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donates software to Brazilian schools

Re:Hardware?

[pembo13]

Do you have any reason to believe that KDE can't run well on hardware that isn't the most up to date?

I wonder what is MS going to do about it?

[blind biker]

Because MS just cannot NOT do something about it. Without a stranglehold on the OS market, MS just can't compete. And -52 million is quite a dent in the marketshare, methinks, for a country like Brazil.

In any case, interesting times ahead. Pass the popcorn, thnk you.

Building a new PC vs. switching

[tepples]

I only buy hardware with Linux support

That's good if you're building a new computer. I think timeOday's problem is that (s)he is trying to switch an existing computer from Windows to Linux or from Windows to dual-boot Windows/Linux. In that case, you have to choose software that works with what you have unless you want to have to replace 10 to 50 percent of your hardware.

For those building a new computer, such as the situation of the article, do you recommend particular brands of Linux-compatible desktop or laptop PC hardware?

Re:Building a new PC vs. switching

[Hadlock]

I've had really good luck with intel brand motherboards. Other than futzing about with an eithernet driver on a 7.x version of ubuntu (works in most recent version), intel has pretty good driver support, and the boards exceedingly rarely fail. Price/features are competitive with other name brand boards like Asus.

Re:Building a new PC vs. switching

[Hadlock]

Last time I checked Laserjet IIs have been supported since linux's conception. They go for less than $100 and often have the eithernet adapter added already. That printer will probably outlive your children. Dropped mine from 5' up on it's corner onto concrete and still runs like a champ.

Re:Building a new PC vs. switching

[indifferent children]

I'd just like a $200-$300 laser printer on the network, from the printer compatibility lists I've found there isn't one.

I run a Brother 5250dn on my home network, with no problems printing from linux or Windows. My mother runs one of the cheap ($100) Brother lasers (no duplexing) on her home network, and prints from linux with no trouble. Even the setup was a breeze; the CUPS configuration GUI found the printer, and suggested the correct driver. I was shocked at how seamless this was.

Re:Building a new PC vs. switching

[timeOday]

That's good if you're building a new computer. I think timeOday's problem is that (s)he is trying to switch an existing computer from Windows to Linux

Nah, I've been using Linux for 10 years. But, for instance, I bought both my printer and my wireless print server because they claimed Linux support. Yet both, either alone or together, are so unreliable when printing from Linux that they're almost worse than useless.

Again, the nvidia driver in my laptop. Is it "linux supported"? The official answer is yes. But start trying to use suspend-to-ram, 3d acceleration, xrandr, docking and undocking... you get crashes in the kernel, crashes in the nvidia config app, on and on.

So, there is a big difference between "Oh, yeah, I guess we support that" and actually devoting ongoing resources to make stuff is maintained and actually works for users. My experience is Linux is a VERY distant second or third priority to hardware makers. More users will help.

And somewhere in Redmond

[lixee]

In other news, chairs are expected to rain...

Tech support

[Bombula]

India and China are getting a custom-designed Ubuntu laptop from Dell

At least their technical support calls won't be long distance...

Re:wrong headline, wishful thinking

[xanadu-xtroot.com]

Wow! Why is this modded "Flamebait"?

This is how I've felt about Linux for a good little while now. I feel part of a community. I've been using Linux near full-time (on my personal machines - at work I don't usually have the choice...) since '98 or '99. I honestly forget when I made my first Linux-Only machine (not dual-boot, not "testing").

In the 20-ish or so years I was using Microsoft's Operating Systems (DOS 2 or so through XP) I'd never once felt like I was part of a "community". At least no more part of a community than a bunch of strangers that happen to shop at the same supermarket can be considered a "community", anyway.



P.S.
During the 3.1x --> '95 years, I was clinging onto my install of Warp! 3 as tightly as possible, but I had to give in to 95; nothing (a user would use) was being developed. :-( I rather liked Warp... well, after I upgraded my system at the time to 8M RAM...

That must be why

[symbolset]

PC shipments for the last quarter are up 12% over the same quarter last year, and Windows revenues are down 24% over the same period. Serious changes are happening.

Don't believe the hype

[synthespian]

According to local press, the little laptop isn't doing so good. One study in fact (mentioned in Veja news magazine) even found that student's grade got worse, since they became distracted.

The XO laptop was also doing badly because there were not nearly enough qualified teachers. We're talking teachers here that can barely teach with a blackboard and chalk. The international Pisa student evaluation (done in 57 countries) places Brazilian students at the lowest tier in Mathematics proficiency http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/educacao/ult305u351481.shtml (pt_br).

Now, as we all know, even for the lowly Turtle logo, a modicum of Mathematics is necessary for both the student and the teacher.

In this respect, open source (source code) will bring nothing to these students. Maybe for a statistically negligible elite. Well, so be it.

As for the purported 52 mil, the nationwide 2004 school census had the numbers at 8.7 mil for "mid-level" school and 10.7 mil at 17-17 years.

http://br.monografias.com/trabalhos/educacao-pobreza-brasil/educacao-pobreza-brasil2.shtml (pt_br)

This 52 mil is probably self-promotion bullshit from the chronics at this leftist government, who do nothing but lie in general and specifically with numbers. The only real numbers I can see sprouting forth with any substance is the shitload of money the political free-software clique that revolves around the Worker's Party will make in installing Debian for such a huge basis. Hooray!

There's very little being done in terms of educating teachers so as to harness the power of free software in building knowledge (and the GPL is not good for that - BSD systems would really empower people to sell their work instead of giving it for free).

My feeling from young kids I know from public schools is that Linux will produce nothing but rejection in the end, as soon as they realize you can't play those neat video games in it. You know how kids are, they don't care about the GNU toolchain...Their bottom line thinking is: "no fun - then the fuck with it!"

Anyhow, if I sound against the thing, I just want to say I'm not. I just would not believe the hype. We've seen Brazil and Free Software in the headlines before and in terms of concrete achievements, they have delivered very little.