Slashdot Mirror


NZ School Goes Open Source Amid Microsoft Mandate

Dan Jones writes "Kiwis have built an entire school IT system out of open source software, in less than two months, despite a deal between the New Zealand government and Microsoft that effectively mandates the use of Microsoft products in the country's schools. Albany Senior High School in the northern suburbs of Auckland has been running an entirely open source infrastructure since it opened in 2009. It's using a range of applications like OpenOffice, Moodle for education content, Mahara for student portfolios, and Koha for the library catalogue. Ubuntu Linux is on the desktop and Mandriva provides the server. Interestingly, the school will move into new purpose-built premises this year, which include a dedicated server room design based on standard New Zealand school requirements, including four racks each capable of holding 48 servers for its main systems. The main infrastructure at Albany Senior High only requires four servers, suggesting an almost 50-fold saving on hardware requirements."

13 of 305 comments (clear)

  1. Re:50-fold savings? by club · · Score: 5, Funny

    The school only has 230 students. I have a hard time believing they'd need 192 servers whether they used Linux or not.

    Here in NZ, we're so technologically advanced that we're skipping laptops and going straight to "one server per child".

  2. Re:50-fold savings? by Arancaytar · · Score: 4, Funny

    The school only has 230 students. I have a hard time believing they'd need 192 servers

    Ah, you've never used NT. :)

  3. Drum roll please... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They could run a Beowulf cluster with those extra 44 servers. :P

  4. Re:50-fold savings? by tsm_sf · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does anyone on /. Work in networking any more?

    The majority of /.ers are now young republicans (sorry, libertarians)in their first year of college, studying debate/rhetoric 101 and javascript. They've also just discovered ayn raynynnd. Still fat and greasy though, so at least we're keeping to some of our roots.

    --
    Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
  5. Re:Not There Yet by mgblst · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't worry, your kid has probably figured it all out by now. You can go back to Windows.

  6. here's a solution for everyone by md65536 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Windows 8 to Feature Fully Virtual Monopoly

    "We already have some schools switching to other operating systems. This new version of Windows will allow them to do that while still claiming to be 'Windows only.' "

    fully sarcastic blog entry here.

  7. Re:50-fold savings? by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Funny

    You shouldn't have listened to that Microsoft marketing droid so much. That's not the way Terminal Services works.

    By the way, if you're having difficulty traveling between two points due to an obstruction, I might have a construction which will allow you to pass over it unhindered. For a modest price, of course...

    --
    Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  8. Re:Huh? by raju1kabir · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gladiators were taught to fight with heavy wooden swords so that the real sword would be easier to handle. Surely it is better to give students crippled operating systems such as Vista so that their introduction to real world technology is a pleasant one? Rather than go the other way around?

    Starting the students on Vista is more like training gladiators with swords made out of aluminum foil.

    --
    "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
  9. Re:Rubbish! by sensationull · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ah, yes, and of course the grammer and spelling of my speedy typing invalidated my point completely. Just what I would expect from an Australian.

  10. Re:Rubbish! by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Funny
    Just what I would expect from an Australian.

    A sense of humour?

    I thought you Kiwis had those too. I guess you're feeling a bit sheepish about the spelling errors...

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  11. Re:Huh? by troll8901 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Starting the students on Vista is more like training gladiators with swords made out of aluminum foil.

    In swordfighting, the parry movement means when the enemy is about to stab you, you use your own sword to push his sword away quickly.

    With Windows Vista, you get this pop-up in the middle of combat:

    "Windows needs your permission to continue
      If you started this action, continue.

      Parry Movement
      Arm Motor Control

      To continue, type an administrator password, and then click OK.

      [Details] [OK] [Cancel]"

  12. Oxymoron? by drainbramage · · Score: 3, Funny

    "competent Windows admins".

    --
    No brain, no pain.
  13. Re:Rubbish! by Kryptonut · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ah yes....the classic kiwi sheep shagger joke. Yes, in NZ we're all given a sheep at the age of 16, we shag it's brains out for the next few years, then they're butchered and the meat is exported to Australia. Just think about that next time the gravy's dribbling down your chin ;)