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Ask Slashdot: Best Choice of Linux Laptops For Elementary School?
An anonymous reader writes "I work in the tech department of an elementary school and I am trying to show the tech director the world of Linux. I will be installing edubuntu but I am not sure which laptop to get. I know there are companies like System76 that sell laptops with Linux already installed but I wanted to ask you for your thoughts. We want something small and light weight for the kids. We do not need much horsepower as the main use will be internet/email/word processing and whatever other apps come with edubuntu. Basically, what we really want is something MacBook Air-like but not nearly as expensive. Thoughts?"
The Lenovo laptops always work well with Linux. The S110 (mini) may be good for elementary school. I am using one daily running Fedora 16.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
I think it depends on the point. If he's got Mavis Beacon and Math Blaster for linux, sure, go for it. If the point is just to give the kids a computer to dick around in, it would probably be better on an OS that will provide them better educational opportunities later on in their careers.
I have found http://www.linux-laptop.net/ useful in the past. Good on you for introducing them to linux at a young age. Wish I would have found linux before 14...
Why not? I have always been thankful for the breadth of hardware I was exposed to in school (I was very lucky in this respect). I have told parents countless times that the reason I was able to succeed in compsci was through identifying the commonalities between the various platforms and recognizing those commonalities as rooted in computer science theory.
They'll be exposed to Windows every day of their lives elsewhere. Let them learn something new.
I'm using an Asus 1215T. It was $300 brand new. It runs KDE on Ubuntu just fine even with fancy kwin compositing, and has no problems with even heavy-ish software like LibreOffice and so on.
Cheap, quiet, lightweight, powerful enough to run most anything.
http://netbooksreview.net/asus/1215t-review/
Get 10" netbook with a couple of gigs of ram and replace the internal drive with an SSD. It'll fly, have great (relatively) battery life and it will be kid sized.
I'm going to assume that you're going to get a bunch of these things, I'd contact several different manufacturers and solicit bids for laptops running Linux. Hopefully you'll be getting enough volume to be taken seriously and helped by people who sell computers. If it's for the Kids to use I'd look real hard at "Netbooks" because kids don't mind the smaller size and you'll find that you can get what you need at a much lower price point. Call Dell, Call IBM, Call them all and tell them you want Linux Laptops for a whole school what can they do for you.
"The Most Fun Possible on 4 wheels" is at SunBuggy in Las Vegas
Do elementary-school students really need laptops?
Linux is for sissies.
You don't want an Air. That's basically taking the parts from a full power, full featured laptop and using heavy integration to cram it into an extra thin case.
Doing that for cheaper is basically the definition of "Ultrabook".
But you're looking for less powerful and less expensive. That's square on what Netbooks were created for. Pick your favorite 12" model.
If you want something with more midrange performance, look at the Thinkpad X130 series. It's not a real Thinkpad, but more of a premium-grade netbook.
so much easier to support than winblows. the only issue you ever run into is training, and kids will figure stuff out on their own. I replaced various versions of Windows at my company 5 years ago and that's the last time I had to dick around with spyware and virus scans and reloading OS's, Ubuntu just works and users don't break it. go back to redmond where you work and stay there.
"The Most Fun Possible on 4 wheels" is at SunBuggy in Las Vegas
What "educational opportunites"?
Computing is about gettting stuff done. It's not about using particular branded products. Even if you do choose to fixate on a particular brand, it's rather likely that the brand won't be recognizable by "later in their careers".
Schools should be teaching concepts not products.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Thinking outside the box, what about something like the Asus Transformer Pad TF300? It's lightweight and cheap but should be fine for email etc and comes in a version with a nifty detachable keyboard. I haven't seen this particular version, but the previous gen. Transformer Prime seemed sturdy enough to cope with kids detaching the keyboard.
A quick search turned up a couple of guides for dual booking the transformer prime, plus some articles about the bootloader being unlockable via asus, so perhaps this new one will be easier to install another OS on.
lots of school software is windows only so linux may be a no go.
I have an Acer laptop with an 11.6" screen and I am very fond of it. The size and weight are great.
The model I have is no longer made, but the Acer Aspire One series is still made.
Most of those seem to have an Atom chip. I also have an Acer with an Atom and I pretty much hate the Atom... very slow. It's possible that newer Atom chips suck less.
I haven't tested the AMD "E" chips yet, but here is an Acer Aspire One with a dual-core "E" chip.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215340
The only thing is that for kids, it might be better to have an SSD rather than a spinning-metal hard disk, but that model has a 320 GB spinning-metal hard disk.
Oh, on at least my Acer laptop, modern Linux distros like Ubuntu or Mint just work. All hardware detected correctly, WiFi works out of the box, etc. As I said, I haven't tried the newest one so I can't promise anything for sure.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Sounds like a perfect use case for Chromebooks.
Good one
Fuck those new-fangled graphics programs, all you really need is mathcastle. Which, btw, does run with FreeDOS in dosbox.
(In case my sarcasm is opaque, I doubt schools are still using such ancient software as Math Blaster.)
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I think that an Android tablet might be a good way to go: very compact and lightweight, durable (no moving parts such as a hard disk or cooling fan), and very long battery life. Less expensive than a laptop, and you could buy accessories and software with the left-over money: get some sort of keyboard and Android software for word processing and such.
Asus and Google are going to announce a low-cost Android tablet. The rumored specs are: 7" screen, Tegra 3 processor at 1.3 GHz (that's 4 general-purpose cores), probably 1 GB of RAM and probably 8 GB of flash storage. Expected price will be $250 or $200.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/257296/googles_sub250_nexus_7_tablet_coming_late_june_report_says.html
I have a Nook Color that I rooted, and installed "PhireMod 7.2" (a particular build of CyanogenMod 7). I am very pleased with my 7" tablet. It's big enough to be useful and small enough to carry around, and I love the battery life.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
There was a flurry of models with Linux installed (and there still are some being made/sold), and then the community created instructions for installing basically almost any other distro, on them. Best of all
- small
- lightweight
- cheap
I installed xubuntu, mint, DSL and SLAX on mine.
Linux Netbook is a good resource, if you decide to go this route.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
I bought a smaller laptop from a popular Linux vendor, and the thing is 1) not really a great build and 2) rapidly breaking down. Just this month the power light on the power button failed. Three months ago, all of the metal badges (including the "brand name") came off. The machine came with a note that said that basically the SD card reader would never work. OK...whatever, I can live with that I guess.
My advice would be to go after the 14 or 15" models because they generally have working parts and can take a bit more abuse than the smaller models like the one I have.
We do not need much horsepower as the main use will be internet/email/word processing and whatever other apps come with edubuntu.
That could be written "internet/email/{word processing}" as it can otherwise be interpreted as "internet processing, email processing and word processing".
Lets see, when i was in primary school, there was Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Nothing at all changed in the meanwhile, no interface changes whatsoever.
ThinkPenguin is one of only a few OEMs that sell hardware that is fully supported by free (as in freedom) drivers (so the hardware will continue to work even after the manufacturer stops supporting it). If you visit libre.thinkpenguin.com then the Trisquel distro (a fully free distro based on Ubuntu without any proprietary software) gets a share of the profits.
https://friendly.ubuntu.com/
This is a list of hardware models which have been user tested to work with ubuntu. I assume edubuntu will work just as well.
is a much better option which lowers support costs and with the proper configuration allows students access from school, library, and home to the applications they need for their education.
Just tell Microsoft you are contemplating Linux and they will happily supply you with free OS's and software...
Happens again and again..
Ignoring the point whether they actually need a laptop at that age, I'd go for a nice used Thinkpad X40 or something. That's more than enough processing power, they are small and light, durable and cheap.
The demands of little children and bank managers are fairly similar. They both are likely to damage "cheap" consumer notebooks (which often cost substantially more than a used Thinkpad) easily, so you need something durable.
What's more important than the hardware is the pedagogic framework behind it. It's no use giving a child access to a computer without helping it to learn how to program it.
Raspberry pi? $35 per student plus screens and peripherals.
Get the woodworking kids to design cases for them.
Have you considered iPads?
From a form factor perspective is it imperative that the kids have laptops and not tablets?
If budget is a real world concern then iPads either cost as much or are, more typically, cheaper than a decent laptop/netbook. Any potential software to be purchased can be purchased with Apple's education discounts. Tablets are easier for IT to manage (reducing TCO) and have a more portable form factor which the kids will probably prefer. In addition, kids will probably prefer tablets as they are more fun to use and the accommodate a kid's work habits (away from the table and perched upside down from the furniture).
Bottom line, I think you are asking yourself the wrong question. Instead of asking yourself what Linux laptop you can afford, you should be asking yourself what serves your customers - the kids - best given your budget?
Dual functionality. Cheap. Fast. Customisable
Children want to understand the world. They want to shake something and have a sound coming out of it. They want to press the button of a typewriter for a letter to appear on the paper. They want to learn about cause and effect in order to understand the world around them. That is their basic instinct.
The older they are, the more complex those systems can be. However it is always important that the system behaves in a deterministic way, so the child can learn from it.
Unixoid operating systems provide that consistent behavior. They provide you with a command line and every time you type in those magic words, they will do the same. You can also combine them... just like Lego or other types of building blocks.
While you can do the same on Windows, theoretically, the learning curve is much higher. People will need to learn complex non-interactive programming languages to do the same unixoid people simply do on a console.
If you put a child in front of a Windows Box, you are robbing them of the experience that computers are reliable deterministic tools used extend their minds. It's like giving them a box of crayons which for some invisible reason work differently every time.
Any school requiring my kids to purchase anything from a particular vendor, ESPECIALLY Apple is going to get sued by me, in addition to my pulling my kids out and sending them to a better school. (There must be a better school, since any school making such requirements is obviously inferior.)
iFad's are not necessary for education, in fact they're a distraction from it, (unless the education is on how to play mini-games). Any public or private primary or secondary school that insists on electronic babysitting of students rather than actually teaching them is part of the reason we are falling farther and farther behind other nations in education.
Why not take the money squandered on devices for playing games, and spend it instead on paying teachers? Maybe even buying them supplies like chalk, etc., so they don't have to pay for that stuff out of their own pockets, like mine did.
Apple must be loving that though... I wonder how much money Apple kicks back to the people running the schools every time one agrees to go along with that kind of harebrained idea to waste a bundle on technical toys from Apple... Plus, each time this happens, it helps entrench their "experience" (over functionality) in the minds of impressionable children, and reinforces the value of standoffish, jealous, closed-mindedness, versus the openness of the community that Apple has stolen so much from, (OS-X borrowed very heavily from a variant of BSD) and given so little back.
If you want something of high quality like the MacBook Air you need to pay for it.
nice troll, but i think u should have said 'autistic' more often...
What can a child do with an iPad at that age?
If it's just "reading books" and "playing games", then you should consider cheaper alternatives since obviously your child could also use books and games. The even more pressing issue is of course that tablets don't give tactile feedback. Playing with bricks, for example, gives that feedback. They need to learn how strongly they need to grip such a block and they practice that since they want to learn how to use the blocks. That's an experience a tablet cannot give them.
Don't confuse the latest fad rich people have with something which will benefit your child.
Samsung has a nice one, total cost of ownership is a lot lower, replacement is trivial, and the web gives you all the apps you need. What's not to like?
First, my recommendations:
Acer - I have seen minimal compatibility issues. Build quality ranges from pretty good to ok. Modifiable. Aesthetically respectable.
Asus - Generally of pretty good build quality. Aesthetically above average. Usually quite compatible. Modifiable from my experience. Has made some unfriendly decisions regarding Linux lately. I am partial to Asus, at least until they push too far with Linux hostilities. They also make motherboards, which is a good skill to have in a manufacturer.
MSI - Pretty good.
Gateway - Pretty good from a few years back, though I am not sure now.
Build Your Own - There are websites out there that will allow you to build your own laptop to your desired specs. More expensive, but you get what you truly desire.
Now for the crap:
HP - Sometimes they look great, they usually perform very well in Windows and Linux, of generally acceptable build quality. But they do something that really, REALLY pisses me off; they poison the BIOS to prevent hardware modification. I once tried to change my Broadcom wifi chip to an Atheros, both identical half-mini PCI, and the computer would refuse to boot, providing only an error message of "Unsupported Hardware Detected". I despise HP. I could go on too.
Sony - (insert profanity here)
Lenovo - Often pretty to look at, good performance on Win/Lin, but like HP they are hostile to customer hardware modifications and often poison the BIOS. You might also note that flashing the BIOS does not correct the problem easily. They sure aren't IBM anymore. But I think IBM may have also shared this authoritarianism.
Mac - Beautiful little bastards. But I'll leave it at that.
You know what would educate kids better than some flavor of laptop?
Teachers.
Work Safe Porn
Portugal implemented last years a national initiative to let every child at elementary schools a laptop.
The project has been labelled 'Projecto Magalhães' (from XVI century navigator Magellan, as you english speaking people called him).
As far as I know, that laptop has been exported at big scale to other countries.
I suggest you to take a look at
http://www.jpsacouto.pt/pt/home/-o-10734/magalhaes-o27272/
and
http://comunidade.magalhaes.caixamagica.pt/ (unhapilly only in portuguese)
This last address points to a Linux implementation for Magalhaes laptop.
Best regards,
José
It have adequately big IPS display, attachable keyboard when you need one, and it is not expensive (like $200).
839*929
Obviously you've never heard of Unity or Gnome3 -- both designed exclusively for children.
"MacBook Air-like but not nearly as expensive" - wow, that's a big ask, I'm sure there's an undiscovered gem out there to fit the bill. Not.
Try any old Acer product, preferably with an AMD processor. Here's why: http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/280/kw/windows%20refund
I've done the refund, Acer is awesome. Windows refund? Big deal, been there, done that.
When I was at school the only computer I ever saw was a HP calculator. I wrote a program to find prime numbers in its 50-step memory.
Obviously you want an Ultra-book of some type. They're basically the same as the Macbook air (yes, even aluminium unibodies) but you can get them slightly cheaper (especially in the USA). I don't know which one to recommend on basis of Linux compatibility but I'd suspect most would work well. They also (by Intel requirements) use Intel graphics which pretty much always play nice under Linux - and usually the battery life of an ultrabook is great. In 6 months I would bet that there will be $700 ultrabooks as I can currently find $799 ones.
Distribution wise I would be looking at Fedora (and it's complete ecosystem) or Linux Mint (Debian Edition, MATE and Cinnamon are *great* Gnome 2/3 replacements) rather than the tumultuous *buntu distributions.
The Dell XPS 13 ultrabook apparently going to be shipped with Ubuntu as a "developer" option however the reliability of the Dell consumer range is *terrible* and they also seem to have a $999 price tag. Maybe officially refurbished Macbook Airs are an option as they come with warranty for about $800 and maybe there could be a better education discount.
I would also be consulting with teachers about how/what *they* would want to use whatever hardware. Teachers are mostly concerned about *learning outcomes* and if they don't integrate the laptops (or tablets if you go that route) into the syllabus then they just won't get used.
BTW, on the server side of things you may want to check out Resara Server as an Active Directory replacement - this is more your area right :) ?
I think you should first limit yourself to distributions that are fully free. Teach the kids solid values. Here's the list http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
Then make a Live CD and go to a brick-and-mortar and give the candidate laptops a test drive. The components that most likely will give you grief are graphics cards (3D) and wifi.
And when I was in primary school the choices were pencil and paper, chalk an blackboard. Early grades, many teachers had a stack or three or flash cards for drill. Looking back, I think it odd that the abacus was not considered.
Over 20 years ago each classroom at my Primary School (Australian for Elementary School) had an Apple II and by the time I went into High school, they had an Mac in each room.
20 years later, my 7 year old nephew is proficient at working his way around his little Netbook running Debian with lxde, typing emails to me after school and putting together his Primary School grade projects using LibreOffice Draw and he can do it with his eyes closed. He's a smart kid but he's not alone. Many kids these days can muster this without batting an eyelid. Don't underestimate the kids!
For those of you who think that it is unreasonable to have someone at that young age to own a laptop, you need to get out more and get with the times. I think it's a great thing if the school has the opportunity to enable every kid to have his or her own laptop. This kind of thing (along with proper parenting and supervision) is what will make the kids of today absolute geniuses compared to us old farts of yesterday.
Most kids wouldn't care much about what OS is installed, either. The person who has to provide technical support to the devices, does.
Besides one shouldn't teach a child "windows" or "word", one should teach concepts such as: files and folders, types of storage media, text input (including touch typing - I've never had proper courses myself unfortunately, computers were considered so simply that you don't need to learn to type), basic text layout, serif vs sans-serif font, input methods (an issue for Chinese input), basics of a spreadsheet: what it is, what it can be used for. Maybe even basics of databases. Don't go deep: most people don't need that in daily life, and if they do need it they have the foundation to build upon.
By the time your current primary school kid reaches the workforce, our current computers and software will be obsolete, yet the concept of files and folders goes back many decades already and is likely to stay with us for a very long time. Fonts also stay with us, as do layout principles.
And to learn those concepts, it really doesn't matter which OS is installed. They all use the same concepts, even when it looks a bit different. Seeing the same concepts in a different environment can even be a boon for learning as it shows more of the idea of the concept being universal, and independent of the exact presentation.
When I was in school all we had was an apple....... and that was on a tree and I was told not to eat it, but my girlfriend dared me, so I did, and then the whole world went to shit.
They'll be exposed to Windows every day of their lives elsewhere.
And then it won't just be their commonalities they're rooted in...
That's true. Linux teaches students valuable concepts like configuring device drivers and doing free QA for distro companies, so they will be better prepared for the IT monkey jobs which will have been completely eliminated by the time they graduate. Yay! (sounds about as useful as my high school's classes in drafting and carburetor tuning)
Furthermore, students won't be distracted by vendor-specific products, such as how to unclip proprietary patented bra strap designs. Yay x2!
Let's face it, the only concepts kids are going to learn from these shitty chinese Linux laptops is that the ipad product they already own is much nicer. Horse is out of the barn, freetards.
I gave my two little sisters (third and first grade of elementary school) my old Lenovo laptop with Edubuntu installed. Most of the time, they play various flash games on the internet, watch Youtube, or play TuxKart or Neverball. As they're learning to write, they use LibreOffice as well.
I really don't think they're missing out on anything. I wouldn't give them shooting games anyway.
And to the original question, my vote goes for Lenovo as well.
PlusFive Slashdot reader for Android. Can post comments.
The other option is the Blackberry Playbook. Yes, I know there are downsides and the 16Gbytes is being discontinued. It is worth considering because it has a magnetic power adaptor, at least in Europe, and so there is never any need for a child to plug anything into a port. Thus the chance of damage is greatly reduced.
The main problem with both these solutions is the lack of user/admin separation. But it possibly doesn't matter that much. If the worst happens, restore. Every child has its own login, so getting stuff back is not a real problem.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
If you want a laptop, pick one or two of these:
- Compact
- Powerful
- Cheap
Your requirements are invalid, if you try all three.
Interesting. I'm sure that training the OP refers to is no worse than switching to a new Windows version.
Over the years I've helped many computer illiterate friends and relatives install Linux on their home computers and things couldn't be better. It actually began as an experiment on my part to reduce support calls when these people want help with their computers.
I've been very careful to explain the differences between Windows and Linux and what to expect from either (good and bad), and that it's entirely their choice. Many people (but not al) choose Linux, at least to try out.
With most hardware it's much faster to install than Windows because all the software you need comes with the distro rather than having to reach for a mountain of CDs or trawl the internet for all the downloaders.
End result? I've not had one person want to migrate back to Windows after using Linux, in fact they said that it would be hard because their new OS is 'more logical'. So there you have it, everyday people that use Linux because they want to. None of them have ever touched a command line or ever had to and I get far fewer complaints from them than with Windows, so yes it's easier to support too.
Bear in mind that most of these people don't have money to throw around on new computers, however if they do I normally recommend a Mac if they can afford it.
Conclusion? Different strokes for different folks really. Don't trash talk others preferred platforms for the sake of it; they all have very strong merits (and weaknesses) these days.
What "educational opportunites"?
Computing is about gettting stuff done. It's not about using particular branded products. Even if you do choose to fixate on a particular brand, it's rather likely that the brand won't be recognizable by "later in their careers".
Schools should be teaching concepts not products.
The problem with your idea is that the concepts they should be learning at that age are tied directly to products.
Exactly!
It's about teaching CONCEPTS.
Today, it's almost much more about 'preparing kids for the future using only MS crap'. What if the kid ends up in a Linux only shop. 'But I only know Word'. Great. Whereas, 'I generally know how to use a word processor' helps you much further.
If one understands the concept of highlighting a word and using a function to bold face it, is much more helpfull, to know the routine, 'first click this, then click that' without even knowing (actually reading, or only looking at an icon) what they are doing.
Yes, in this basic example you could argue, but you can teach concepts with Word aswell, even when using the braindead ribbon interface. But we all know, that simply doesn't happen most, if not all of the time.
We all want something small and light weight for the kids.Good job!
I really love club dresses ,
Ubuntu runs fine on this machine. It also runs fine on my son's acer aspire s3.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Why not use Android tablets? I delibertately didn't suggest iPads, since they'd probably be more expensive, even w/ Apple's educational discounts. But take Android based tablets, and have Ubuntu's tablet software loaded on top of that - including Edubuntu, and go w/ that. Parents will have a choice of what to buy, be it Motorola, HTC, or whatever. The kids can take it around, use it for homework, games and so on. A lot easier to use as well.
when I was in elementary school, they taught us that you can double click a word to select it for edit(copy, paste) or triple click it.
it still works. and the windows still can be dragged the same in windows.
of course though, the things I learnt for GEM earlier than that didn't work.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I think your question should be broadened. Lenovo, HP and Dell as well as your local garage outfit offer a number of different laptop models that can run Linux and the programs (Open Office, Firefox) that the kids will want to use. So you could, in principle, choose any model and it would be fine. But there are more variables to it: - Do you need the computers next week, when the school year starts or whenever? - When the laptops breaks (and the will) do you want to ship them of for repair, bring them to a dealer, have them picked up at your office or have the company provide you with a replacement unit? - Do you intend to make upgrades/replacement of broken HDD:s/RAM/keyboards yourself? - What's your budget and will that money have to cover service fees as well? Anyone can provide you with the right (or sufficient) kind of laptop, but what should drive your decision is the sellers terms of warranty and service. Write down what kind of hardware you need and call a few different providers, or have them visit you (bringing coffee and cake!) to talk about the aftermarket part of the deal. If you just focus on the hardware you risk finding yourself stuck with broken computers that cost a fortune (fortune = price of a new unit) as soon as something brakes.
"Like Macbook Air but not as expensive"? Are you trying to convince yourself to buy Apple? Since it sounds like you're building yourself up for a disappointment.
First you need to ditch that mental image of sleek aluminum bodies and Apple-logos, only then you can accept anything else..
It's an elementary school. Elementary kids don't need laptops.
All laptops will teach kids is that there is lots of porn on the internet and that whatever they are asked the answer is in wikipedia or google. Are you trying to create a generation of dependent morons?
http://pupil104.mymagalhaes.com/en/pupil.104/360-view
When are you guys going to accept that Linux on desktop/laptop is dead?
Tell that to my 40 Linux desktop users.
Admittedly some of the office staff who use gnome think they are using windows. ( no joke! )
I pretty much agree with your opening part about laptops really not being needed in schools however the rest turns into pro-USA propaganda. It's both wrong and off-topic.
Stick to the subject and phrase it in a calmer way and you will get your point across. One point at a time would be good or this discussion won't cover any ground. We can discuss how the rest of the world deserves to be nuked by the mighty US war machine at some later date.
The middle school near me uses Linux just fine. They got rid of Windows/Office after the BSA sued them for licenses they already owned.
Tell you what, go fuck yourself.
I've run Fedora 16, Ubuntu, Crunchbang Linux and am currently using Fuduntu on a Dell D630. Everything works without any tweaks. I wouldn't use less than 2 GB RAM in these though. The hardware is solid. The user experience is great because performance is fine on these laptops. I've seen these on sale fro between $175 - 300 depending on condition and accessories that are included.
Given your use scenario, would not a netbook like the Asus eeepc fit the bill? It is inexpensive, runs linux very well, good battery life, has a lot of support and comes in various configurations. The only change from your plans would be that I would install a KDE based distro instead of edubuntu. If you are wanting specific apps included with edubuntu, you could install kubuntu and add the apps desired.
I've been managing 1200 linux netbooks running Open1to1's distro for 3 years going on 4. All I can say is Lenovo, I repeat LENOVO. Save yourself from Asus and Acer, it's too late for me...
Can you please submit your "ask slashdot"? I'm also very interested! Thanks!
If you don't want to end up with a support nightmare ask ThinkPenguin.com for help. They work with the Trisquel project (a free distribution endorsed by the free software foundation), chipset manufacturers, and Rubén Rodríguez (Trisquel project lead devloper who is also involved in the One Laptop Per Child program). The company also donates significantly to free software. While they are primarily concered about freedom they also sponsor/or otherwise contribute significantly to Linux Mint, Trisquel, and the free software foundation. They also have the largest and only catalog focused on GNU/Linux and free software.
System76, Lenovo, and all the others are problematic for various reasons. Particularly over time. They incorporate all sorts of tech that is problematic. Both digitally and ethically. Digital restrictions in the BIOS which prevent you from replacing the wifi card/upgrading/etc, "Trusted Execution Technology" that restricts others uses of the system, and the utilisation of non-free drivers/firmware (can create upgrade headaches and support nightmares down the line.
ThinkPenguin also has a hardened kid friendly x86 laptop build too. Something that nobody else has (this is not listed on the web site- you would need to contact them about it).
Laptops invite problems. Avoid them for kids, workers, everyone except sales people and CEOs - though even they should probably just access data back on a protected network.
Stay with low power desktops and use remote access tools - even locally to run everything on a central server - NX is best, not X/Windows or RDP or VNC. Thin Client Computing. http://www.ltsp.org/
If a student wants to bring in their own laptop, then they can load up NX and access the server.
NX works well over the internet too - extremely efficient protocol with built-in ssh security.
Doing all this prevents OS compatibility issues, ensures everyone uses the exact same version of the OS and tools. The admin controls which software is loaded. It also means that extremely low-end PCs work just as well as extremely high-end ones. If a PC breaks, then any other PC can be used just by installing a free NX l client. A bunch of $120 Pentium4 desktops are just as good as $2500 "workstations."
I've deployed 20K $5500 "hardended laptops" for adults. We had to purchase 10% more for swapping out due to breakage and loss. With kids, it will be worse - much worse. Having desktops available, but still under central control can minimize the issues. Sadly, there is no way to prevent issues.
You can recommend that interested parents buy the cheapest PC/laptop they can and make the ebuntu distro available, but all class work needs to be performed on the central systems.
I have a Lenovo x120e running Fedora 17, its a pretty small but not too small laptop. they are built nicely and can take the abuse from elementary school kids. another good laptop is the Latitude D & E series (D630, D680, E6400) all of them run ubuntu pretty well, and lenovo and dell both offer linux drivers on their website so you know everything should be supported
The linux laptop company is a good choice because they only use Dell hardware which is fully warrantied by Dell. (thelinuxlaptop.com)
how about raspberrypi? $25 per machine, and add whatever donated peripherals you can get
I have a Thinkpad X130e, and it's made for the education market -- it's super durable, something that a Macbook Air-like machine won't be. It's pretty cheap, is a bit more powerful than a netbook, and will run Edubuntu like a champ.
Why not Google Chromebooks? They have good service plans, long battery life, fast startup, easy to manage from a tech coordinator viewpoint, and relatively cost efficient (much more so than Apple products). Unless you're doing high end processing, which elementary students would not be, then all you really need is web access to get to websites, library materials, google docs and google drive, and some online apps. Schools don't have a lot of money. You've got to get kids online and you've got to do it cheaply. Drives me nuts hearing schools talk about iPads when they are so overpriced. You want children to type a paper and use library resources? A Chromebook fills that need.
It matters very little what you choose.
If it is not an apple product, the teachers will complain.
Their little souls have been bought and paid for by Apple a long time ago.
Seriously though, why not look at tablets?
Especially ones with keyboards, such as the ASUS Transformers?
If nothing else it will be a lot harder for the little hackers to modify and mess up for you.
Maurice W. Hilarius Voice: (778) 347-9907
They are broke, they dont have money to pay teachers, police, firefighters, their kids score lower and lower on fundamentals (you know, reading,writing and doing calculations) than most third-world kids.... so instead of putting money where they need to (like, motivating/training teachers, actually priving school supplies and making teachers buy them and giving them a *tax* refund... They pad som company exec's pocket by giving ELEMENTARY students laptops and ipads.
Then they complain..
oh well.
Ubuntu was amazingly simple to get up and running, about 95% of the os "just works." And amazingly it seems to have better bluetooth support than either windows 7 or osx (I have 1 bluetooth device, a stereo headset/mic and windows 7 flat out can't use it, and OSX disconnects it whenever I try to activate the built in mic or switch to stereo sound output).
Care to explain anything beyond video games that Linux can't do well on a desktop?
Succeed.
FIrst off, we have a tech in the IT dept trying to push Linux on the administrator yet he has no fucking clue about hardware requirements and has to 'ask slashdot' to give him good choices. You want mac book air but a lot cheaper? Really? Let me wave my magic want but I don't thing its long enough to pull that feat off.
Second, even were we to assume that this whole idea was good (I dont), the thought that you would waste your tax payers money on anything but the cheapest equipment is insane. Elementary school kids? where destruction at a moments notice is not just assumed but expected? Are the kids going to be making animations for Pixar? Apparently not by your definition which shows the heaviest use to be 'internet' which I assume is web browser which can play flash video. Did the thought even occur to buy used equipment? Or just solicit donations of old laptops from the residents of your community?
So once again, poorly thought out solution looking for a problem. Is it any wonder test scores are stagnant since the 1950s? It really is time to make the cost of education the responsiblity of just those with school age children. That would rapidly put an end to the wastefulness and general idiocy of the school systems.
This is really a new low for Linux fanbois.
Am I the only one who reads this question as: "Linux fanboy so desperate to evangelize Linux that he has stooped to indoctrination of the youngest and most impressionable minds"?
Now if only he could convince that pesky little Tech department leader of the wonders of the Linux! Once he's past that annoyance, he'll have direct access to a fresh set of young brains to condition as he wishes!! BwaHaHaHa!
.
Honestly, they should learn Windows first. Its a windows world, whether you linux people like it or not. Let them learn windows, then start on linux when they are older in middle or HS. Elementary is no place for linux..
used to an OS they won't use in the real world?
Very few people use Linux, and you know it.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
No computer at all. To increase computer literacy of people, it is not necessary to give them one as soon as possible. It is more important, that they do understand basic concepts. However, that is (or should be) part of the normal education at school. A good choice is: Let them play and be active. That makes kids a) social aware and b) able to solve problems of any kind. Bricks, like Lego, can help to train them in decomposition and composition of models, which is an integral element of understanding computers or any other scientific problem. Active kids get more experience, which helps their development of IQ and EQ intelligence.
Instead of computer for kids, let them play with friends and do not force a tight schedule on them, with lots of adult controlled after school activities.
Elementary.
>the main use will be internet/email/word processing Why even bother then? This all could be done easily on one of those horribly outdated xp boxes all the schools have. Unless you have a bunch of kids who are eager to learn about computers and the way they work, just stick with windows.
From the early netbook days we learned what "preinstalled Linux" means: it means lots of portals, adware, binary blob drivers, and inferior forks of well-known distributions that are abandoned after the product is launched. It provides no value.
And may actually hurt you because their forking the distribution gives them more flexibility with the blob drivers. They can get the manufacturer to build custom blobs for them which won't be upgraded after they abandon their fork, or they can provide blob drivers that don't have licenses that permit redistribution so you're degraded to Cyanogen-like game console cracker tactics if you want to run an unforked distribution.
I would go with Intel's Classmate PC. It's the only hardware out there that promotes general computing and is completely design for kids. A lot of US and foreign schools are using them, and the touch screen is particularly nice for kids. While you are at it, I'd recommend using Kiddix over Edubuntu. It has a nicer UI for kids, and loaded with parental controls, two things Edubuntu lacks.
They're cheaper, and since the kids will be required to carry them to and from school, weigh less than your average brick of a laptop.
I've had the Ubuntu netbook remix on my HP mini (110, I think) for a couple-three years, and it's just fine (other than the Ubuntu annoyance that it doesn't delete the 3+ previous kernel by default).
No no gnome3, PLEASE!
mark
System76 seems to be the best fit here -- they have excellent support for Linux (they have to -- they ship with it), they're cheap (especially as there's no Windows tax), and the Lemur Ultra is pretty light. Best of all, it's manufactured in the US, so it's even human rights-friendly.
The System 76 Edubook (with Edubuntu 10.04) has been fantastic for my niece; too bad they discontinued that model.
I have a T510 and it has been rock solid, I'm running Arch Linux on it.
or have you beaten the horse into a puddle of mush already
I have been researching netbooks for 4 years. they are under appreciated.
I bought the asus 1011px. Most bang for my £ second hand. can't really comment on current models but can advice.
email: http://www.google.com/recaptcha/mailhide/d?k=01X0uFh0_II-DVISwU7Xd4bQ==&c=4L574Gi17lrOMNqUMTubhcPKY3CoeNHCDFTh9PJb1pg=
https://www.joindiaspora.com/u/abushcrafter
bookmark dump:
Laptops
http://www.zinside.com/computing-desktop-pc-notebook-c-51_78.html
http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/
http://xtops.de/thinkpad_linux_preinstalled.html
http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html
http://www.thinkpenguin.com/
http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/index.asp
http://zareason.com/shop/home.php
Searchs
http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=2009+14%22+laptops+under+%C2%A3500
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&q=best+2009+ultraportables&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
Netbooks
Mods
TouchScreen
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9177522/Install_a_Touchscreen_in_Your_Netbook?taxonomyId=12&pageNumber=1
http://www.lemote.com/en/products/Notebook/2010/0310/112.html
https://www.genesi-usa.com/products/smartbook
Buy & Sell
GNU/Linux Only
http://www.inatux.com/
http://www.ggsdata.se/index-en.php
http://www.garlach44.eu/en/
http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/hardware/hardware-laptops.html
http://www.buntfu.com/index.php
http://linuxpreloaded.com/
Review Sites
http://idhp.net/
http://www.notebookcheck.net/
Posibles
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-X121e-204562U-Laptop-Review.58880.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-ThinkPad-X121e-NWS5QGE-Subnotebook.61149.0.html
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/newgallery.aspx?id=43355#top
http://www.netbooklive.com/asus-1015b-eee-pc-review-9302/
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-X100e-Subnotebook.26448.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-Eee-PC-1015PEM-Netbook.37870.0.html
http://www.xcore86.com/site/Edubook
http://cherrypal.blogspot.com/
http://www.trustedreviews.com/laptops/review/2009/12/04/Packard-Bell-EasyNote-TJ65-AU-031UK---15-6in-Laptop/p1
https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/home/
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/170712/dell-xps-m1530/2
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=Dell+Studio+1555&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hl=en&scoring=p&cat=328&lnk=catsugg&ei=7rb2S6niE6a5-QaKj-nmBw&sa=X&ved=0CCwQhggoAA
?
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Toshiba+Satellite+U405-S2915&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a
1011px
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1011PX&hl=en&client=opera&hs=m3e&rls=en-GB&channel=suggest&biw=1240&bih=832&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&ei=nvcITo0CiMSzBq7oldAO&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=1&ved=0CDkQ_AUoAA#q=buy+1011PX+ubuntu&hl=en&client=opera&rls=en-GB&channel=suggest&prmd=ivns&ei=hgYJTueIF8bEtAbbvtHlDg&start=40&sa=N&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=c7a4cc0f9bad29d&biw=1240&bih=832
http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/hardware/201101-6992
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-launches-Eee-PC-netbooks-with-Ubuntu-10-10.55231.0.html
http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/Eee_PC_1011PX/#specifications
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=g+Eee+PC+1225B&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB%3Aofficial&biw=1600&bih=991&source=hp&q=eee+pc+1225b+review&pbx=1&oq=Eee+PC+1225B&aq=3&aqi=g-c1g3&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=13721621l13721802l0l13723930l2l2l0l0l0l0l368l722l3-2l2l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=bdeb326aa44b07c5
Well, there's the Gambit REPL app, which is an implementation of the programming language Scheme, which is actually easy to teach, but keeps appearing and disappearing from iOS at Apple's whim.
That's the problem with doing anything to teach programming on an iPad -- Apple's whims.
Android may be a little more stable.
Linux for elementary? Isn't that child abuse?
In ten years? Maybe not. Hope not.
A quick glance over here shows you what desktops and laptops are certified, sortable both by vendor and release iteration.
http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/
-Jonathan
I'm using debian on this laptop and works great and it's not so heavy so children won't have a problem carring this around. It's cheep and have good battery life, good camera, integrated mic, HDMI, card reader, wireless, Eth, 3xUSB (one port can be use as charger when computer is tuned off)...
I beleve that you can find all spec on internet i just wonna to tell you my choice.
You can find a bit more on my blog about installing debian on this machine....
http://it-fight.blogspot.com/