after having setup a public library to use linux on the desktop (twice), i'd really encourage you to check out LTSP. My first go-round with the library, i did what you're looking at (a full blown distro on each machine). it worked very well. i created an install disk that created a nice, locked down desktop, etc. But then we started changing things like printer IPs and proxy server addresses and wanted uniform bookmarks, etc. And changing little things started to be time consuming. With LTSP you change things in one place, reboot the clients and they're all pointed at the new proxy or whatever. Besides, booting off the network and using ram disks made me feel a lot better when patrons kept just turning the machines off without shutdown now -r. no more fsck, ect. one more thing. using netscape i was able to edit the preferences.js file to disable all sorts of menus, settings on the web browser. i haven't tried doing the same with mozilla, but you'll probably want to make sure you use a browser with a lockable config file so kids can't change the homepage to playboy.com or whatnot. jim
Anonymous Cow herd, if you're reading replies to your post, please email me at sjwillis at yahoo dot com i am currently involved in a state govt oss issue and i could use some feedback.
I've been looking at this issue lately, but from the perspective of the end user not the developer. I work for several community technology access centers and have recently begun to deploy RedHat on several machines to allow access to the internet.
The question I am interested in (and this is a little off topic, sorry) is: are community tech access centers doing their users disfavor by deploying open source software instead of standard-issue Win/Office setups? If one of the reasons these centers exist is to help users make the transition to the job market should they be using products like Word instead of AbiWord or StarOffice.? Or can the knowledge the user gains in learning on an Open Source setup be generalized to computer literacy in general.
I know that there are several TAC's using open source software. But these centers lean more towards providing internet access and not job training. I am mulling around the idea of using one or several of the centers I work for as test grounds for looking at this question (eg, one group uses MS software, another uses open source. Then find some way to objectively measure the job-readiness/computer literacy of the two groups--it's this latter part of the equation that I could certainly use some help in setting up).
If anyone knows where I can find more information on this issue, I'd really appreciate any feedback at sjwillis at yahoo dot com.
Thanks,
Jim
I use webmin at several different sites, my experience with it is under RH only, but it is an excellent tool. Most of the machines i admin have no monitor and have telnet disabled. since most windows users don't have an ssh client installed on their machines, it's nice to be able to open up a browser on any winbox and be able to do just about everything linuxconf does.
if it supports bsd as well as it does RH, it would be a great tool for you.
jim
jim
Slashdot Mirror
after having setup a public library to use linux on the desktop (twice), i'd really encourage you to check out LTSP.
My first go-round with the library, i did what you're looking at (a full blown distro on each machine). it worked very well. i created an install disk that created a nice, locked down desktop, etc. But then we started changing things like printer IPs and proxy server addresses and wanted uniform bookmarks, etc. And changing little things started to be time consuming.
With LTSP you change things in one place, reboot the clients and they're all pointed at the new proxy or whatever. Besides, booting off the network and using ram disks made me feel a lot better when patrons kept just turning the machines off without shutdown now -r. no more fsck, ect.
one more thing. using netscape i was able to edit the preferences.js file to disable all sorts of menus, settings on the web browser. i haven't tried doing the same with mozilla, but you'll probably want to make sure you use a browser with a lockable config file so kids can't change the homepage to playboy.com or whatnot.
jim
Anonymous Cow herd,
if you're reading replies to your post, please email me at sjwillis at yahoo dot com
i am currently involved in a state govt oss issue and i could use some feedback.
I've been looking at this issue lately, but from the perspective of the end user not the developer. I work for several community technology access centers and have recently begun to deploy RedHat on several machines to allow access to the internet.
The question I am interested in (and this is a little off topic, sorry) is: are community tech access centers doing their users disfavor by deploying open source software instead of standard-issue Win/Office setups? If one of the reasons these centers exist is to help users make the transition to the job market should they be using products like Word instead of AbiWord or StarOffice.? Or can the knowledge the user gains in learning on an Open Source setup be generalized to computer literacy in general.
I know that there are several TAC's using open source software. But these centers lean more towards providing internet access and not job training. I am mulling around the idea of using one or several of the centers I work for as test grounds for looking at this question (eg, one group uses MS software, another uses open source. Then find some way to objectively measure the job-readiness/computer literacy of the two groups--it's this latter part of the equation that I could certainly use some help in setting up).
If anyone knows where I can find more information on this issue, I'd really appreciate any feedback at sjwillis at yahoo dot com.
Thanks,
Jim
I use webmin at several different sites, my experience with it is under RH only, but it is an excellent tool. Most of the machines i admin have no monitor and have telnet disabled. since most windows users don't have an ssh client installed on their machines, it's nice to be able to open up a browser on any winbox and be able to do just about everything linuxconf does.
if it supports bsd as well as it does RH, it would be a great tool for you.
jim
jim