Re: Linux in high schools.

[Adam Williams <awilliam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>I know there is some interest on this list for Linux in high schools.
>>(although not by me personally)
>>I found this message on another LUG mailing list and thought I'd pass
>>it along, FWIW.  I know nothing about it other than what is said below:
>Do you recall which LUG mailing list?
>>HELP BRING LINUX TO YOUR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL!
>>SuSE Linux recently announced the SuSE Free Linux Program for U.S. high 
>>schools--public or private. Administrators, IT specialists, or teachers 
>>can apply to participate in the program by filling out a form online. 
>>Qualifying schools will receive 10 or 20 copies of SuSE 7.0 boxed sets. 
>>(There are 2,000 boxed sets available.) This program's aim is part of 
>>an ongoing SuSE campaign to make open source computing the IT standard 
>>for operating systems and applications in educational institutions 
>>worldwide. SuSE is targeting high schools in an attempt to acquaint 
>>young people, as well as teachers and administrators, with the high 
>>quality of open source software, which enables educational institutions 
>>to free themselves from budget-draining licensing fees. Because your 
>>local high school computing faculty may not be aware of this 
>>initiative, why don't you pick up the phone and give them a call?
>>http://www.suse.com/
>>http://www.suse.com/cgi-bin/schools.pl
>Does it make sense to distribute SuSE LINUX to public schools?

No

>I know that the Olivet Community Schools are about to drop LINUX which
>they been using for a mail/webserver because none of their staff knew
>LINUX and the local REMC can provide them with an NT equivalent at no
>cost.  They were running RedHat 6.1 they had inherited from the previous
>IT manager.  Since I have no root privileges, I can't help them.

REMC?  If they don't know how to manage the machine,  and won't give
authortity to someone who does,  there isn't much one can do.

>I believe that making LINUX boxed sets available will not convert many if
>any schools to using LINUX unless some staff member(s) already know(s)
>LINUX.

THIS is one of the biggest implediments to further Linux growth,
finding someone who knows LINUX/UNIX.  This seems to be especially
true in western Michigan.

>One possible way to get schools to try LINUX is to promote its use in
>journals read by teachers/IT managers in public schools. A so-placed
>article could include the SuSE offer.

What are the name of some such journals?  Do they accept articles from 
outside the educational community?  Such articles have appeared in Linux 
Journal in the past (even from school districts in Michigan).

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Ximian GNOME, Evolution, LTSP, and RedHat Linux + LVM & XFS
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