Matthew Rosewarne on 19 Jan 2008 11:09:24 -0800


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Re: [PLUG] One True OS


On Saturday 19 January 2008, W. Chris Shank wrote:
> Who is going to be teaching the students in the Linux lab? You? If
> not, is the teacher going to be familiar enough with Linux? Do they
> have lesson plans geared towards Linux?

An important point.  Some lesson plan will have to be developed, unless there 
are suitable resources already out there.  Anyone aware of a good primer on 
basic computing that uses Linux?

> What is the plan when 25 kids 
> are in there and the teacher can't figure out how to print? How about
> when they want to use the new scanner that was just donated? Or when
> last year's yearbook project doesn't format correctly with OpenOffice?
> How about when they want to add a new font for the yearbook? So the
> teacher is supposed to be troubleshooting or be contacting you while
> 25 3rd graders go unsupervised?

If the teachers are doing the troubleshooting, there's something wrong.  
Besides SSH, there will be a need for an on-site presence.  James is being 
employed by the school and is expected to be present, though not all the 
time.  Clearly, the system will have to be designed in such a way as to allow 
someone with only moderate computer skills to deal with common scenarios.

> Get the windows desktops under control. You can use Linux on your
> server(s), firewall, and other network components quite effectively.
> And this will save a LOT of money because the schools don't get
> discounts as much on the server stuff or 3rd party web filtering
> tools. There is a lot of free software for windows that will help you
> get them stabilized. Also, keep track of the saving that Linux
> provides on the server/network side. Once everyone's seen how stable
> it is and you've earned their trust, you will then have the
> credibility to get buy-in for a switch to Linux later. Also, you will
> have better understanding of the big picture and may determine that
> it's best to leave them as is.

James is fortunate that he isn't replacing an existing infrastructure, but 
essentially starting from scratch, which makes the typical migration issues 
far less of a problem.

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