12.03.06
Linux Fits in Education
Here is a great article over at Sys-Admin, highlighting how GNU/Linux and Free Open Source Software can help K-12 institutions stretch their budgetary allowances and extend the useful life of older hardware.
From the desktop to the server room, there is a place for Linux in nearly any educational institution, large or small. The flexibility, stability, and cost savings Linux offers is compelling. With the right skills and careful planning, things that were impossible become possible, and formerly daunting tasks become simple.
The article discusses Linux in the server room, including the K12LTSP project - a project that uses a terminal server configuration to allow for all applications to run on a central server, permitting use of so-called thin clients or diskless workstations. Thin-clients are perfect for schools because they are easy to install and require little maintenance. They are reliable and immune to malicious tampering and viruses.
Also covered is the perennial topic of “Linux on the Desktop”, with the assessment being that Desktop Linux is ready to begin integrating into the educational environment, but cannot fully replace Windows yet:
Luckily for educators, Linux is ready for a large number of common desktop tasks that are seen in schools. Admittedly, there are a number of specialized educational software titles that won’t work. However, the common tasks of Web browsing, word processing, presentation creation, mind-mapping, typing practice, graphics manipulation, and page layout are all handled easily by software running on Linux.
A very positive article on the state of Linux in education, perhaps the most encouraging passage is regarding how Free and Open Source Software encourages users to modify, tweak and redistribute it, leading to even further development by empowering students and educators to become developers themselves:
Another value that Linux has brought to educators with whom I work is that for many people it helps bring the fun back into computing. After introducing Linux to people, it is not uncommon for them to show a great interest in it, usually becoming inspired by the number of things that they can do with it “out of the box”. When the wealth of software available to Linux is shown to them, people come to life with ideas. The desire to make great things available for children is strong in educators, but that desire is often stymied by the lack of quality tools. By providing affordable professional-quality tools, Linux has inspired a number of programs to be developed in educational institutions.
opensauce said,
December 4, 2006 at 10:05 pm
I thought you were advocates of open source but you are simply spreading more FUD with your hate-site boycott novell. What does this say about you, who purport to recommend open source to educational institutions? All you can do is spread innuendo based on assumptions and a couple of press clippings. You’re a hater and its lame.
Your advice is so biased that it taints everything else you do. Try to be constructive and tell the whole truth not just those parts which support your already well entrenched agenda.