03.23.08
Posted in CD Project, EDU-Nix at 10:44 am by Shane
The next version(s) of the EDU-Nix.org Dual Mode CD will be based on Slax 6 Technology, and I have gone and posted a bunch of .lzm modules, win32 binaries and sources for some of the more popular educational and productivity programs that will be featured in various builds of the upcoming CDs.
Currently, I envision a “Mobile Office Edition” featuring OpenOffice.org 2.3, since I am heartened by their announced plans to move towards LGPL v3 and have softened my stance somewhat ;^ ). Also on the CD will be the OpenClipart 0.18 package, as well as Scribus DTP 1.3.3.10.
Also, I am working on an overlay of what I am right now calling the “Kids” CD, but it needs a better name - it will feature KDEEDU and KDEGAMES, in addition to the KOffice Suite and many other educational Free Software titles like Childsplay, Celestia, Stellarium and perhaps GCompris, to name a few.
So, feel free to check out the uploaded individual modules that are already on the site, soon will be the first testing “overlay” - a zip file containing a preconfigured set of programs to add to a Slax 6 CD image, for testing purposes. After the testing period, and after the Slax team settles down their releases, a fully usable .iso version of the v6 Dual Mode CD will be made available as usual.
Happy Hacking.
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05.31.07
Posted in CD Project, EDU-Nix at 1:01 am by Shane
So, in recent discussions with a few of the teachers that I routinely force my CD upon, I mean users, one thing has come up time and time again: there is just too much “stuff” for non-technical users, and it can be a bit “intimidating”.
Honestly, to show how far off I was from understanding my target audience, I actually have always strived to cram as absolutely much Free Software for Public Schools into each release, believing that an abundance choice is the ultimate feature.
In response, I will be preparing a new development model for the future EDU-Nix Dual Mode CD’s, essentially adapting a Slax-like distribution method of a base CD image that provides core Desktop functionality, and a comprehensive set of modules and Windows installers for Open Source Schoolware.
Users can opt to create their own customized version of the Dual-Mode CD by downloading the base and any modules they would like, or (finally) order either customized or specialized discs.
Customized Discs:
I can work with your school or organization in order to create a customized, branded Dual-Mode or Standard Live CD that includes exactly the applications and documents that you require.
Specialized Discs:
Utility-Oriented, pre-selected “standard” configurations, beginning with an OpenOffice.org/OpenClipart CD, which is by request.
The next generation of CD’s will once again be based on Slackware (v11), using the Linux-Live 6.x script - I have not yet decided if it will be a straight Slax remaster, or a homegrown base system. All CD’s, including the Base Desktop CD, will include all sources.
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04.24.07
Posted in CD Project, EDU-Nix at 11:23 pm by Shane
Here is an account of one self-confessed “geek” fourth-grade-teacher-turned-tech-director experience with an EDUbuntu Live CD, which he describes as “a bigger deal than Windows versus Macintosh discussions”.
Every school should have TuxPaint installed on its computers, for learners of all ages. It’s powerful and free. What is holding back the implementation of software solutions like TuxPaint in many schools is not just knowledge and awareness of the availability of these tools, but a mindset that fallaciously believes schools should only run software programs that are either commercial, from Redmond, or both. Our mindsets and the mindsets of many of our leaders are holding us back in many cases more than anything else.
Tuxpaint is indeed a fantastic piece of software, and is probably the most popular software on the EDU-Nix Dual Mode CD. Head over to tuxpaint.org to check out more on the project, there are Windows, Mac OSX and Linux versions available.
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Posted in CD Project, EDU-Nix at 12:33 am by Shane
The First Dual Mode DVD Coming Soon Also
As many are aware, V.III of the dual mode CD was released in March, and shortly afterwards the first (and so far, only) bug was discovered - I did not generate a fluxbox menu for the installed packages. An updated module will be available for download shortly, as well as an updated .iso image.
The DVD version of V.III is being worked on, it will include the source code packages for the Slax live CD as well as source for all included applications. I am planning on also adding OpenOffice.org to the DVD, and will be considering additional packages - any suggestions, please let me know.
For the next CD/DVD project, I am considering returning to my Gentoo roots - or perhaps a Linux From Scratch project, and will make the actual CD creation process part of the site as a tutorial and reference.
I plan to continue to produce Slax modules of educational software titles and maintain the 3.x branch of the CD for some time, so it will remain simple for folks to create their own Slax remaster containing Open Source Schoolware.
Tentative Changelist for Upcoming 3.1 CD
- Update Fluxbox menu
- Add /source directory to skeleton (/source is empty on CD, populated on DVD)
- ?Remove GCompris Windows? (someone said it is still crippleware for Windows, I don’t have Windows so I can’t confirm this)
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