[K12OSN] Linux cut off

[Bill Kendrick]

On Fri, Nov 12, 2004 at 12:16:33AM -0500, Jason wrote:
> Well I just found out that the board I work at has decided to cut off 
> all Linux initiatives.  The one LTSP that is in an elementary school 
> will stay.
> 
> I wonder what they would say if they found out that the two high schools 
> that have Macs which have OSX which are based on Linux?

Well, they're based on BSD, kinda, not Linux.  But yeah, a lot of the
Mac is based on Open Source stuff these days.  (Safari is based on KHTML,
which is the rendering engine developed for the Konqueror web browser!)

Macs are nice and all, but damned if they aren't /expensive/.  I'm shocked
that schools, what with their tiny budgets these days, are still using them.

"It's better than the alternative..." would be a great excuse if it weren't
for the fact that Windows /isn't/ the only alternative.


> I'm very disappointed and sad by this decision.  I'm not going to give 
> up on Linux or Open Source.

It is very disappointing.  I've read SO many great stories around here
about the successes of Linux and LTSP in schools, that I think it's crazy
to NOT consider it above all other choices.

Heck, even if Microsoft or Apple were throwing free hardware and software
at a school, what happens 2 or 5 years down the line when everything needs
to be upgraded?  One is reminded of crack dealers. ;^)


<snip>
> I was to setup Linux on the old servers (replaced with new Server 2003 
> machines) with Squid for proxy services.  Looks like that is cancelled 
> already.

Have they given any reason _why?_  It obviously _CAN'T_ be due to cost
or resources.  The alternatives are always going to be more expensive, and
it sounds like they have you for the manpower.


Here, have some fodder from various news sources:

  http://www.lugod.org/microsoft/?filter=edu
  http://www.lugod.org/microsoft/?filter=linux

Good luck!!!


-bill!
bill at newbreedsoftware.com                            New Breed Software
http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/               Tux Paint 0.9.14 is out!