[K12OSN] Given this situation, why bother continue with LTSP?

[Doug Simpson]

Remember, though, that even though he can get it for you at low cost 
today, you will have to re-purchase it when the time-limited licenses he 
is "giving" you.

Typical Microsoft "free" program.  Give it to you, get it installed and 
get everyone dependent on it, then make you pay to keep it. . .

Not a good deal in my book. . .

Doug Simpson
Technology Specialist
DeQueen Public Schools
DeQueen, AR 71832
simpsond at leopards.k12.ar.us
Tux for President!

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005, The Prof wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> How is everyone doing?
> 
> I have, for the past 1.5 years, been running a small k12ltsp lab (12
> machines plus server) in our church and affiliated school.  During
> this time I have, thanks to many people here and on IRC, been able to
> have a nearly fully-functional lab up and running with minimal
> problems.  There have been issues of course (not all clients have
> sound for example) but given the requirements for a small elementary
> school, things have worked out great.
> 
> Now, the major problem with the lab is the mentality that this is not
> Windows. And it has been a huge hurdle. Parents stressed that their
> children will be at a disadvantage at high school and beyond.  Staff
> and admin members of the church who are turned off from the system
> because it doesn't "look & feel" like Windows (currently running Gnome
> because we have the bandwidth) and everything from Open Office to
> Xpdf, while still functionally the same, gives them an uncomfortable
> feeling. Many would rather use an old Pentium 2 with Windows 98 than
> use the K12ltsp lab. And so on.
> 
> Whenever I am faced with these people and their negative comments, I
> can usually sway them to look at the benefits by citing the costs
> saved by using LTSP vs. having to go upgrade all our Pentium 1
> machines we are using as clients and buying all the XP licenses and
> Office XP licenses and the MS Server 2003 licenses. Once I tally up
> all the costs of that, and compare it to the costs of the LTSP, they
> do understand, but it is always a "too bad for that" sort of comment
> and "hopefully in the future we can afford a real lab" attitude.
> Arguments like viruses, security, spyware, centralized updates, and so
> on are ineffective because, as end-users and not admins, they do not
> care about that - off their radar.
> 
> Now, a new situation has arisen.  A member of our congregation can
> provide us with nearly-new pentium 4 machines (our LTSP clients are
> Pentium 1s) and all the necessary Microsoft software (XP, Office, and
> server 2003) legally and at next to no cost for us. He has done it
> with other organisations like ours and they've loved it.  He has
> offered to do the same  for us.
> 
> Given that the major driving force which helped me discover LTSP was
> the ability to afford Windows, with that roadblock gone, what reason
> is there not to go with Windows?
> 
> Thank you.
> Joseph
> 
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