Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Meeting yesterday and welcome to new members of the list
Roger Whittaker
I've just subscribed various people to the list - please post a message to say hello and introduce yourselves.
Hi, If you were at the meeting, I was wearing a Debian t-shirt (with a red swirl logo on it) --- there's a photo at the top of this article, where I'm wearing similar stuff (except for the penguin ;-) http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/articles/issue6/lu6-Editorial-A_patently_bad_idea... I'm a Debian GNU/Linux developer, and run the UK Debian mirror, and am responsible for producing the Debian official CD images: http://www.uk.debian.org/ http://cdimage.debian.org/ I have only a peripheral interest in educational matters, in that I've been frustrated in the past in my efforts to provide free computers (which were otherwise destined for a skip), but I can certainly contribute on a technical side, and having been involved in Debian (which is completely voluntary, like OSIE is expected to be) since 1996 I may be able to make some suggestions about how to ``organise'' such a thing. For those of you who've not come across Debian before, we're a world-wide voluntary organisation (read, chaotic jumble of mailing lists) that puts together a Linux distribution (and soon a HURD distribution) and gives it away. Debian doesn't pay people to do this, and doesn't sell what it produces, and in most legal senses doesn't really exist (i.e. the machines in the mirror network mostly belong to people like me, rather than to Debian, and the bandwidth is donated rather than paid for). This probably gives a pretty good feel for what Debian is all about: http://www.uk.debian.org/social_contract which you will notice leads into the The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG), which is where the Open Source Definition came from. My internet machine, that hosts the Debian UK mirror, may be of use to OSIE, since it has about 30GB of spare disk, and a 20Mbit/s connection at a well connected ISP. This machine could act as either a primary host or mirror site for the web site, and could do DNS secondarying etc. as well. Something I'd be interested in working on (although perhaps a SuSE list is not the right place to spend too much time discussing this ;-) would be producing Debian CD images, tuned to the needs of educational users. Debian has accumulated some funds in the UK, and have been looking for a worthwhile cause to spend them on (we never really need to pay for anything that actually makes Debian work, so don't have much use for money), so we could probably afford to have a few thousand CDs pressed, and send them out to schools that are interested. Cheers, Phil. -- Say no to software patents! http://petition.eurolinux.org/ Philip Hands. +44 (0)20 7744 6244 philip.hands@uk.alcove.com Alcove UK --- Liberating Software --- http://www.alcove.com/ http://www.hands.com/ phil@hands.com http://www.uk.debian.org/
hi all sounds like it was an excellent meeting, once again my apologies for not being able to attend :-( i think there are a considerable number of interesting parallels that can be drawn in taking some notion of 'distribution' or resource being developed for UK schools including the much vaunted K12LTSP, Linux Terminal Server Project, which now has the latest version of its distro for download. http://www.riverdale.k12.or.us/linux/k12ltsp.html my current thinking regards developing Linux / open source in education is i suppose reflecting my move to Red Hat, and considering how any future work in the area can be seen to be sustainable, and primarily eat in the existing M$ schools and LEAs. (ie the other 97% of schools) which ever way its cut, the issues of support, affordable training, and complete solutions are key. A CD distro is good, but most people already want it built on the hardware, although existing appliances, such those from Cobalt or Equiinet are tooo inflexible, the same as buying solutions from RM really. As a start, Red Hat are looking at a number of ways forward, including - developing cheap training courses for academia, built around our existing RHCE programme, based on either distance learning or residential. To start i would like to do a week long RH300 (fast track course for existing Linux admins) during the summer, at cost :-) - finding small/meduim consultancies or individuals to work with Red Hat on larger contracts, for LEAs or groups of schools, design, commission and service provision (hmmm...something like Alcove already do in France ;-) Red Hat is currently in the process of rolling out a broadband network solution for all secondary schools in Worcestershire, which includes remotely managed Linux servers in each schools and a central ISP function within the county, design i suppose on the Powys model. If you want more info let me know, i wouldn't wish to clog the list with a PDF. once again sorry i missed the meeting regards Malcolm --------------------------------------- Dr Malcolm Herbert Director, Academic Business Development Red Hat Europe t: +44 1483 734955 m: +44 7720 079845 -------------------------------------- "To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer" Farmers Weekly, 1977
On Wed 14 Mar, Malcolm Herbert wrote:
hi all
my current thinking regards developing Linux / open source in education is i suppose reflecting my move to Red Hat, and considering how any future work in the area can be seen to be sustainable, and primarily eat in the existing M$ schools and LEAs. (ie the other 97% of schools)
In my opinion no single organisation has done more damage to _education_ in ICT than Microsoft. Would there be anything to be gained in becoming an umbrella for all anti-M$ interests, ie including those who are primarily Apple and RiscOS sites? (especially those with Linux servers). I am not sure any of us can make real progress on a single front. -- Martin Devon Stonar
On Wed 14 Mar, Malcolm Herbert wrote:
hi all
my current thinking regards developing Linux / open source in education is i suppose reflecting my move to Red Hat, and considering how any future work in the area can be seen to be sustainable, and primarily eat in the existing M$ schools and LEAs. (ie the other 97% of schools)
In my opinion no single organisation has done more damage to _education_ in ICT than Microsoft.
Though the attitudes of supposedly impartial bodies, such as BECtA and LEA advisors certainly dosn't appear to have helped.
Would there be anything to be gained in becoming an umbrella for all anti-M$ interests, ie including those who are primarily Apple and RiscOS sites? (especially those with Linux servers).
Except that you need to phrase things in a way which are not seen as "Microsoft Bashing". Which certain people are very sensitive to. More express how XYZ platform can do a good job of being helpful to the process of education. -- Mark Evans St. Peter's CofE High School Phone: +44 1392 204764 X109 Fax: +44 1392 204763
Removed at the request of the poster. - ml-admin
participants (5)
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Malcolm Herbert -
Mark Evans -
Martin Devon -
Philip Hands -
removed_by_ml-admin