November 2003 - openSUSE Edu - openSUSE Mailing Lists

misnomer
by Paul Taylor 27 Nov '03

27 Nov '03

Hi John: I think I put in "Zend" as it was familiar to me. They use some system that sounds like Zend but it isn't. It was at the end of a long school day when they asked me as the "resident Linux expert" and I was only half listening. I will gather some more realistic details tomorrow. I think kernel is the wrong term too. They have a small footprint Linux distro which is compiled by Novel to support their client distribution. The guys in tech have a custom partition which is 100MB Linux with xGB for Doze. They boot a machine on the network using Linux and then join to a Novel server which dumps the doze partition on top of Linux. When they have a new version of Doze they can reboot one machine and get into the Linx partition to ghost another doze partition. I think they want to have a tftp server on the Linux distro (not kernel) to make it easier in remote schools. I hope that is clearer? As I write this I can see that I just need to make a new version of the Linux distro they use with an ftp program included. Sorry about the misinformation. Paul

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RE: FW: FW: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology
by Chris Puttick 27 Nov '03

27 Nov '03

If these were supplied by a government department or other public body, then they should be reported to the E-Envoy's office as this would seem to contravene the guidelines in a major way. -----Original Message----- From: garry saddington [mailto:garry@joydiv.fsnet.co.uk] Sent: 27 November 2003 15:54 To: Chris Puttick; johnsonmlw(a)yahoo.com; SuSe Subject: Re: FW: FW: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology <snip> The KS3 strategy was accompanied by a great deal of resources - all of them supplied helpfully in MS formats. This included a type of sound file that I had never seen before and was not recognised by any of the multitude of Linux sound players. There are about 14 modules in the strategy and each could have from 10 -50 associated files. It has been a nightmare converting these to OO and I am on the verge of kicking the whole thing into touch. regards garry <snip> This message may contain information and/or data that is confidential and legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that any use, publication, reproduction or dissemination is strictly prohibited and may violate certain laws. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy this and all copies of this message and/or data. The content of this message has been scanned by MailPatrol for unacceptable language and inappropriate content. European Electronique limited thanks you in anticipation of your co-operation. MailPatrol is a fully managed service that offers your organisation the ability to monitor and enforce your Acceptable Usage Policy. For further information regarding the MailPatrol services contact the European Electronique Sales Enquiry line on 0845 345 8340 (local rate) or email sales(a)euroele.com

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FW: FW: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology
by Chris Puttick 27 Nov '03

27 Nov '03

This should help... (for someone who claims it's not her area, she seems to have a pretty good grasp!) -----Original Message----- From: sue Sent: 27 November 2003 08:22 To: Chris Puttick Subject: Re: FW: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology This is not my area in all honesty. The main archival argument for open standards is preservation (what organisations like the Digital Preservation Coalition and ERPANET are about); records management also requires longevity, interoperability and value for money (of course!). The preservation argument is fairly irrelevant for the work of schoolchildren! My views, for what they are worth: Government policy is a good place to start, this is a trend coming from the top: http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/00/28/41/04002841.pdf UNESCO is also a good source. Probably the EU also. Practically speaking, the differences between the two aren't enormous. Having learnt to use one, finding your way round the other shouldn't present any problems. Given government policy on OSS, and increased use in the private sector, exposure to openoffice might be sold as a benefit. If IBM have a good opensource page, this could represent the so-called "real world" corporte side of the equation. As far as presenting the ideological and practical arguments go, see: http://openopen.org/resoruces/oss/oss-uk-gov.html which also has links to the UK govt. policy and background work to it. Certainly it is unethical for schools to be seen as institutions who train pupils in the use of proprietary software. They are there to provide basic skills and teach the curriculum (Microsoft isn't on it, surely! Perhaps that might be somewhere to look when justifying the differences between education and training). Her child can obviously choose to save her work using that horrid .doc format so she can utilise Microsoft Word at home if her parents can afford it. Perhaps she is unaware that not everyone in the real world can afford expensive software licences, and that openoffice is much more socially inclusive and public spirited. UKOLN site on open standards is quite good for Q&A too: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefings/briefing-11/html/ Chris Puttick wrote: >Your expertise is called for - this guy needs references on the open >file format debate... > >-----Original Message----- >From: Matt Johnson [mailto:johnsonmlw@yahoo.com] >Sent: 27 November 2003 14:14 >To: SuSe >Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology > > >Hi all, > >A rallying cry for some assistance in a scary world. > >We're thinking of replacing MS Office here (97) with >Oo.o 1.1 (to be honest, it's going to happen!). I've >received a letter from a parent who is "alarmed" that >we may be considering any alternatives to Microsoft, expressing how >important it is for her child to be in a Microsoft environment because >of the real world (I'm paraphrasing - not her words). > >I'm arguing along three lines... > >*Practicality (cost/budget/product features). > >*Educationally (we're teachers not trainers) > >*Idiologically (free thinking, open standards and >specifically open file formats). > >Could anyone point me to some web resources for the >definition of "educating" rather than "training" that >would enhance my point. And also resources that >support the case for "open file formats" versus >proprietory (and thus I suppose opensource in general >versus proprietory - although maybe this wouldn't >directly help as we're at least "looking at Star >Office". Hmm). The more professional the body of any >report's author, the better I suppose (do Becta cover >this stuff?). Any articles at all would be great. > >Cheers > >-- >Matt Johnson > > > >_______________________________________________________________________ >_ >Download Yahoo! Messenger now for a chance to win Live At Knebworth DVDs >http://www.yahoo.co.uk/robbiewilliams > > > I think your experience is better suited to presenting this argument than mine! Whatever happens, "ideology" ought to be spelt correctly, or it will undercut whatever is written in the response. S x This message may contain information and/or data that is confidential and legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that any use, publication, reproduction or dissemination is strictly prohibited and may violate certain laws. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy this and all copies of this message and/or data. The content of this message has been scanned by MailPatrol for unacceptable language and inappropriate content. European Electronique limited thanks you in anticipation of your co-operation. MailPatrol is a fully managed service that offers your organisation the ability to monitor and enforce your Acceptable Usage Policy. For further information regarding the MailPatrol services contact the European Electronique Sales Enquiry line on 0845 345 8340 (local rate) or email sales(a)euroele.com

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RE: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology
by Chris Puttick 27 Nov '03

27 Nov '03

The big one is inclusion; all students in the school benefit because everyone can freely use OO.org in the school or at home, regardless of their financial situation. If they are not employed by MS or a shareholder, the above should work. If you want to get another support to your argument, try this: history tells us the dominant player in any emerging technology sector *never* remains dominant: Remington were once the world's number one supplier of typewriters; Sony once dominated television supply (either direct or by CRT supply); Novell were the name in SME file and print servers; Netscape was the only web browser anyone serious ever used; and of course WordPerfect was once the word processor of choice. Training a child to use a set of packages that, even if MS retains their dominance until that child leaves higher education, will be changed beyond all recognition seems pointless. It is highly unlikely that a Microsoft world will continue; to give the child the best chance, they need transferable skills. (for references on the above, see any site about history of science and technology) On the open file formats, my partner is the absolute expert (archives and records management). I'll get her input to you ASAP. -----Original Message----- From: Matt Johnson [mailto:johnsonmlw@yahoo.com] Sent: 27 November 2003 14:14 To: SuSe Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Open file formats and idiology Hi all, A rallying cry for some assistance in a scary world. We're thinking of replacing MS Office here (97) with Oo.o 1.1 (to be honest, it's going to happen!). I've received a letter from a parent who is "alarmed" that we may be considering any alternatives to Microsoft, expressing how important it is for her child to be in a Microsoft environment because of the real world (I'm paraphrasing - not her words). I'm arguing along three lines... *Practicality (cost/budget/product features). *Educationally (we're teachers not trainers) *Idiologically (free thinking, open standards and specifically open file formats). Could anyone point me to some web resources for the definition of "educating" rather than "training" that would enhance my point. And also resources that support the case for "open file formats" versus proprietory (and thus I suppose opensource in general versus proprietory - although maybe this wouldn't directly help as we're at least "looking at Star Office". Hmm). The more professional the body of any report's author, the better I suppose (do Becta cover this stuff?). Any articles at all would be great. Cheers -- Matt Johnson ________________________________________________________________________ Download Yahoo! Messenger now for a chance to win Live At Knebworth DVDs http://www.yahoo.co.uk/robbiewilliams -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-unsubscribe(a)suse.com For additional commands, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-help(a)suse.com This message may contain information and/or data that is confidential and legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that any use, publication, reproduction or dissemination is strictly prohibited and may violate certain laws. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy this and all copies of this message and/or data. The content of this message has been scanned by MailPatrol for unacceptable language and inappropriate content. European Electronique limited thanks you in anticipation of your co-operation. MailPatrol is a fully managed service that offers your organisation the ability to monitor and enforce your Acceptable Usage Policy. For further information regarding the MailPatrol services contact the European Electronique Sales Enquiry line on 0845 345 8340 (local rate) or email sales(a)euroele.com

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FLOSSIE conference reminder
by ian 26 Nov '03

26 Nov '03

Just a reminder about the FLOSSIE conference to be held at the London Institute of Education, 18th February 2004. A lot of practical case studies of schools using FLOSS. Please come and join in. Let's show the UK government officials who will be attending that there is real interest in FLOSS in the education sector. If the conference makes any money it will be divided equally between SchoolforgeUK and AFFS who are co-hosting with The Learning Machine, the main sponsor. If you have something interesting to show relevant to FLOSS in schools you can have a table in the exhibition free, just pay the delegate rate. (Subject to space available on a first come first served basis) http://www.schoolforge.org.uk/flossie/conference200402.html -- ian <ian.lynch2(a)ntlworld.com>

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OSS Watch ?
by Alan Harris 26 Nov '03

26 Nov '03

Hi all, Anybody know anything about the following posting, it was forwarded to me my my wife who's on a library mailing list. Any comments anybody ?  From: Michael Fraser <mike.fraser(a)COMPUTING-SERVICES.OXFORD.AC.UK> Date: Mon Nov 24, 2003 16:52:57 Europe/London To: LIS-LINK(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK Subject: OSS Watch inaugural conference, 11 December 2003 - book now! Reply-To: Michael Fraser <mike.fraser(a)COMPUTING-SERVICES.OXFORD.AC.UK> OSS Watch, the national open source software advisory service, will hold its inaugural conference, "Open Source Deployment and Development", on 11 December 2003. The conference is free but you must register to attend. IT Managers, software developers and end-users at higher and further education institutions are encouraged to attend. The conference will take place in the Martin Wood Complex, University of Oxford. Full details including a booking form are available on the OSS Watch website, see http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/events/2003-12-11/ The list of presenters at the conference includes: Eddie Bleasdale, netproject Paul Browning, University of Bristol Andrew Charlesworth, Centre for IT and Law, University of Bristol Jim Farmer, JA-SIG Brian Kelly, Web Focus, UKOLN Ben Lund, Nature Publishing Group Jon Maber, Bodington VLE Project Matt Meyer, Eversheds LLP Nick McGrath, Head of Platform Strategy, Microsoft Ltd Henrik Omma, TheOpenCD Sebastian Rahtz, Manager, OSS Watch David Tannenbaum, Researcher, OSS Watch Jeremy Wray, Business Development Executive, Public Sector, IBM Do be sure to register soon as places are going quickly! We look forward to seeing you on 11 December. Best wishes, Randy Metcalfe Communications Manager OSS Watch http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/ OSS Watch is based within the Research Technologies Service at the University of Oxford. OSS Watch aims to inform and advise about open source software and open standards through the development of best-practice guidelines, and out-reach activities aimed at OSS strategic planners, developers and users. For further information concerning OSS Watch please visit http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/ or email us at info(a)oss-watch.ac.uk  Alan

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RPM file for OpenOffice 1.1.0
by Rob Keeling 26 Nov '03

26 Nov '03

I have a small LTSP system currently running OpenOffice 1.0 as supplied with Suse 8.1. I would like to upgrade to OpenOffice 1.1.0, for the better import filters etc. However I can not find a RPM for Suse 8.1 which I can upgrade with! I don`t want to break the system by trying to install in the wrong place from a tar ball or something similar. Any suggestions? Rob Keeling Network Manager Queen Elizabeth`s Grammar School -- I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

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RE: [suse-linux-uk-schools] OSS Watch ?
by Chris Puttick 25 Nov '03

25 Nov '03

OSS Watch is a new body funded by JISC and based in Oxford University as part of the Research Technologies Service. See: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk and http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=oss_watch_softlaunch_100703 For more information. Cheers Chris -----Original Message----- From: Alan Harris [mailto:alanh@bryngwyn.carmarthen.sch.uk] Sent: 25 November 2003 11:37 To: suse-linux-uk-schools(a)suse.com Subject: [suse-linux-uk-schools] OSS Watch ? Hi all, Anybody know anything about the following posting, it was forwarded to me my my wife who's on a library mailing list. Any comments anybody ?  From: Michael Fraser <mike.fraser(a)COMPUTING-SERVICES.OXFORD.AC.UK> Date: Mon Nov 24, 2003 16:52:57 Europe/London To: LIS-LINK(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK Subject: OSS Watch inaugural conference, 11 December 2003 - book now! Reply-To: Michael Fraser <mike.fraser(a)COMPUTING-SERVICES.OXFORD.AC.UK> OSS Watch, the national open source software advisory service, will hold its inaugural conference, "Open Source Deployment and Development", on 11 December 2003. The conference is free but you must register to attend. IT Managers, software developers and end-users at higher and further education institutions are encouraged to attend. The conference will take place in the Martin Wood Complex, University of Oxford. Full details including a booking form are available on the OSS Watch website, see http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/events/2003-12-11/ The list of presenters at the conference includes: Eddie Bleasdale, netproject Paul Browning, University of Bristol Andrew Charlesworth, Centre for IT and Law, University of Bristol Jim Farmer, JA-SIG Brian Kelly, Web Focus, UKOLN Ben Lund, Nature Publishing Group Jon Maber, Bodington VLE Project Matt Meyer, Eversheds LLP Nick McGrath, Head of Platform Strategy, Microsoft Ltd Henrik Omma, TheOpenCD Sebastian Rahtz, Manager, OSS Watch David Tannenbaum, Researcher, OSS Watch Jeremy Wray, Business Development Executive, Public Sector, IBM Do be sure to register soon as places are going quickly! We look forward to seeing you on 11 December. Best wishes, Randy Metcalfe Communications Manager OSS Watch http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/ OSS Watch is based within the Research Technologies Service at the University of Oxford. OSS Watch aims to inform and advise about open source software and open standards through the development of best-practice guidelines, and out-reach activities aimed at OSS strategic planners, developers and users. For further information concerning OSS Watch please visit http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/ or email us at info(a)oss-watch.ac.uk  Alan -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-unsubscribe(a)suse.com For additional commands, e-mail: suse-linux-uk-schools-help(a)suse.com This message may contain information and/or data that is confidential and legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that any use, publication, reproduction or dissemination is strictly prohibited and may violate certain laws. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by return e-mail and destroy this and all copies of this message and/or data. The content of this message has been scanned by MailPatrol for unacceptable language and inappropriate content. European Electronique limited thanks you in anticipation of your co-operation. MailPatrol is a fully managed service that offers your organisation the ability to monitor and enforce your Acceptable Usage Policy. For further information regarding the MailPatrol services contact the European Electronique Sales Enquiry line on 0845 345 8340 (local rate) or email sales(a)euroele.com

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China to install 200 million Linux desktops
by ian 21 Nov '03

21 Nov '03

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031117/sfm143_1.html If there is strength in numbers, this must help a bit :-) -- ian <ian.lynch2(a)ntlworld.com>

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Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] Career change advice?
by garry saddington 21 Nov '03

21 Nov '03

On Thursday 20 November 2003 15:39, garry saddington wrote: > On Thursday 20 November 2003 11:35, Mark Evans wrote: > > On Thu, Nov 20, 2003 at 09:25:09AM +0000, David Bowles wrote: > > > Very well put Chris; > > > > > > > ...the current curriculum is not about IT per > > > > se, but more about use of applications. OK, I've been waiting for an oportunity to ask the following question and this seems the right juncture. What do members of this list think of the National Curriculum for ICT and the new KS3 strategy? Iam an ICT co-ordinator, presently trying to get th KS3 stuff into school using OpenOffice.org. Whenever I read the new framework, the National Curriculum, or any government advisory document I feel very uneasy about what I am being 'told' to teach young people. regards garry ps. Mark, sorry for the dual post.

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