March 2009 - openSUSE Edu - openSUSE Mailing Lists

[opensuse-edu] Today Meeting
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 24 Mar '09

24 Mar '09

Today we are having a meeting at *Tuesday 2009-03-24 17:00 (UTC/GMT) <http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_UTC.aspx?y=2009&mo=03&d=24&h…> *http://en.opensuse.org/Education/Meetings/Education_Meeting_2009-03-24 I am inviting our new friends at freelinuxpc.org and CSCLUG * * -- James Tremblay Volunteer openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

3 2

[opensuse-edu] Status 11.1
by Lars Vogdt 22 Mar '09

22 Mar '09

Hi Looking at our Buildservice repository, we've many changes since the release of RC2. So I like to ask if we should add more than the discussed package fixes to RC3. Already discussed and even tested: - brainworkshop (Unable to start with user rights) - exelearning (Unable to start) - Scilab (upgrade to 5.0.3) - geogebra (build fails ) - ktechlab (crashes with every circuit project) - childsplay (crasch immediatly when lauched) - gcompris (upgrade to 8.4.11) - python-pygame (needed for childsplay's crash) - python-numpy (f2py error with python 2.6) New packages/package upgrades since RC2 which are currently not on my "upgrade list": - solfege (updated to 3.14.0) - atomix (build fix) - stardict (fix bnc#465161) - ignuit (update to 0.0.11) - controlaula (new package: Classroom management tool) - openadmin (new package: A web-based school administration program) - avogadro (update to version 0.9.1) What about these package updates/new packages? I don't like to include them untested to RC3 - but if someone votes for a package.... ;-) Have I missed some other package updates/new packages which should be included in RC3? With kind regards, Lars -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-edu+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-edu+help(a)opensuse.org

3 5

[opensuse-edu] marketing idea's for the Education project
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 20 Mar '09

20 Mar '09

Hello, After reading several articles on "competing with open source" I found that one of the common mistakes that we make is to forget to talk about the problem that our project solves. With that in mind I wrote these pages (see attached) in order to frame that idea and to create a basis for marketing our work this year. The world's economy is at it's near record worst and schools are still being asked to do more with less. Many of our projects can help them shift budget costs into budget surplus's , they just don't know it. please tell me what you think of the paper , and help formulate the marketing plan around this idea. -- James Tremblay Volunteer openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 0

Re: [opensuse-edu] openSIS goes MySQL
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Theres are a few security and permissions adjustments to make before this can be installed. 1) the firewall needs to allow local access to the postgresql port 5432 2) postgresql needs its pg_hba adjusted to " host all all trust " 3) postgresql needs the -i startup option for internet access. 4) the folder in which openSIS is located, i.e. /srv/www/opensis needs chmod -R 777 opensis Paul Taylor wrote: > On Sat, 2009-03-14 at 09:14 -0400, James Tremblay aka SLEducator wrote: > >> On Friday March 13, 2009 openSIS is proud to announce another milestone >> towards that future of the Education_ERP. >> We have released an ALPHA of openSIS on MySQL . Try it, Debug it, Talk >> About it, Help develop it. PLEASE >> https://eduforge.org/projects/opensismysql/ >> >> > I have tried it on a Ubuntu 8.10 server and a virtual server running > CentOS 5. In both cases I am getting a blank screen and the logs read: > > PHP fatal error: Call to undefined function > PopTable() ....database.inc.php on line 415 > > I am not familiar with that function call (though assume it means > populate tables?) so can't go any further. Any help much appreciated. > > Paul > > > -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 1

Re: [opensuse-edu] openSUSE Server qualities and goals?
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 17 Mar '09

17 Mar '09

Grainge, Derek [Webmaster] wrote: > James, > > A few comment on your costs from someone in a private school in the UK, and someone who has downloaded and used both opensuse and suse-edu. I have lurked in this group for some time now, watching developments. > > We use a variety of platforms and desktops including PCs Macs and Linux, servers which are mostly Windows, a few Linux, and a lot of these little Asus eees. We have about 1000 devices plugged into our network plus about 400 belonging to students: we are a boarding school and students are resident all term. > > Our chosen MIS is from a small company Isams which sells to our particular market; similarly our web software Firefly.Net. Both happen to be based around Windows Server and IIS. We chose them for functionality not cost. > > You assume private schools are penniless. There are a lot of very rich schools especially in the East of the USA who might disagree with you - e.g. Deerfield? Here in the UK we charge hefty fees - our fee income is well in excess of £20 million and that doesn't take account of commerce or fundraising. We have approximately 900 students, mostly boarding. There are a lot of schools much better off than we are. > > We can afford licences. However 'Microsoft Select' and other volume discount schemes apply to servers as well as stations and I just don't recognise the Windows server price structures you mention. We pay annual fees which are peanuts in comparison. We have access to server, development and application install sets and we declare the volumes used annually. > > Now, what do you mean by a private school? I think in the US a public school is one operated by a local district and a private school is run as a business or a charity independently. This mimics what happens in the UK, with the exception that (Brits being Brits) private schools are called Public Schools :-) > > I think the openSIS project is an enormously important development, it's something schools have been discussing and trying half-heartedly to do themselves for years, and at some point I will evaluate it again in comparison with Isams. But if you're pitching for business (so to speak) on a cost reduction basis you'll put off schools who think your costings don't quite add up. > > I'm not criticising, I hope I'm helping sort out where the market lies. > > With best wishes, > > Derek Grainge > Webmaster and systems developer > Wellington College > > > ******************************************************************************** > All mail sent and received may be examined to prevent transmission > of unacceptable material. > Wellington College does not accept responsibility for email contents. > Problems to administrator(a)wellingtoncollege.org.uk. > Website: http://www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk > ******************************************************************************** > > > Derek, You response was exactly what I was looking for and the reason the posts title has a question mark. I wanted to know what everyone thought. As you suggest, in the US, "private schools" are generally run by a religious\charitable organizational, or the most recent twist, a society of parents disgruntled with the government sponsored education programs, which we call "Charter Schools" . These two types of institutions are generally small and not funded by tuition from a large demographic of parents , rather they are funded by the local families whom want an education for their children that is outside the constraints of the government mandated\funded curriculum. openSUSE - Education, is aimed at the k-12 market (aka primary schools). In this market, US government funded schools (aka public schools) are "strapped for cash". You mention the "Microsoft Select" program which I believe has a minimum number of "seats" requirement that most US schools never meet. Why Micro$oft decides that we must pay them more to cover a machine we purchased with Windows pre-installed is beyond me, moreover, why we pay it is confounding, why we pay it in perpetuity...... My reference to $1000.00 per server is based on the "channels" education discount which is how most US schools acquire their licensing. My numbers are real, as they are pulled from a recent set of quotes I received to implement Pearson's PowerSchool. Your numbers sound like your system is fairly close to a one to one model, this is only a dream for 90% of US schools and the savings on licensing we generate can be used to offset this pitiful condition. I \ we envy your financial situation, but only a select few US schools can claim to achieve it and unlike other countries, our "government" funding is based primarily on the local town\city\county tax base. Therefore, education in the US is largely an unfunded federal mandate. My former school district had a 13 million dollar budget with less than 3 million coming from Federal and State funds. When a community is faced with drawing most of it's budget for education from the pockets of the local families, it's easy to see that a student in Watts, Los Angeles, California would get a much different education than one in Beverly Hills, California. Thanks -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 0

[opensuse-edu] opensis -mysql release
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 16 Mar '09

16 Mar '09

https://eduforge.org/frs/?group_id=343 -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 0

[opensuse-edu] openSUSE Server qualities and goals?
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 16 Mar '09

16 Mar '09

We at the openSUSE Education project are dedicated to helping schools and school district's make the transition towards the low cost open source alternatives that are already mainstream in there production versions. The top ten things we offer are these prepackaged and tested versions of server applications key to the implementation and operation of a modern technology based curriculum. Any school district or private school that employed these solutions could realize a savings of over 50$ per year in licensing and support costs per student and more if they are used to replace commercial versions that require licensing per teacher as well. Combined with the enhanced educational opportunities acquired by moving into the culture of sharing teacher\user experiences and the savings are immeasurable. 1) openSUSE presents and easy to install, licensing free, way for schools to provide authentication services, file and print services, database and web server systems as well as application delivery services. These represent the bulk of school spending. with Microsoft server 2003 costing on average 1000$ per copy excluding access licensing, these expenses add up quickly. 2) Dan's Guardian, Internet filtering and proxy services. This projects replaces the customary subscription model filtering system with and "add on" module to the very popular SQUID Internet proxy and cache system deployed with every major Linux distribution and frequently installed on commercial websites. This project uses a donation request system for it's services but does not restrict it's products functionality. 3) Elgg, with this project a school can create a social interaction site like Facebook but for the purpose of schoolwork collaboration. This is a very useful tool with todays teens because it puts learning tools that are relevant to todays social activities in their hands which can remove the doldrum of traditional interactions. 4) openBiblio, In todays school the librarian does much more than manage books and therefor needs a "library automation system" that is flexible enough to handle DVD's , online or e-book subscriptions and credentials, and a list of other tangible and intangible learning assets. These systems generally have a per student cost associated with them that average 3.00$ per student. 5) Joomla, This project is a an easy to manage replacement for the traditionally hired out, usually static, one directional, web page most schools project. It presents a very easy to understand word processor interface known as a WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get) that make it very easy for a teacher to learn to modify their web presence with a few minutes a week, or day, to keep the public informed as to assignments and events. 6) Moodle - This project replaces products like "Blackboard" and makes it possible for small private and public schools to offer an online classroom. It works like many of the modern social networking sites yet is very organized and manageable like a real classroom. The cost of commercial products like Blackboard are often more then 10.00$ per student in licensing alone. Moodle is free to use. There are many "Moodle holsters" but our project helps remove that cost as well. 7) openSIS, an open source Student Information System. Consider this: Private schools essentially have no real operating budgets and as a result, most cannot afford a commercial SIS. But they can afford low cost hosting and support if the SIS is free. Here is an example for a 1,000 student private school buying Pearson's PowerSchool product: Powerschool License - $28 per student x 1,000 students = $28,000 PowerSchool annual maintenance and support - $8 x 1,000 = $8,000 Powerschool Server - Dual processor vanilla Dell server = $5000 Dell Extended 3 year support - $250 Windows Server License - $1,000 ( I am guessing very low) Windows SQL Server License - $1,650 Client access licenses required to connect to Windows Server and SQL Server - $50 per workstation x 25 workstations = $1,250 Implementation assistance and training - 10 hours at $250 per hour = $2,500 Total for Year 1 = $47,600 Ongoing Costs = $8,000 Years 4 and beyond - MSFT costs to renew licenses or upgrade to new versions. Hardware costs associated with the new software version requisites. Now consider our scenario: openSIS License - $0 openSIS Support and Maintenance - $6 per student x 1,000 = $6,000 openSIS Hosting - $150 per month x 12 = $1,800 Sever Cost = $0 Sever Maintenance - $0 Client Access Licenses - $0 Server Licenses - $0 Implementation assistance and training - 10 hours at $75 per hour = $750 Total for Year 1 = $8,550 (Year 1 difference of -$39,100) Ongoing Costs - $7,800 (Ongoing Costs difference of -$200 per year) They never have to renew/upgrade MSFT licenses Hardware upgrades planned as needed to support serviceable lifespans The private school market has over 7 million students in it and it is growing at about a 5% pace every year. The OS4Ed goal is to build an open source stack that we continue to bolt pieces onto for $1 or $2 per student: openSIS - $6 openIntel - $2 openBiblio - $2 Moodle - $2 And more as we grow......Until we can provide the http://en.opensuse.org/Education_ERP as a complete package. 8) The incredible software that comes with Novell's openSUSE and the community of supporters dedicated to it. 9) The worldwide dedication to education software as is maintained in the over 100 other titles in our desktop repository. 10) The knowledge and experience of the hundreds of educators around the world the communicate daily with the individual project\product communities. -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 0

[opensuse-edu] openSUSE Edu Logo
by Jan Weber 15 Mar '09

15 Mar '09

Hi all, I am currently trying to get some work done on the branding part, you could also call it artwork :) And I am looking for a larger openSUSE Edu logo, the one in the wiki is quite small. Is there an svg version? I know the one in the Developer wiki has a bigger size, but i would prefer a black and white one. Looking forward to your replies Cheers Jan -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-edu+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-edu+help(a)opensuse.org

2 1

[opensuse-edu] openSIS goes MySQL
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 14 Mar '09

14 Mar '09

On Friday March 13, 2009 openSIS is proud to announce another milestone towards that future of the Education_ERP. We have released an ALPHA of openSIS on MySQL . Try it, Debug it, Talk About it, Help develop it. PLEASE https://eduforge.org/projects/opensismysql/ -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com e-mail james "at" os4ed.com e-mail sleducator "at" opensuse.org CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education

1 0

[opensuse-edu] twitter
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

I am hoping to learn Twitter, if anyone would like to follow http://twitter.com/SLEducator -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com mail james "AT" os4ed.com CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-edu+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-edu+help(a)opensuse.org

2 1