Ian I beg to differ on this vertical solution of yours. Hardware and certain software will not only improve learning, it will affect the schools bottom line. Simply by not having to pay Microsoft royalties for the use of their operating system and office software, a savings in incurred. This savings can be used to purchase smart boards, projectors, computers etc. The very nature of using Linux and OpenOffice is in effect a positive influence on the institution. We are also making our kids free thinkers instead of Microsoft slaves. Sure, there is already student record keeping software, internet class software such as moodle, and other educational software that can be used. As the list grows, there are also great Internet sites that can be used such as Kidport.com which has work for grades kinder through 8th grade. The use of the Internet in learning can really be usefull as many resources are found there that can be accessed using a free operating system, old machines in a thin client setup, and is continously being improved. You could say that open source vertical integration is a low cost vehicle an educator can use for getting students learned. It is the teachers responsibility to teach. Open source software simply provides tools. -- Rod Donovan Systems Support Specialist II Texas A&M University Corpus Christi College of Education Early Childhood Development Center 361-825-3080 rodney.donovan@tamucc.edu -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-edu+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-edu+help@opensuse.org