I have been experimenting with a copy of Mandrake that I downloaded from their site a couple of weeks ago. When you install, it gives you a dozen options - network server, network client, games machine, office machine etc etc. I can't say that the server client set-up that I am running on a pair of old K6's is doing that well. I like the potential idea and haven't given up yet. The Sun website is keen to tell us that are releasing Gnome ver 2 and Star Office ver 6 in the Spring. I think Chris's idea is excellent and been toying with the idea of approaching Mandrake about similar myself, anyway. I don't have any experience of Red Hat but they seem to have a good record for corporate support. What are Suse thinking Roger? Not being too negative though, I think, we will probably look to be installing XP because of the number of existing Windows based licences that we have and the resident level of staff training that we possess throughout. I include in this, all the staff nervously working through their NOF courses on their new machines that their spent hard earnt cash upon as well as our gap filling KS3 part timers. Additionally, There are quite a few killer apps that I don't think we could live without and quite a few departments have invested large amounts of budget into resource CD's and windows based curriculum support software. We have been using XP on standalones for a while now. It represents a big move forward and so far is a very solid platform. I have reservations too, about Sun Microsystems making a monoploly of my network and taking over where Microsoft left off either. I wouldn't want to invest curriculum development and good time into possibly buggy and soley office based moves forwards either. Now, start to resist the urge to flame me at this point, please. I am on your side, really. I would love for Linux to succeed at a school level but I don't mind paying Bill Gates if it makes my life easier. If I sweat and work against the flow, upset staff and departments, all I will get for showing the LEA and the Head that we can survive on less money is a budget reduction. Not much incentive really, is it. Pay a fair day's wage for a fair day's work and we might find some people prepared to get Linux moving. Chris, you have already said that you are not going to work full time on this. Is anyone? Will a slick system arrive in time for me not to install XP. I have my doubts. If I can help in a small way, though, I am happy to help you.