Re: [suse-linux-uk-schools] SendMail Relays
In message <20020710164100.EJNR19225.mta07-svc.ntlworld.com@there>
Ian Lynch
On Tuesday 09 July 2002 21:36, you wrote:
This really needs to be done. Schools have got to see the benefits. I'm about to spend £10 000 on mickeysoft licences.
Why? You can get round this largely with what we are doing. In East Hull CLC we installed 120 wireless thin clients and saved about 30k in software =20 licensing and more in hardware and management time. The kids using it don't seem at all bothered. Also we can manage their servers for them remotely so its very inexpensive to get very expert support. My view is that if you have say lots of Windows 95 machines and they run your curriculum software why change? Very few apps are going to only run on XP so if it ain't broke why fix it? If you use thin client to run your office, graphics, web etc software from servers you then just upgrade your servers every few years and the whole network is upgraded and the software for all that aspect is free and will remain so. We can make your local Windows proof against hacking and viruses at no extra cost. In the longer term as more develops you will be able to dump local windows altogether because everything will go web based.
no choice I'm afraid.
There's always a choice ;-) Well depends obviously on people above you. We tend to deal with some innovative people who want to be at the cutting edge and tend to be prepared to take what others see as a risk. But then the only risk in business is to take no risk.
I don't want to take risks with the limited amount of time we have for ICT in schools. To start running another system (we are just removing the last 3 RISC OS suites) instead of consolidating the system most people have will cause a drop in teaching efficiency for a while at least. It would lots of planning time to try and avoid this. I have too many inexperienced and insecure staff teaching the odd ICT lesson. if they have to cope with something too different to what they use at home they get too stressed. Now I have heard all the arguemts about compatability but on the ground there are still too many problems. We have a need for a pupil to be able to work at home or at any station in school and be able to transfer files about with as few problems as possible. I have worked for 15 years trying to get pupils and staff to understand the ways around filer transfers between different applications and platforms. Its is not something the majority of people have time for. you only end up annouing them because you don't give them the answer they need for a quick fix. "I don't want to understand - I just want it to work!" We have a thin client system. We have been at the forefront. We have struggled to cope, and to relieve the stress on Network Manager, technicains, staff and some pupils, we need consistency. Windows got its foot in because Linux wasn't ready for the desktop in schools. I'd love it to have been different. The most used application after Word in school is Powerpoint, simply because its easy and fun. I realise that the future is the web and MickeySoft's web output is awful for anything but MickeySoft infested clients. But what seems to be at the forefront of the NC in ICT is what the pupils do not what they understand. PowerPoint get's them doing and actually I have been amazed at the innovative work some of them have done. Can I tell the pupils that they can use this Linux box to do the same sort of stuff, so easily AND that it will work at home sp they can continue there?
But it should be about the last until we need to upgrade, We're reaching saturation with 1:5 computer to pupil ratio.
With thin clients the upgrades are much cheaper so if you use a mixture you can demote older machines to thin client and save enough to buy more thick clients without killing the environment.
We may well have done this but the governors came up with £90 000 grand. Coping with NT thin clients and W98 desktops making sure the policies for all the Office products match up on both platforms and work in the same way isn't exactly easy, for schools.
On my model saturation isn't reached until 1:1 - its affordable and long term sustainable and we can plan the space management needed.
I'd love to see the planning for space AND electrical power sockets, that doesn't invade some of our class rooms with noise and heat. Then you will also have to persuade our ISP to give us a bigger chunk of IP addreses for their Intranet. We've been given 508 and half of those are on the admin side of the router.
Good luck. All I can do really is to remind the head and the bods at Hampshire that open source is out there. I'm afraid I can't change our school to it in any form for at least 3 years now.
Well get a toe in the water because it doesn't have to be all one thing or another and if you do change in 3 years, experience will make it a lot =20 easier.
We've got experience but that may disappear. What happens when I or the Network Manager move on? And at the end of the day I just don't have enough time. My family need me and I'd rather spend more time on planning my lessons when it comes to work. I used to relish the technical stuff ... :(
We have a lot of interest, more than enough to keep us busy so its best if everyone doesn't all decide to try and change at once from my point of view. Its going to take years but I think that change is inevitable.
Change is but few can predict what will happen ;-) -- Colin McQueen : Using an Acorn StrongARM Risc PC Web Domain : http://www.mcqueen.uk.net/ BSc Zoology + Oceanography : PGCE : MSc in CBL/T
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Colin McQueen