It may already be too late (was OSE conference)
Hi, Here follows a long summary of my experiences trying to push open source software. I really don't know where to go from here - but I certainly intend to keep trying. Any thoughts from anywhere are welcome. I was very pleased to see details of my LEAs plans for ITC over the next few years. They are planning the 'Northants Network for Learning' (NNL) with a view to getting all schools connected to a local WAN or somesuch by 2003 (I think) ... There was a name on the white paper I found describing all this, and I emailed him, asking about their views on open source software. I explained my interest (my local user group and my growing young family) and asked if open source software had been considered for the NNL. Unfortunately, he said that although he knows of several individual schools that do use Linux, open source software would probably not be appearing in the NNL infrastructure (this is my interepretation so I may have got this slightly wrong, but this is how I read it) - but thanks for the interest, and he would pass my comments on to his engineers. I am thus in the very frustrating situation of slowing seeing ITC in education take a leap in my area but having the centrally supported system tied around proprietory software ! I know that Linux would have so much to offer them (remote admin, etc) but unless they put up some resources to work out the benefits themselves, I cannot see it happening. It looks like they have already performed the studies and open source has missed the boat ! I have seen this problem so many times locally. I personally would like to support my daughters school getting connected - I could *give* them machines that run Linux and would manage their connection - but with their central LEA/ITC strategy based around something else, they would not be able to afford to support doing things 'on their own'. If we are to get open source software recognised for its worth, then the advocacy has to be directed at the LEAs/ICT support centres (in my opinion). Unfortunatly, this is the point at which people like me have no influence what-so-ever. When I found the Becta site - I was really pleased - at last there appeared to be a central body that would recomment and provide real data for things like the NNL - but I don't know if they were consulted - and I don't know what recommendations where provided (obviously) - but either way, NNL will go ahead without open source software, as far as I can see. Does Becta send out reports on their findings to LEA - how much promoting of open source is actually done to schools ? I think the ose.org.uk site is very valuable - but it must be maintained. I point everyone I know who is interested in this area to this site, but it has not been updated for quite a while, the forums are not very active and the mailing list has seen approx 6 or 8 posts in the last few months ... This is all my personally experiences obviously, and I hope some other people have better luck than me, but I am really disappointed that I cannot get the NNL designers to consider open source software and that Becta are not persuing a more active role in promoting open source software (well done by the way, Malcolm et al for your continued support). Oh well, we will keep going I guess ... ! Ta, Kevin. Northants LUG
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kevin.taylor@powerconv.alstom.com