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List Info Thread: Linux as a platform
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Linux as a platform |
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List Info Thread: Linux as a platform
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linescanner.co.uk>
10/10/06 9:39 PM >>>
Dom,
lets go back to your original question.
"establishing Linux as a superior platform to deliver
IT to education"
Currently Linux is an inferior platform to deliver IT in UK
education.
A bold statement from someone who makes a living from
deploying Linux
for UK education. Let me expand.
It is inferior for a number of reasons, little of which has
to do with
Linux itself.
The biggest one of all is lack of good quality curriculum
specific
education applications. The UK schools have become heavily
reliant on
software bought by ELCs. Most of the packages are baby
sitting rubbish
but some do have real value. Until this is addressed by
ISVs 99.9% of
these apps will stay windows only. The trouble is they see
little
market for converting them to Linux due to the small numbers
of schools
using it as their primary delivery platform. Schools will
not deploy
Linux due to the lack of apps. Chicken and
egg.......................
Secondly, there seems to be a lack of political will to
push OSS
forward in education. Ourselves and colleagues speak to
Becta via
various channels and get mixed responses. The introduction
of KS3
online (term used loosely) testing has proven to be a
stumbling block
for us in a couple of schools. It is heavily geared to MS
products,
making OS platforms especially thin client a real issue.
Same applies
for Mac based schools.
Thirdly is the lack of will of current educators to think
outside the
box and accept change. There are those out there who can
and do, but
they are a minority.
Linux as the main delivery platform especially thin client
is a
financial and management no brainer. It works and saves
money. The
issue lies with the above and will continue to do so for a
while yet.
Linux installs will be the exception rather than the rule
for the
foreseeable future.
The quickest way in my opinion to change this is to provide
good quality
"CROSS PLATFORM" education related apps. These
will need to be
curriculum specific in a lot of cases making a world wide
suite a little
tricky.
Cross platform is the key. Take away the need for a
specific platform
and people we go for the cheapest most stable and easy to
manage system
(Linux thin client)
Soapbox going away now
--
Regards
Andy Trevor
Technical Director
Cutter Project Limited
) The onus
then falls very largely on the teachers. Other
systems are more rote style, etc.
Regards,
Will van der Leij
--
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