[lug] Free Software in Schools

[Quentin Hartman]

Yeah, it's really a question of who is running the IT for the school. If
someone cares to do it, you can usually meet the needs of a school on FOSS.
I ran IT for a couple mid-sized school districts in Oregon for a few years
while I was out there and I was able to use a lot of FOSS, in the
infrastructure and on the desktop. I was able to save a ton of money on
both hardware and licenses, sometimes to the rune of 50%. But that was in
and before 2008.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) since then a
lot of the financial incentives to run FOSS in schools have been removed.
Among the plummeting cost of hardware and the nearly free licensing
programs most major vendors have, and the tight integration of curriculum
with specific pieces of software, there just isn't a lot of pressure to
"think different", especially when that means your infrastructure will be
"weird" and some things you want to do might be more difficult or
impossible. Unless you have someone who is willing to be an advocate and
make sure that things work right internal to the school, and likely the
district at large, it's just not going to happen until the current
environment of incentive and risk changes.

QH


On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 10:38 AM, David L. Willson <DLWillson at thegeek.nu>wrote:

> RMSEL, the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, uses a ~lot~
> of FOSS.
>
> --
> David L. Willson
> Trainer, Engineer, Enthusiast
> RHCE Network+ A+ Linux+ LPIC-1 Ubuntu
> Mobile 720-333-LANS(5267)
>
> This is a good time for a r3VOLution.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> As a parent trying to decide where to send my kids next, I've been
> horrified by many schools proudly calling themselves "mac-school" or
> "microsoft-school" and the likes.
>
> I've been suggested to sign this petition (which seems hopelessly doomed
> to failure, given the incredibly low number of signatures):
>
>
> https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/promote-use-free-software-our-schools-libre-office-gimp-gnu-cash-and-other-gpl-software-which-cost/T1xGw1fZ
>
> Please sign it and share it, maybe we do have a chance (and forgive me if
> you don't agree and/or you believe I shouldn't have posted something
> political to this mailing list)
>
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