[K12OSN] Why Linux?

[Thomas E. Haynes]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: k12osn-bounces at redhat.com 
> [mailto:k12osn-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of Jason
> Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 12:36 PM
> To: Support list for opensource software in schools.
> Subject: [K12OSN] Why Linux?
> 
> Hi Everyone.

--snippola--

> 
> I was wondering if anyone has some information, suggestions, 
> presentations etc of the benefits of Linux/LTSP in the 
> educational area. 
>   I have some websites bookmarked but I'm looking for more 
> personal experience from a technician, teacher etc point of view.

Jason...

I am not an expert, and we do not use LTSP. I have an interest in Linux, and
administer two servers for the school. I am really a classroom teacher,
although I have history in the server room. In another life I was a network
administrator for a public school of 2400, and I got Novell and MS certified
back in the day.

We use Linux for two reasons. It works, and it is cheap.

One machine I administer is a former Novell server that is a network file
server for the students in a laptop school. It has about 800 users, and the
machine provides web pages for them. Not all the teachers or students use
the pages instructionally, but a few of them are.
http://student.culver.org/~couchg/math/ is an example of a student site for
a math class. The functions link is broken because his partner on that one
is no longer at school, but you get the point. This server has been the
Energizer Bunny of servers. It authenticates off the Windows domain, and has
been very easy to set up and use.

The other machine runs Moodle, and it is the poorboy's answer to BlackBoard.
The computer club built this machine from parts off the internet, and it
works better than it has any right to work. This thing started with $125 or
so of parts and the technology dept. bought us some more ram. Webalizer
claims it has averaged over 16,000 hits a day since school started.
http://academies.culver.org/moodle Some of the Moodle courses are pretty
empty, but check the Garmey Humanities or some of the math classes. We are
running something that probably has better functionality than Blackboard on
a machine with a $25 power supply, IDE hard drives, and no-name ram. Linux
makes it all work. 

In terms of instructional bang for the technology buck, these machines are
the answer. They need almost no attention. They have worked really well.
Security has been excellent, and we have not had to struggle with the worms,
viruses, etc. of the MS machines. It is a no brainer to anyone who can think
about the issues for instructional tech.

My 2 cents...   Tom