[plug] suggestion: PLUG 4 Schools

[Simon Fryer]

Afternoon

> A while ago sol tapped:

[PLUG supporting Linux in schools]

[PLUG providing demos, debunking M$ propaganda]

> Any thoughts?

I helped to admin a Red Hat proxy/mail/NAT/gateway machine for several years 
at a local metro school. The school has since closed down and I have no idea
what systems are being run in the replacement school. I can tell you a few 
of the problems you are likely to run into: 
1) Any machine will have to be set up properly - the first time... I mean make
   sure the /, /tmp, /usr, /var and swap partitions are of an appropriate 
   size. Security is up to scratch and all file permissions are as appropriate. 
   One of the largest problems I ran into was the only partitions where /, 
   /var and swap (I didn't set the machine up) and /var was of an inappropriate 
   size (way to small). 
2) Most teachers don't know much other than M$. You have an uphill task to 
   convince the users that they want *nix and it will be helpful for them. 
3) Due to 2) you are going to need continued support and training until 
   problems are resolved. 
4) All changes to a schools network should be done in accordance with the 
   IT committee and be supported in the IT plan for the school - if the school 
   has one. Trying to change to or from one platform to another without any 
   sort of planning is just asking for problems. 
5) You need someone with excellent personal skills in order to explain how 
   systems work and how the systems fit into the network. This is so non 
   technical people do not feel intimidated by the technology and are capable 
   of assisting to fix computer/network problems. 
6) To my knowledge most schools do not have CNC, instrumentation and other 
   specialist applications hooked up to their computer hardware. This should
   make everything a lot easier and not require unusual and specialist 
   software to be made operational. If they have anything a little bit unusual
   then we are likely to run into problems. I know people still supporting 
   Win3.11 because the software and hardware drivers they use exists for that 
   platform and non other. 

Admittedly points 4)and 5) is valid for all systems and rarely happens in my 
experience.

This will not get off the ground unless you can convince the teachers that 
*nix is a valid and reliable alternative and is better than M$ for their 
applications. This will not happen until you get PC resellers recommending 
Linux to schools for servers/desktop machines rather than M$. And this 
will not start to happen until you can get PC resellers to support and 
pre install Linux. To my knowledge many schools not just buy machines but
they also purchase a support contract for the machines/network at the same
time. You need to get everyone at the school behind the project - the P&C, 
teachers, support staff and the students. If anyone of these stake holders is 
not happy with the decision then the project is likely to fail. 

Oh, and I have seen 4 or 5 large and rather chunky M$ servers sent out to 
a school - one for mail, one for web/proxy, one for news and another as the 
internet gateway of some arrangement to that effect. In my opinion the school 
who was receiving the servers was not excessively large. 

I think this is an excellent project but each installation needs to be thought 
out before it is performed. I do however think that we can do a lot promoting 
*nix as a usable desktop and server OS for schools. Hopefully some of the 
more switched on schools will have a go - and with luck report success to 
other less enlightened schools, who may, in time, change their systems.  

Simon

-- 
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"Well, an engineer is not concerned with the truth; that is left to 
philosophers and theologians: the prime concern of an engineer is 
the utility of the final product."  
Lectures on the Electrical Properties of Materials, L.Solymar, D.Walsh