[plug] Microsoft's insidious domination in Australian schools

Fri May 5 08:11:20 WST 2006

When you speak of the helpdesk, are you talking about the guys at 
Kinetic? AFAIK, most schools outsource their IT support to tender each year.

Meryon Montgomery wrote:
> At my school my two servers on the curriculum side of the network are
> ubuntu, my workstation (gentoo) and another workstation (kubuntu) are
> linux as well. Basically with any software (OS or otherwise) that isn't
> on their SOE won't be supported. I guess they are too pleased because I
> insist that the browser of choice is firefox. Apparently they haven't
> heard of it at the helpdesk (let alone openoffice or anything
> complicated).
>
> Monts
>
> On Thu, 2006-05-04 at 20:50 +0800, Peter F Bradshaw wrote:
>   
>> Hi Gavin;
>>
>> You may want to make contact with OpenSource WA (http://www.opensource.wa.gov.au/)
>> about this. They do not have the status of a department but they are
>> a government agency and may be able to help you cut throught the
>> beaurucracy.
>>
>> In any case, if there is not a plan to introduce OSS into education,
>> your enquiry may prompt them to create one.
>>
>> On Thu, 4 May 2006, Gavin Chester wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> (This email is written with many concepts explained that may already be
>>> familiar to you because I am sending this as an open letter to readers from
>>> a wide range of backgrounds and interest groups).
>>>
>>> I write with heavy heart and a good dose of old-fashioned rage at the
>>> injustice meted out to the next generation.  Okay, that's maybe a bit over
>>> the top, but I encountered a ludicrous situation that came to a head today
>>> at my local government primary school of around 75 students (K-7), located
>>> in a rural area of Western Australia.  It's under-funded and
>>> under-resourced, as you would imagine.
>>>
>>> Through contacts I have in the local Linux user group (PLUG), I had tapped
>>> into a supply of up to 15 PII PCs about to be cast-off by a large company.
>>> They were more than happy to donate the lot, plus spares, and deliver them
>>> more than 100km to our school.  These PCs are useless for running any recent
>>> version of Microsoft, but they are great for running Linux.  I presented a
>>> proposal to our school Principal of the concept of making use of these
>>> computers in a teaching lab, utilising one or two of their high-end desktops
>>> as a server.  The latter part of the concept was a short-term solution and I
>>> aimed to beg, borrow or steal a purpose-built server once I got the lab up
>>> and running, and proven.  I also was going to donate my time to setup the
>>> system and administer it and asked nothing of the school staff in this
>>> regard.
>>>
>>> Underpinning the concept was that it was to be a K12LTSP lab, since I have
>>> been following the project for about three years and run a small setup at
>>> home for my kids.  For those who don't know, K12LTSP is an offshoot of the
>>> LTS Project that allows low-end PCs to be used as thin (i.e., no hard drive)
>>> clients running off a central Linux server.  Another, similar Linux project
>>> is 'Edubuntu', which is based on Ubuntu Linux, itself based on Debian Linux.
>>> Those of you in the know will realise that there are other projects out
>>> there that do similar things and also are tailored for an educational
>>> setting, but K12LTSP is the one with which I am most familiar.  The beauty
>>> of any of these projects is that all the software is very worthy and it is
>>> FREE and you get to recycle old PCs, which not only saves them from
>>> polluting at landfill but also means that the hardware is usually FREE.
>>> Moreover, you can run a large PC lab (30 or more PCs, or clients) with only
>>> one server to administer instead of lots of separate PCs with their own
>>> operating system.  See these links for more information if you're not
>>> already familiar with these software projects:
>>> http://k12ltsp.org/contents.html
>>> http://www.ltsp.org/
>>> http://www.edubuntu.org/
>>>
>>> Despite being cash-strapped, the school did have some cash to spare for
>>> incidentals so I was going to be able to buy some missing bits, like basic
>>> networking gear.  I was even prepared that the lab be isolated from the rest
>>> of their system with no access to their existing server and internet link
>>> (the reason for this will be soon be apparent).  Well, today I was told that
>>> thanks, but no thanks.  Apparently, higher powers in head office dictate
>>> that every computer located in any government school across the whole State
>>> MUST run Microsoft - even if the hardware on which it runs is donated.
>>> Also, every computer in the school must be powerful enough to run XP.  It
>>> simplifies administration and help-desk support, you see.  That's despite
>>> the fact that no one from head office ever comes near the school's PCs, and
>>> despite the fact that the school can't afford to have more than about one
>>> working PC for every six students in the school because of the hardware
>>> requirements of XP.  I should point out that the ratio is an estimate, since
>>> I've only anecdotal evidence of how many PCs are used regularly in the
>>> school.  If I've erred, I believe I've been generous regarding the ratio of
>>> students per PC.
>>>
>>> As you would imagine, I was aghast at being told this today.  I
>>> incredulously stated to the Principal and the school administrator that "it
>>> is our responsibility to teach our children computing, not Microsoft".  But
>>> my pleas fell on deaf ears because they are bound by head office policy,
>>> apparently.  I don't write this open letter to serve as a means to 'vent my
>>> spleen' and rant like some Linux zealot at a ridiculous situation.  Instead,
>>> I ask that recipients consider the implications of it and then act.  If you
>>> are able to contact someone who may have some influence, or know someone who
>>> knows someone else who may have influence, I want to see if we might effect
>>> a change in education policy to stop this happening in West Australian
>>> government schools.  Just where are our tax dollars being spent in
>>> education?  Into the pockets of Microsoft and Intel, I think.
>>>
>>> I see the use of free software and recycled hardware as another opportunity
>>> to better our next generation, yet it is being shot down by FUD (fear,
>>> uncertainty and doubt) emanating from the halls of (educational) power.  The
>>> teachers here at the 'coal face' don't seem to mind too much because "we
>>> don't have to pay any licensing fees out of our budget - head office pays".
>>> I was dumbfounded that such an attitude can exist.  Contact me if you have
>>> any ideas or similar sad stories to relate.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> 	Gavin Chester
>>>
>>> 	962 Williams Rd (PO Box 62), Dwellingup, Western Australia.  6213.
>>> 	Tel: (08) 9538 1102
>>> 	E-mail#1: mailto:sales at ecosolutions.com.au
>>> 	E-mail#2: mailto:gc at gwchester.com
>>>       
>> Cheers
>>
>>     
>
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>   
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